Starting Tuesday, September 30, 2025, France is bringing back its popular “social leasing” program, offering a substantial number of new electric vehicles at affordable monthly rates. The scheme, which aims to accelerate the transition to electric mobility, will make 50,000 cars available to eligible residents, with monthly payments capped at €200 and some options even below €140.
The initiative was successful in its previous iteration and is being renewed to help individuals smoothly shift away from petrol and diesel cars, especially as the country moves towards a complete ban on new internal combustion engine vehicle production by 2035.
Under the “social leasing” program, individuals can lease a brand new electric car for a maximum of €200 per month, excluding optional extras, which totals €2,400 annually. The Ministry for Ecological Transition has also stipulated that at least 20% of the vehicles offered by leasing companies must be priced at less than €140 per month from their initial selection.
To benefit from the program, applicants can visit a dedicated online platform, which opens on September 30, 2025, or go directly to an approved leasing company or dealer. Eligibility is based on several key criteria:
* Applicants must be adults with legal residency in France.
* Their annual taxable income (known as ‘reference tax income’) must be €16,300 or less.
* They must live more than 15 kilometers from their workplace or drive more than 8,000 kilometers annually for work-related purposes.
* A minimum lease commitment of three years is required, with or without an option to purchase the vehicle at the end of the term.
An online tool is already available for individuals to check their eligibility before the official application period opens. The government anticipates that this measure will significantly boost electric vehicle adoption among households that might otherwise find the initial cost prohibitive.
