It was Emmanuel Macron’s campaign promise, an electric car for 100 euros per month for low-income households is still expected, even if the President of the Republic indicated during his previous televised speech that the device would be presented soon, without going into details.

However, several manufacturers have taken the lead and marketing teams have taken advantage of this “social leasing” to offer their own, such as Fiat with its electric 500 from €99 per month or even the MG4 at the same price.

But will this system, which aims to accelerate the energy transition of the automotive industry, work? From the side of MG, the French department told us that the MG4 for €99 a month worked very well, despite the many conditions that must be met. It also makes it possible to attract customers to the dealership and direct those who do not meet all the requirements (certain conditions are indexed by income) to other financing solutions or other products.

A party that is hard to convince due to lack of information?

Therefore, the social leasing promised by the government should work. But according to a study conducted by the Opinionway Institute for AramisAuto, low-income households will not necessarily be convinced by a social leasing system that promises an electric car for €100 a month.

1,000 motorists with an average family income of €2,525 per month were interviewed for this study. The self-allocated budget is necessarily modest, and it, again according to the study, about 262 euros per month in 2023. Therefore, changing the car is not a priority for them, and only every tenth household is ready to buy an electric car today.

For 72% of them, the financial aspect blocks them an electric car for 100 euros per month promised by Emmanuel Macron could only convince 46% of these households. Perhaps this assessment can change in the sense that 70% of respondents believe that they will not be able to use this system. However, according to recent government statements, “social leasing should be open to half of the French”.

If these famously humble households had to change cars, he will first turn to the second-hand market, not the new one.

Is an electric car not a priority for low-income families?

Another interesting fact in this study that is worth highlighting: 74% say they are lost with all the help related to the electric car and the conditions that must be met, 60% believe that public authorities do not subsidize the purchase of electric models, especially when it comes to high-end products, or 48% of low-income households are ready to buy models of Chinese manufacturers due to their more favorable price.

How long will they remain profitable in France? Nothing is less certain, as the government intends to index the bonuses from next year according to their “carbon footprint”, while Europe has begun a kind of “hunt for the Chinese electric car”, pointing to the many subsidies received that offer such attractive prices.

Read also:
• Chinese electric cars: a radical way that Europe has found to prevent the “overflow”
• Europe wants to put obstacles in the way of Chinese electric cars
• According to Volkswagen, China is “two to three years ahead” of electric vehicles