Barbara weber reports to finanztip on insurance and legal topics. Barbara Weber, a lawyer specializing in labor and social law, came to writing in a roundabout way: after studying and then completing her traineeship, she first worked in a business consulting firm and helped companies set up their own businesses. in 2020 she took an additional journalism course. with this you bring ideal conditions for the work in the finanztip editorial office with you.
- If you buy an electric or hybrid car, the government rewards you with an environmental bonus of up to 9 percent.000 euro.
- You can also get the car premium for electric leased cars and used cars.
- Purely electric vehicles are also exempt from vehicle tax for up to ten years.
- choose an electric or hybrid vehicle that is on the list of eligible cars.
- If you need a car loan, we recommend a comparison via credit portals. Start at verivox. After that, you can check with check24 to see if it’s even cheaper.
- Apply to the federal office for economic affairs and export control (bafa) as soon as your car is registered.
In this guide
the new federal government wants to push the purchase of e-cars. By 2030, 15 million electric cars are expected to be on German roads. To this end, one million publicly accessible charging points are to be created over the next few years. As a driver of an e-car, the government rewards you with a substantial subsidy, the environmental bonus. Up to 9.000 euros you can currently get back if you switch to electromobility. According to the ministry of economics and climate protection, there will be a double federal share (innovation premium) until the end of 2022 there will be.
This is how much the car premium is
The government pays the environmental bonus for electric cars, fuel cell vehicles and hybrid cars with electric and combustion engines (plug-in hybrid). You get the bonus if you buy a buy a new car or least. But also for a used electric vehicle you can get the bonus.
The subsidy consists of a share paid by the manufacturer (manufacturer’s share) and a federal share. The manufacturer will deduct the manufacturer’s share directly from the new price. So you buy the car at a lower price.
You have to apply for the federal share at the federal office of economics and export control (bafa). We will show you how to receive the federal share further down in this guidebook.
The amount of your premium depends on the vehicle model and the net list price. Currently, the state even pays twice the federal share, the innovation premium. It is currently still limited until 31. December 2021.
New : according to the ministry of economy and climate protection, the innovation bonus will be until the end of 2022 enter.
If you decide to buy a new car, you will receive the following subsidy:
Environmental bonus for new cars
source: federal office of economy and export control (as of december 2021)
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Promotion of leased electric cars
The market for electric cars continues to develop, and more and more carmakers are gradually switching their production from combustion engines to electric motors. The technology of your current electric car can be obsolete in a few years again. If you want to wait and see how the market develops, you may be interested in private leasing.
Leased electric cars and hybrid vehicles also receive an environmental bonus. How much money you receive depends, among other things, on the leasing period. the longer you lease, the more money you get.
Environmental bonus for e-cars
Up to 40.000 €
40.000 – 65.000 €
source: federal office of economy and export control (as of december 2021)
environmental bonus for plug-in hybrid vehicles
source: federal office of economics and export control (as of december 2021)
You also get the innovation premium for leased vehicles. What this means for you is that you can expect to be eligible until 31. You will receive double the federal share by December 2022.
Promotion of used e-cars
You will get the e-car bonus not only for a new car, but also for a used one. The subsidy for a used car is standardized: you always receive the premium for a car with an net list price of more than 40.000 euro, so at most 5.000 euros for an e-car and for a hybrid a maximum of 3.750 euro.
The prerequisites for a used e-car
A used electric car must meet the following requirements for the bonus:
no environmental bonus yet – the car must not have received the environmental bonus yet.
registration of the car– the vehicle must not have been registered with the previous owner for more than twelve months. You will also receive the innovation premium with double the federal share if the vehicle is sold after the 4th month of ownership. registered for the first time in November 2019 and from 4. June 2020 for the second time – namely to you.
Maximum mileage – the mileage of the car must not be more than 15.000 kilometers. You will need a certificate from a recognized inspection organization or an officially recognized expert. Tuv or dekra can issue you such a certificate. You can get the form from the bafa in the verification package of used cars.
Important: the mileage on the day of the inspection by the expert is relevant!
New list price and purchase price – when applying for the premium, you must provide evidence of the former list price. For this you need either the former invoice for the new car or you get an expert opinion from the deutsche automobil treuhand (DAT).
you must not have paid more than 80 percent of the list price for the used car. The list price is calculated including special equipment and without discounts minus manufacturer’s share.
