​Last year was a very good year for fully electric cars in Romania, with more than 15,000 units, and sales will increase in the coming years, but the pace will be significantly slowed down by the fact that the Rabla Plus eco-ticket will be €5,000, instead of €10,000. How much do grades change? Why is the electric car not in crisis?

There are more than 45,000 electric cars on the streets and roads of Romania, of which 15,300 arrived last year. Almost 40% of electric cars in Romania are Dacia Spring, and other models that are doing well are Tesla Model Y, Renault Zoe and Tesla Model 3.

• Changes in Rabla Plus 2024: the cost of the eco-ticket is halved when buying fully electric cars

Romania had the largest subsidies in Europe for those who buy electricity, but from 2024 they will be halved, and this trend: for subsidies to decrease, at least a little, and in some cases not very much, has been eliminated.

Will Romanians buy fully electric cars after the Rabla Plus subsidy is halved? Yes, but not as much, would be the short answer, and sales will increase year on year. APIA (Romanian Automobile Manufacturers and Importers Association) forecasts indicate a 27% increase between 2024, to a total of 19,100 units. In 2023, the market grew by 41%.

For most Romanians, electric cars are too expensive and have too little autonomy. Many are stuck and charging is a problem. And autonomy is a minus for those who want to make frequent long trips.

I asked Dan Vardi, president of APIA, what the automotive association estimates for annual sales of new electric cars for Romania, and the answer was that they will reach 50,000 units per year in 2030, more than three times the current level. However, it should be borne in mind that these are only approximate data, 2030 is still far away and a lot can happen.

Estimates presented to the APIA in December, before the Ministry of the Environment announced the reduction of the Rabla Plus eco-ticket, put estimates for the current year at 33,000 cars, and the 2026 threshold could be exceeded in 2026 if the cancellation of that year’s premium was 7,000 euros for those who would buy an electric car through Rabla Plus. In 2030, according to very optimistic estimates, there will be 135,000 electric cars.

The reality is that the ecolabel for electric cars will disappear in a few years also in Romania, as well as in other European countries. Electric vehicles assembled in China will be especially targeted.

So, the all-electric market will grow, but not at a fast pace, but new models will appear: more cars under 25,000 euros, more cars assembled in Europe, but also more models from Chinese brands. The event of the year will be the market launch of the restyling version of Dacia Spring. Automakers are expected to reduce the prices of cars in the market, at least for certain periods of time.

“I would like you not to fall victim to the discussions directed by various interests in Europe, it is clear that there is an underlying trend towards electrification and I would like and believe that electric cars have NO future. Don’t go for it because you could be wrong,” Dan Vardy said.

He gave an example: last year in Romania, the share of fully electric cars was less than 11% of the total new car market, while at the EU level, the share of fully electric cars was 14.5%. “Romania is below the European average,” said Vardi, who wanted to explain that there are still large eco-bonuses for electric cars in Europe, they have not been completely abolished and there are even countries that have increased them.

APIA representatives also said that based on the available data, the Rabla Plus budget will be reached, especially since the eco-ticket is limited to 5,000 euros even for 25,000 fully electric cars.

The total new car market in Romania will exceed 150,000 units, including petrol and diesel cars and hybrids, and it could grow to 160,000 cars in 2025, i.e. at the pre-pandemic level.

The president of APIA says that the reduction of the Rabla Plus eco-ticket will definitely affect the market, but 5,000 euros can in many cases, even if this money is welcome, “can no longer be a fundamental decision factor for which person buys that electric car”.

On the other hand, if several €25,000 models appear, that €5,000 will be extremely useful. “We are in a new situation that we have to get used to, because we also believe that these eco-bonuses will decrease even more in Romania in the coming years, and this is natural,” says Dan Vardi.

It is necessary to get to the point where people will no longer need these subsidies to choose electric cars, – said the head of APIA.

“But again, don’t fool yourself into thinking that EVs are going to decline everywhere in Europe,” says Vardy, explaining that they are not as vulnerable as some say.

First, in December, a message was received from the Ministry of the Environment that the eco-ticket for all-electric cars in Rabla Plus is reduced by one thousand or two euros, instead of 5,000 euros.