Should the Ecological Bonus be permanently abolished?

For 17 years, the ecological bonus has supported the rise of electric vehicles. What if we turned off the tap ?

We must be clear-eyed and acknowledge that by 2025, this incentive tool is showing its limits. Instability of rules, administrative complexity, and, above all, strategic incoherence make it a tool that has lost all meaning. By continually changing the eligibility conditions, lowering the amounts, or suspending the aid without warning, the State fuels uncertainty and paradoxically hinders the transition it claims to accelerate.

At the slightest budgetary tension, there is a strong temptation to cut these aids. The government has proven this again with the decree of June 2, which imposes complex technical procedures on professionals and implicitly announces a possible disappearance of the bonus by the end of the year. The conversion bonus has already disappeared, as has the ZFE premium. This permanent yo-yo game becomes counterproductive.

If it’s good, no need for a hand

Even more seriously, these subsidies often benefit households that do not need them. A bonus of €2,000 for a BMW or a Mercedes costing €46,999? This is public aid that borders on the absurd. Similarly, how many times have we heard “I love this car but it doesn’t have the bonus”? We forget that it is always possible to negotiate a discount on that vehicle directly with the dealer, often obtaining much more than the amount of the bonus. Finally, rather than continuing to inject money into a shaky system, shouldn’t we finally bet on conviction rather than subsidy? If the electric car is truly the future, why do we still need to pay the French to believe in it?

It may be time to turn off the tap for good. And to keep only what works: social leasing, targeted at low-income households, with concrete results. Public money should go to those who need it most, not serve as a marketing argument for high-end vehicles.

The ecological transition deserves better than short-term management. It calls for a clear, stable, and fair vision. Not yet another budgetary patch.

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