Example: the former list price for an electric car, including optional equipment, was 23.000 euro. the previous owner has a discount of 10 percent, that is 2.get 300 euro. deduct the manufacturer’s share of 3.000 euro remains a price of 17.700 euro. You may use a maximum of 80 percent, or 14 percent, of the vehicle.160 euro, paid as purchase price. As proof, you must submit the purchase contract to the bafa.
How to apply for the environmental bonus
Before you buy or lease an electric or hybrid vehicle, you should check whether the vehicle is included in the list of eligible cars at the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control (BAFA).
Advance the federal share – if you want to lease an electric car or a hybrid, you usually have to advance the federal share as a down payment. The same applies to the credit-financed purchase. You can get the down payment back from the bafa.
Submit application – as soon as your car is registered, you can fill out the application form online and submit it online.
After submitting the application, you will receive a confirmation of receipt by e-mail with your transaction number and the link to the upload portal. There you still need documents upload:
Documents for car purchase
Is it about the premium after a car purchase, then you need:
- invoice or purchase contract
- declaration of truthfulness (form will be provided)
- For used cars: invoice at the time with list price or expert opinion from the deutsche automobil treuhand (DAT), from which the list price at the time is derived
- Declaration of the mileage of the vehicle of maximum 15.000 kilometers at the time of purchase; you will receive the declaration from an officially recognized testing organization or an expert (for used cars)
documents for car leasing
If you have a car leased and would like to receive the apply for bonus, then you need:
- Leasing contract
- Binding order
- Calculation of the leasing rate without the environmental bonus
- Declaration of truthfulness (form will be provided)
- For used cars: invoice at the time with list price or expert opinion from deutsche automobil treuhand (DAT) showing the list price at the time
- declaration of the mileage of the vehicle of a maximum of 15.000 kilometers at the time of purchase; you will receive the declaration from an officially recognized inspection organization or an expert (for used cars)
after positive examination of your documents you will receive a notice of subsidy and the payment of the federal share to the account specified in the application form.
Your tax advantages for electric cars
Your electric car is exempt from vehicle tax for a maximum of ten years if it is registered in your name by the end of 2025 (§ 3d abs). 1 kraftstg 2002). The period is shortened the later the car is registered in your name – because the exemption is supposed to be expire at the end of 2030. This means that if you buy an e-car in 2023, for example, you can be exempt from vehicle tax for a maximum of eight years. If you’ve been driving an electric car for a long time, the tax exemption also applies to you retroactively if your car is registered after the age of 18. was registered to you in May 2011.
If you buy an electric car used, you also benefit from the tax exemption if the ten years since first registration have not yet expired.
For example: your car was bought new by the previous owner in may 2016 and has been registered for this purpose. You will then pay no vehicle tax until april 2026, regardless of when the car was registered in your name. In addition, you are exempt from vehicle tax if you have been driving your vehicle since the age of 18. If you have converted your car to an electric vehicle in May 2016 or will do so until new year’s eve 2025.
Advantages in payroll tax
At the end of 2016, the law on tax incentives for electromobility came into force and was extended at the end of 2019. The state thus also subsidizes electric cars and plug-in hybrids via payroll tax.
Here’s how it works: if your employer grants you one of the following benefits, they remain yours tax-free – at least until 31. December 2030:
- Charging a private (hybrid) electric vehicle
- Charging a company car at work
- The temporary provision of a company charging station
If your employer is even prepared to let you use a charging station completely for a time, this is also exempt from wage tax. If your boss gives you the charging device permanently free of charge or at a reduced price, you have to pay tax on the so-called non-cash benefit. But not at your personal income tax rate, but at a flat rate of 25 percent payroll tax.
To charge your electric car at home, you should purchase a special charger – a wallbox. We explain how to fill up your car with electricity at low cost in the autostrom guide.
If you charge your company car at your own expense, your employer can reimburse you for the expenses free of tax and social security contributions. The monthly flat rate for the year 2020 is 20 euros for pure e-cars and 10 euros for plug-in hybrids if you can also charge the car at work.
in 2021, the flat rate has increased to 30 and 15 euros, respectively, according to instructions from the federal ministry of finance. If you don’t have the option of charging the car at work, the monthly flat rate is 50 euros for pure e-cars and 25 euros for electric hybrid vehicles. 2021 it has increased to 70 and 35 euros respectively.