From 1 January 2023, people residing or working in or near an EPZ will be able to benefit from a zero interest loan to buy an electric or plug-in hybrid car. This two-year experimental measure is subject to conditions.
A decree published in Official newspaper of April 24, 2022 acts the possibility for people residing or working in a ZFE (low emission zone) to benefit from a loan at zero rate to acquire a vehicle emitting a maximum of 50 g / km of CO2 in WLTP cycle, i.e. essentially electric, plug-in hybrid or fuel cell. These loans will be granted from 1er January 2023. The official text defines the terms of this aid decided last July with the adoption of the “climate and resilience” law, on an experimental basis, however, since it must be the subject of an evaluation report by the Ministry of Transport two years after its entry into force. As a reminder, ZFEs are areas in which the circulation of vehicles is restricted according to a selection based on their Crit’Air sticker, which itself depends on the Euro pollution standard appearing on their registration certificate.
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Zero-rate ZFE loan: for whom?
The zero-rate loan will be reserved for natural persons or micro-enterprises who can prove that they are domiciled or have a professional activity in one of the agglomerations where air quality standards are regularly exceeded and within which a ZFE will be mandatory by 1er January 2023. This will therefore concern around ten metropolises, including those of Greater Paris, Lyon, Aix-Marseille, Toulouse and Strasbourg. Assistance will also be given to applicants who live or work in a neighboring intermunicipal community. For the time being, the ZFEs which will be imposed on all municipalities with more than 150,000 inhabitants by December 31, 2024 are not affected. For a natural person to benefit from the loan, his reference tax income per unit must not exceed €14,000.
ZFE loan at rate 0: how much?
The interest-free loan will be granted for the purchase of a passenger car or a van whose weight does not exceed 2.6 t and whose CO emissions2 in the WLTP cycle do not exceed 50 g/km. The price of the vehicle cannot exceed €45,000 for a car or €60,000 for a van before the aid. The maximum loan amount will be €30,000 or the price of the vehicle, aid deducted if this is less than €30,000. The maximum loan repayment period will be seven years.
For a long-term rental or a rental with an option to purchase, the loan will be capped at €10,000 and intended to pay the initial rent, as well as the exercise of the option to purchase if applicable. The contract must have a minimum duration of two years. In addition to the absence of interest linked to the loan, the decree specifies: No application fees, expert fees, interest or interim interest may be levied on these loans. »
