“Social leasing”: 90,000 pre-registered, the first electric car at 100 euros per month delivered

Environ 90.000 personnes ont demandé à bénéficier d'une voiture électrique à 100 euros par mois dans le cadre du “leasing social”, a annoncé vendredi le ministre de la Transition écologique Christophe Béchu. JULIEN DE ROSA/AFP

Around 90,000 people asked to benefit from an electric car at 100 euros per month as part of “social leasing”, and the first of these vehicles was delivered on Thursday, the government announced on Friday. Minister of Ecological Transition Christophe Béchu.

"The keys were handed over yesterday", declared the minister on TF1. This vehicle was delivered by the Stellantis group (Peugeot, Citroën…), the Ministry of Ecological Transition told AFP.

Only 25,000 subsidized vehicles are available this year as part of this "bonus" open to the most modest French people and traveling more than 8,000 km per year.

Social leasing, launched in December 2023, is a rental system with purchase option (LOA) at less than 100 euros per month for city dwellers, and 150 euros for family cars (excluding insurance and maintenance).

Only vehicles built in France or Europe are eligible for this bonus.

Without initial contribution, the rental is planned for three years, renewable once. The State finances each rental to the tune of 13,000 euros.

With "around 90,000 people" having submitted a request on a pre-reservation platform, the measure is a "success", welcomed Christophe Béchu on TF1.

Contact directly with the 

The ministry, for its part, specified to AFP that "91,000 people" had expressed their interest on the government platform, during the three weeks it was put into service. Since the site closed on January 4, people wanting to benefit from the electric car at 100 euros per month must contact the rental companies directly.

Stellantis states in a press release that around a hundred thousand potential customers have come into contact with the group's brands.

The manufacturer has an extremely positive "assessment as of mid-January, with 20,000 financing applications validated, or more than 80% of the volumes planned to date" in the device.

The group offers nine electric models, from its Citroën, Fiat, Jeep, Opel, and Peugeot brands, out of the 14 eligible for social leasing. "A tenth vehicle from the Fiat brand will also be available during the year", indicates Stellantis.

To satisfy as many requests as possible, the government is "working" with car manufacturers "to see if we can make 30, 35, 40,000 vehicles" rather than 25,000, assured Christophe Béchu.