The latest European subsidies for electric car buyers have caused EV prices to plummet across the board, increasing the demand drastically. In Germany, where the deduction is as great as €9,000, Renault has started offering its Zoe EV on deposit-free lease.
According to this new leasing scheme, customers only need to pay €69 per month for their battery-powered rides and then buy them out for mere €12,999, as opposed to the original MSRP of €27,675.
Fifty authorized Renault dealerships in Germany have sold around 300 cars on these new conditions within 20 days from the launch – and could have sold many more, the manufacturer admits, if there hadn’t been a shortage of salespeople.
Right now, the Smart EV with €9.9/month and the Zoe EV with €39/month are the two most affordable electric cars on the German market if you can afford making the required deposit. In France, where the subsidies pile up to €7,000, leasing the Zoe is possible at just €79/month.
Needless to say, subsidies are a temporary solution to bolster the demand; EVs still have to become cheaper in the foreseeable future to be viable. Experts believe that IC cars and electrified cars will cost about the same in five years or so.
