To avoid the ecological penalty and the new weight tax, the most obvious solution is to buy a fairly light car with reduced CO2 emissions. But various allowances and exceptions are also provided, especially for large families and people with disabilities.
In theory, the rule is severe, but simple. To escape an ever more dissuasive ecological penalty in 2022, you will have to buy a new car that emits less than 128 g / km of CO2. As for the new tax on the weight, it starts slowly: only non-rechargeable thermal or hybrid models over 1,800 kg, including a 75 kg driver, are affected. Apart from utility derivatives, only certain versions of the Renault Espace and Koleos are thus affected by French brands. In practice, however, things are more complex than that. To take account of certain specific situations, various arrangements have been made.
TO READ. Weight tax: the list of affected models
What exemptions for the CO penalty2 ?
Appeared in 2007, the ecological penalty has hardened over time, affecting more and more models. But most of the exemptions that were originally planned still exist today.
- Large families : a reduction of 20 g / km per child is provided for families with at least three dependent children, including foster families, for the purchase of a vehicle with at least five seats. Reimbursement is made a posteriori, by bank or postal transfer. The request must be made before December 31 of the 2e year following registration, and the family must be the owner indicated on the registration document. In addition to new copies, those imported for the first time in France are also affected, unlike demonstration or executive models.
- People with Disabilities : the penalty does not apply to vehicles registered ” passenger car bodywork handicap », Wheelchair accessible, as well as to those which have been acquired by a holder of the mobility inclusion card bearing the mention invalidity or of a military invalidity card. Same story for people who have, in their home, a minor or dependent child holding the mobility inclusion card. Please note, the exemption can only concern one vehicle per beneficiary. To avoid paying the tax, you must also attach a copy of the disability card when applying for the registration certificate.
To be able to sell its new Gladiator in France without penalty, Jeep will only offer it in the form of a four-seater utility vehicle. 
In Europe, Suzuki no longer sells its Jimny in a two-seater version. This allows him in passing to escape the penalty in France. - Utilities: Unlike passenger cars (M1 category on the gray card), N1 category utility vehicles are exempt from an ecological penalty, under certain conditions. The law specifies that they must not be intended for the transport of passengers and their luggage or their goods. This is the reason why Suzuki no longer offers its little Jimny as a two-seater with us. Please note, a transformation after the purchase exposes you to a tax. Spared for a long time, the five-seater pick-ups are now subject to the penalty, unless they are assigned to the operation of ski lifts and ski areas. On the other hand, the four-seater models remain sheltered, so much so that Jeep has decided to amputate its new Gladiator from its rear central belt.
Vans and motorhomes are immune to penalties as long as they can be used as accommodation and carry a certain number of equipment: table, seats, kitchenette, berths … - Vans and motorhomes: Very trendy at the moment, vans and motorhomes also benefit from an exemption, provided they are designed to be able to serve as accommodation. They must also include at least seats and a table (this one can be removable), berths obtained by converting the seats, a kitchenette area and storage spaces.
- Opportunity : the majority of used models are not affected. As a bonus, the government has removed specific taxes that had been created a few years ago. But if you import a second-hand model from abroad, you will have to pay the ecological penalty when you want to register it in France. Note, however, that it is the scale that was in force during the year of first registration abroad that is taken into account here, and that a reduction of 10% of the amount per year elapsed since that date is also applied. . Knowing the exact amount is therefore often quite complicated, especially since the calculation method was revised last year following the entry into force of the WLTP cycle.
In its Flexfuel version compatible with E85, the Evoque P200 escapes the penalty from which it would normally suffer thanks to a reduction of 40% on its CO2 emissions. - Bioethanol E85 : a reduction of 40% is applied to CO emissions2 cars capable of running on ethanol, provided they remain below the 250 g / km mark. As a general rule, this allows you to avoid any penalty. This is a way of taking into account the supposed cleanliness of this fuel, produced mainly in France from plant materials that absorb CO.2. While encouraging manufacturers to offer compatible models from the factory. But at present, only Ford and Jaguar-Land Rover have answered the call.
TO READ. Ethanol. The list of E85 compatible models without box in France
What exemptions for the weight tax?
Requested in particular by Barbara Pompili, the Minister of Ecology, the new tax on the weight of vehicles comes into force on 1er January 2020. But for now, it only starts at 1,800 kg, far from the 1,300 kg that had been initially proposed, and the exceptions are numerous.
TO READ. Weight penalty: all you need to know about the new tax
- Electric or hydrogen cars: often leaded by heavy batteries, they are totally exempt from this tax novelty for the moment.
- Plug-in hybrid cars: they also escape the tax if their electric autonomy in town on the WLTP cycle exceeds 50 km. A condition that almost all of the models sold in France today manage to fulfill.
- People with Disabilities : their vehicles are exempt under the same conditions as for the ecological penalty
- Large families : here too, we follow the same principles as for the CO penalty2, with an allowance of 200 kg per child for families with at least three dependent children who buy a vehicle with at least five seats.
- Eight-seater vehicles and more: they benefit from a standard allowance of 400 kg if they are acquired by a legal person.
Finally, note that the cumulative ecological penalty and this new weight tax may not exceed, in 2022, a ceiling set at € 40,000, or 50% of the new price for the cheapest vehicles. Ford Mustangs or Toyota Land Cruisers will thus escape the “maximum penalty”, even if their penalty will remain eliminatory for most buyers.
