The government will support the purchase of used electric vehicles, and these are the rules.

The new subsidies for purchasing electric cars will also cover used vehicles, but only for low-income families under certain conditions.

Purchasing a used electric car will also qualify one for government support. This development was confirmed by the Minister of Environment and Energy, Maria da Graça Carvalho, who revealed additional details about the incentive program aimed at low-income families.

This is a change from previous programs that covered only new cars, though there are still conditions.

Not all used electric cars will be eligible for the new subsidies. They must meet three requirements:

To be no more than five years old;

They must be purchased from a dealership, exhibition stand, or another company, excluding transactions between private individuals;

They must remain in the possession of the beneficiary for at least three years.

The goal is to allow families with lower incomes to choose more affordable electric vehicles without being restricted to the prices of new models.

Support can reach up to 16,000 euros

As we have already explained, the new program provides a subsidy of around 80% of the vehicle’s value, excluding VAT, up to a maximum of 15,000 euros.

This limit may increase to 16,000 euros if an old vehicle with a combustion engine is surrendered for credit. However, surrendering such a vehicle is not mandatory to qualify for the incentive.

The government is still working on a maximum purchase price of 37,500 euros, although this figure is not final.

As for the beneficiaries, the program is aimed at families covered by the Social Electricity Tariff and households with incomes below 80% of the national average income.

Another new feature is the intention to provide support through vouchers, allowing the state to pay directly to suppliers. This way, families will not need to advance the full amount of money to purchase the vehicle.

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When will the new support arrive?

The program is expected to launch in the first months of 2027, with an initial funding of 104.5 million euros, intended to support the purchase of around 5500 electric vehicles.

However, final approval from the European Commission is still pending, so some conditions may change.

It is also important to distinguish this program from the incentives intended for the general population. For these, the government has allocated 50 million euros, with rules similar to those of previous competitions. It has not yet been confirmed whether used electric vehicles are also eligible for this support.

The final conditions will only become known with the publication of the relevant regulations.