Is the weight penalty primarily a symbolic measure?

Established the day after the Citizens’ Climate Convention, the weight penalty affected only a limited number of new vehicles in 2022.

According to figures collected by CWAY, exactly 27,945 new vehicles were impacted by the weight penalty in 2022. This figure should be considered in context with the 1.5 million cars registered in France last year. This new tax remains very marginal (affecting 2% of the market), but is it completely ineffective for all that? After all, one could also argue that it has encouraged some drivers to prioritize a lighter model than they initially planned.

A tax that affects German cars

The weight penalty concerns new cars whose curb weight (i.e., with a driver of 75 kilos) exceeds 1,800 kilograms. Above this threshold, each kilo is penalized with a charge of €10. According to Les Echos, CWAY’s data shows that the tax primarily impacts German premium models. BMW, Audi, and Mercedes together account for nearly 50% of the affected vehicles, with 6,900, 3,433, and 2,937 cars penalized in 2022 respectively. Surprisingly, Renault ranks second, with 3,828 vehicles registered that were subject to the penalty in 2022. This is mainly due to the version of the Trafic intended for private use, which exceeds the 1,800-kilo mark despite a 400-kilo reduction granted to legal entities for the purchase of an 8-seater vehicle.

While the weight penalty affects only a limited number of cars, it also exempts plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles, which almost all exceed the 1,800-kilo threshold by significant margins. Additionally, the financial penalty is not applied to cars already subject to the super penalty of €50,000 (i.e., those emitting more than 226 grams of CO₂ per km).

Read also: Eco Bonus/Malus 2023, What’s Changing on January 1