In addition to the presentation of social leasing allowing manufacturers to offer accessible prices, and in particular Citroën offering the new C3 from €54 per month or the C4 for €129 per month, the French government has just published the list of accessible electric cars to the 2024 bonus, the main change of which concerns the application of an environmental score above which cars will not benefit from the bonus.
Until now, the eco-rebate has been available for all electric cars sold for less than €47,000, thus favouring foreign-made cars, particularly Chinese cars, which had a double advantage due to their low price. This is why the French government wanted to add an environmental point to the bonus, in order to favour the allocation of this bonus to vehicles manufactured in France and, more generally, in Europe. It did not make sense to grant a subsidy for the purchase of an electric vehicle, in order to reduce CO2 emissions, to vehicles whose production and transport generate an enormous amount of emissions.
Since 15 December, electric vehicles have therefore had to comply with an environmental assessment in order to continue to benefit from the environmental bonus, the amount of which will remain the same until 2023.
Eligible Citroëns from C3 to Spacetourer
Manufacturers have therefore submitted their vehicles to this complex calculation of the environmental score with Ademe, the Energy Transition Agency, which has revealed the list of cars that will continue to benefit from the bonus from 2024.
The entire Citroën range appears on this list, so that consumers from the C3 to the Spacetourer can continue to benefit from this aid of 5,000 euros for the purchase of electric cars, or even 7,000 euros, depending on resources. This is therefore a major positive point for the brand, which will be able to continue to offer its electric vehicles at more accessible prices and redress the balance of competition with vehicles manufactured in China and often offered at aggressive prices.
In this context, the new C3 gains enormously in the exchange as it becomes the most affordable electric car without the bonus, being offered from €18,300 or even from €16,300 for people eligible for the €7,000 bonus. The Dacia Spring, which previously benefited from this bonus, is therefore excluded, which is a good sign for Citroën since sales of this Spring, which has nothing to do with the C3, have been astonishing; these customers will therefore be able to taste the comfort and habitability of the new C3 with more than decent autonomy.
The other winner in the range is the C4, which sees its fierce competition from the MG4 fade a little now that the Chinese compact sedan no longer benefits from the €5,000 bonus. The two competitors are now in a similar price range as the Chinese saloon is available from €29,990 while the C4 is available from €30,740 without the bonus. The C4 has its comfort, its habitability, a comparable autonomy but a faster recharging.
This new bonus rebalances the situation by allowing a healthier form of competition between manufacturers who produce in Europe and comply with European rules and those who produce outside Europe according to lighter standards, with the addition of highly polluting sea transport. This new bonus is therefore good for European brands, including Citroën, which will continue to benefit from the €5,000 bonus for its entire range and will become more competitive compared to competitors who will no longer receive it.