New CEE programme covers qualifying second-hand electric cars registered in France between 2017 and 2023, with larger temporary support of up to €2,360 for home-care and personal-service workers

• France will introduce a new incentive for buying or leasing used battery-electric cars from September 1, 2026, restoring national support for second-hand EVs more than two years after the previous used-car ecological bonus was removed.

• The standard CEE incentive is estimated at only around €337 [US$390] per vehicle, although qualifying home-care and personal-service workers can temporarily receive around €2,000-€2,360 [US$2,313-US$2,730].

 

France is bringing used electric cars back into its national vehicle-incentive system, introducing a new Energy Savings Certificate scheme from September 1 that will support both purchases and long-term leases.

 

An order published in the French Official Journal on August 12 creates the new TRA-EQ-133 standardised CEE operation for second-hand battery-electric passenger cars. The programme applies to qualifying transactions entered into from September 1, 2026 until August 31, 2030.

 

The basic payment will be modest.

 

Each qualifying vehicle generates 42,200kWh cumac of Energy Savings Certificates. Based on the CEE value currently being used by the government, that translates into an estimated incentive of around €337 [US$390], although the actual cash value can move with CEE market prices.

 

Romain Ryon, president of CEE specialist Mobilee, described the amount as “assez faible”.

 

That means the scheme is unlikely by itself to transform used-EV affordability. Its importance is that France is once again recognising the second-hand electric market as part of its wider electrification policy rather than concentrating almost all national purchase support on new cars.

 

Battery Must Retain at Least 80% Health

Eligibility is much tighter than simply buying any used EV.

The car must be 100% electric and must have been first registered in France between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2023. It must also be purchased or leased through an authorised automotive professional.

 

Battery condition is now explicitly part of the eligibility test.

 

The traction battery must retain at least 80% state of health. If battery-health data cannot be provided, the vehicle must retain at least 80% of its original homologated driving range or have a remaining range of at least 200km. The professional selling the vehicle must provide documentation supporting that assessment.

 

That requirement is particularly significant for the second-hand EV market because it directly addresses one of the biggest concerns facing buyers: how much usable battery capacity remains after several years of operation.

 

For purchases, the recipient must keep the vehicle for at least 36 months. Leasing contracts must also run for a minimum of three years. Individuals can receive the CEE benefit for no more than five qualifying vehicles under the scheme.

 

Unlike France's incentive for new EVs, the used-car rules do not impose the same environmental-score requirement. The official eligibility conditions also do not apply an income test to the standard CEE award.

 

Up to €2,360 for Home-Care Workers

A much larger incentive will temporarily be available to parts of France's home-care and personal-services workforce.

 

For qualifying transactions completed under the temporary enhancement, the used EV must cost no more than €25,000 [US$28,913] including tax and have a running-order weight below 1,800kg.

 

The CEE volume is then multiplied by four for beneficiaries classed as being in energy poverty and by six for other qualifying recipients. Reports based on current CEE prices put the resulting payment at around €2,000-€2,360 [US$2,313-US$2,730].

 

This enhancement applies to home-care services and qualifying personal-service professionals and is currently limited to transactions started before January 1, 2027 and completed before July 1, 2027.

 

The €25,000 price and 1,800kg weight limits are therefore not general conditions for the basic used-EV incentive. They apply specifically to this enhanced temporary support.

 

Health Minister Stéphanie Rist said: “Après le leasing électrique, cette nouvelle aide apporte une réponse très concrète à leurs besoins”.

 

Used EV Support Returns After 2024 Cut

France previously offered a €1,000 [US$1,157] ecological bonus for qualifying used electric cars, but that incentive was abolished in February 2024 as the government reduced automobile subsidies.

 

Since July 2025, France has increasingly shifted EV subsidies away from direct state-budget support and towards the CEE system, which requires energy and fuel suppliers to finance energy-saving measures.

 

The government has already extended that approach to new electric cars.

 

For 2026, indicative new-EV CEE incentives can reach €5,700 [US$6,592] for households in energy poverty, €4,700 [US$5,436] for other lower-income households and €3,500 [US$4,048] for other buyers, with additional support available for vehicles using European-made batteries.

 

France also relaunched its social-leasing programme this summer with a €401 million [US$464 million] CEE-funded budget aimed at providing at least 50,000 lower-income households with electric cars at reduced monthly payments.

 

Against those numbers, €337 is small.

 

But used cars account for a critical part of the wider vehicle market, and the new scheme introduces something arguably as important as the payment itself: a minimum battery-health requirement and formal documentation that could give buyers greater confidence when purchasing older EVs.

 

The incentive therefore looks less like another large EV subsidy and more like an attempt to build a better-functioning second-hand electric-car market.

 

Source:   FCW Team