October 20, 2022 - Effective Aug. 15, the French Ministry of Transport’s new €5 Million cycling subsidy program will come into effect. This eco-friendly and mobility-forward program offers €400 for the purchase of new e-bikes and up to €2,000 for e-cargo bikes. The rebates cannot exceed 40% of the retail value.

The program includes up to €3,000 per household, and up to €4,000 for lower-income households, for the purchase of new or used e-bikes for all family members in exchange for scrapping a polluting vehicle.

Lithuania has introduced a similar scrap-vehicle initiative over the last couple of years that has proven to be very popular. 

While pundits support the overall rebate program, they note that at the same time as these subsidies were approved, the French government created a €4bn package for car users, including a €0.30 subsidy on fossil fuels.