Buying an electric vehicle: why we need to rethink credit solutions

2023-05-16 06:23:40

Economical, the electric vehicle? Electricity, of course, costs less than fossil fuel, particularly in France. But the rents you pay – if you have chosen a long-term rental (LLD) type contract, sometimes with an option to purchase (LOA), the means now largely in the majority of access to the new vehicle – are very likely to squeeze your budget.

A study by Transport & Environnement (T&E), a collective of around fifty European NGOs committed to carbon-free mobility, reveals that leasing companies, many of which are owned by French banks, overcharge electric vehicles that ‘they rent, to the detriment of motorists’ wallets.

“Cars are more and more expensive and, as a result, we are deploying an increasingly rich array of financing solutions”, assumes the framework of a tricolor establishment whose subsidiary dedicated to leasing… “is doing well, c ‘is right “. In France, the monthly rent charged by leasing companies for a long-term rental is on average “56% higher for an electric vehicle than for its thermal equivalent”, notes the T&E study. For example, the average monthly rent for a Peugeot e-208 is 547 euros, compared to 355 euros for the petrol model.

Buying cash is not necessarily a good plan either.

In short, “a very favorable business model, which does not integrate the increase in the resale value of electric vehicles in recent years”, deplores a representative of the NGO collective. On arrival, Renault, via RCI Bank, BNP Paribas, via Arval, or even Société Générale, via ALD Automotive and LeasePlan, among others, made record profits in 2022.

So, is it better to buy your electric vehicle cash, via a loan? Yes, but… Here again, the banks are not exempt from all blame. Since January 1, individuals wishing to purchase a clean vehicle — electric or hybrid — have been granted a zero-rate mobility loan (PTZ-m) if they live in a “low-emissions mobility zone” ( ZFE-m). The amount is capped at 30,000 euros, but the system can be combined with aid for the acquisition of low-polluting vehicles (ecological bonus and conversion bonus).

The problem? In banking establishments, the offer is not yet available. “The necessary agreement between the State and the credit institutions is still under discussion”, argues a banker. If all goes well, the situation should return to normal at the start of the next school year.

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