Has the Tesla Model Y Propulsion quietly switched to 8 HP?
This page is translated from the original post "La Tesla Model Y Propulsion est-elle passée discrètement à 8 CV ?" in French.
- 06/08/2025 8:39
The increase in the registration tax for the Tesla Model Y Propulsion, effective May 1, 2025, suggests a revision by the French state.
Forget the time when the Tesla Model Y – as well as all electric cars – was free from registration tax to obtain the vehicle registration card. As electric vehicles gain market share a little more each year, regions can no longer afford to provide tax breaks that impact their revenues.
Before a major equalization of the value of the fiscal horsepower across the entire French territory, there are significant disparities in registration costs (see ALSO READ at the end of the article). However, price variations of the registration card for the Tesla Model Y Propulsion are noteworthy today.
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A Tesla Model Y passed from 6 to 8 HP?
In France, the administrative power of a vehicle, expressed in fiscal horsepower (HP), is defined by an official formula. It is mainly used to calculate the amount of the vehicle registration card, but also for other fiscal or regulatory purposes (insurance, taxes, etc.).
While, in the case of thermal vehicles, CO2 emissions come into play, this is not the case for electric ones. The formula used is (0.00018 x kW²) + (0.0387 x kW + 1.34).
In the case of the Tesla Model Y Propulsion, with a declared power of 208 kW, the result SHOULD land at 17 fiscal horsepower (HP)! And yet, the value is rounded down to 8 HP. Why? Because manufacturers do not report the actual peak power of their cars, but the continuous power! In this case, around 100 kW for the Tesla.
Nevertheless, the increase of two HP for the Propulsion is a consensus that allows for raising the cost of the registration card and replenishing the state’s coffers. Since May 1, 2025, the registration tax for the Model Y Propulsion has thus increased from 329 to 453 euros in Île-de-France. But at the same time, other versions have seen their prices drop, such as the Long Range All-Wheel Drive which went from 824.25 to 493.76 euros, despite its outrageous power. Look for the error.
It remains to be seen whether the method of calculating the fiscal horsepower of cars will soon need to be reinvented in light of the explosion of actual power. These are a real danger for road safety and an ecological nonsense at a time when efficiency must be targeted.
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