[srini1785]

I find it hard to believe but looks like :

EV car subsidies allows buyers to get it for almost no cost :

Germany's incentives for the auto industry is mostly all about promoting electric vehicles with very little, if anything at all, for cars with conventional engines.

Source :
https://auto.hindustantimes.com/auto...221097571.html

[anandhsub]

It can be "leased" at next to nothing.

Given the Central Bank rate is -0.50% ( yes negative) and the high amount of subsidy ( about 9000 euros for a car costing 30-40K) a near 0 lease cost isnt all that surprising.

A more detailed article on the same.

[Jeroen]

I would not trust everything you read on the Internet.

These cars are not for free. The large subsidies are on the large cars, the smaller the car, the less the subsidy. But even so, yes you can get good deals on EVs. Do read the fine print. Usually the lower the monthly lease price advertised, the higher the downpayment and other costs. Also check how much you will pay on a higher additional mileage over and above contracted one.

Jeroen

[carthick1000]

Almost free according to me sounds like 'clickbait'. However leasing an electric car might turn out to be much cheaper (than buying) in case of Germany. A good article from a renowned German auto magazine here: https://www.autobild.de/artikel/leas...-16761449.html

They did the calculation for a BMW i3 leasing for 36 months and 10000kms/year lease term, which turned out to be 165EUR/month including the subsidie. Without the subsidie, the lease per month would be around 483EUR/month.

But if you are buying an electric car, then the subsidies make the electric car competitive in pricing with their ICE counterparts (and not "almost free"). A nice article from ADAC (German automobile association which has about a quarter of german population as their members) about purchasing electric vs comparable ICE car: https://www.adac.de/rund-ums-fahrzeu...stenvergleich/

PS: Both links are in German and you might need to use some translator (like google translate).

[Joxster]

Originally Posted by srini1785

I find it hard to believe

If you find it hard to believe, it is usually because it isn't true.

Originally Posted by Jeroen

I would not trust everything you read on the Internet. These cars are not for free.

Originally Posted by carthick1000

Almost free according to me sounds like 'clickbait'.

+1

After going through the news article, I would like to point out that Germany is only one country in Europe. Yes, it is a large country, but when you say "Subsidies make Electric Cars almost free in Europe", then it implies that it is across the continent. This is misleading, and simply incorrect. While I'm sure that most, if not all Western European countries offer some form of subsidies for electric cars, as Jeroen already pointed out, they are far from being free.

As an example, if I were to professionally lease a top-of-the-line BMW i3 here in Belgium, it would cost me almost the same as I currently pay for my Skoda Octavia RS 245. Size and practicality-wise, there is just no comparison between them. Then there is the additional need for me to request the government to install an EV charger at my house, which also costs money.

Cheers

[volkman10]

Germany ends electric-car subsidies. France favours Eu built EV's.

German electric-car subsidy will only apply to vehicles registered before 24 December 2023, effectively ending the incentive immediately – rather than at the end of 2024 as previously planned.

After partially funding the purchase of more than 1.2 million electric cars and almost 800,000 plug-in hybrid models, the German government reportedly spent approximately €10 billion ($AU16.25 billion) on the scheme since it was introduced in 2014.

As Germany axes its electric-car subsidy, France has announced heavier restrictions on the types of vehicles eligible for its rebates as of next year.

only electric vehicles made in Europe will continue to be subsidised, heavily favouring French manufacturers such as Renault, Citroen and Peugeot – while affecting Chinese brands such as GWM and MG, and South Korea's Hyundai and Kia.

approximately 65 per cent of electric cars currently sold in France will be eligible to receive the subsidy under the new conditions.

Link:

[volkman10]

EV market remains stagnant in Germany.

Germany was Europe's largest BEV market in 2023. Although volume up 11%, it wasn't enough to gain mkt share.
Tesla Model Y was ahead of VW ID4. However, if you sum up volume from its twin Skoda Enyaq, there's a winner.

With subsidies drying up, will EV sales be on the downhill?