The French government is restarting its programme of financial aid to make electric vehicles more affordable - after the previous two schemes proved so popular that makers couldn't keep up with demand.
The scheme – first introduced by President Emmanuel Macron’s administration in January 2024 to make electric vehicles affordable to low-income households and reduce carbon emissions in France – will return on July 16th, 2026.
It was originally intended to subsidise the long-term leases of up to 25,000 European-built electric vehicles, but following huge demand that number was doubled.
In the end, nearly 50,000 orders for electric vehicles were placed during the first social leasing programme, which ran from January 1st to February 15th, 2024.
The programme was then suspended, but the government brought it back in the autumn of 2025. The second scheme also saw a huge take-up, and now it has been announced that it will return for a third time.
