New electric vehicle purchase subsidy: 26,875 approvals by August 1, 2026
Image: Tesla
As of May 19, 2026, a new government purchase subsidy for electric cars is available in Germany. Individuals can receive support ranging from 1500 to 6000 euros when purchasing or leasing a new vehicle, depending on the type of propulsion system, income level, and family size. The subsidy applies to vehicles that were first registered on January 1, 2026. The Federal Agency for Economic Affairs and Export Control (BAFA) is responsible for administering this program. The BAFA has now released an initial assessment as of August 1, 2026.
Eligible are pure battery and fuel cell vehicles, as well as certain plug-in hybrids and vehicles with a range extender (an internal combustion engine acting as an electric generator). The basic subsidy is 3,000 euros for pure electric and fuel cell vehicles, and 1,500 euros for plug-in hybrids and range extender electric vehicles. The requirement is an annual household taxable income of no more than 80,000 euros; for up to two children, this limit increases by 5,000 euros each, reaching a maximum of 90,000 euros. In addition, there is a subsidy of 500 euros per child considered, along with income-based supplements: 1,000 euros if the taxable annual household income is less than 60,000 euros, and a total of 2,000 euros if it is less than 45,000 euros.
As of the deadline on August 1, 2026, 26,875 grants were issued and 117 million euros in subsidies were disbursed, according to BAFA. Of these, 24,794 grants went to pure battery electric vehicles (BEV) and 2,081 to plug-in hybrids (PHEV). By type of purchase, the grants were distributed as 13,689 for outright purchases and 13,186 for leasing arrangements.
In the income bracket of 0 to 45,000 euros, 13,064 grants were granted; between 45,001 and 60,000 euros, there were 6,043; and between 60,001 and 80,000 euros, 6,840. In the brackets of 80,001 to 85,000 euros and over 90,000 euros, there were 714 and 214 grants respectively. By household structure, 17,042 grants were awarded to households without a child eligible for subsidies. 3,265 grants went to households with one such child, and 6,568 to households with at least two eligible children.
In the corporate ranking, Volkswagen leads with 6,239 approvals, followed by Tesla with 4,590 and Stellantis with 3,838. Hyundai Motor Group comes in fourth with 2,973 approvals, while Renault Group is in fifth place with 1,659. The next positions in the top 10 are occupied by Stellantis’ European joint venture with Leapmotor at 1,456, BYD at 1,338, BMW at 1,324, Ford at 968, and Toyota at 393 approvals.
Among brands, Tesla is first with 4,590 approvals. Behind it are Skoda with 2,636, Cupra with 1,617, Hyundai with 1,579, and VW with 1,473 approvals. Positions six through ten are held by Leapmotor at 1,456, Kia at 1,393, BYD at 1,338, Renault at 1,216, and BMW at 1,062 approvals.
Corporate & Brand Ranking as of August 1, 2026
Corporate
Number
Brand
Number
1
Volkswagen
6,239
Tesla
4590
2
Tesla
4590
Skoda
2636
3
Stellantis
3838
Cupra
1617
4
Hyundai
2973
Hyundai
1579
5
Renault
1659
VW
1473
6
Leapmotor
1456
Leapmotor
1456
7
BYD
1338
Kia
1393
8
BMW
1324
BYD
1338
9
Ford
968
Renault
1216
10
Toyota
393
BMW
1062
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About the author
Thomas Langenbucher is an expert in electromobility with experience in the automotive and finance industries. Since 2011, he has been covering electric vehicles, sustainable technologies, and mobility solutions for ecomento.de. Learn more.
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