Andalucía's self-employed can now apply for car renewal aid: deadlines and requirements

The Andalusian regional government (Junta) launched on Wednesday the Plan Renove initiative that allows self-employed workers to apply for 3,000-euro grants to purchase a new, high-efficiency, non-electric vehicle.

The Junta will process applications in the order it receives them, until it exhausts the five-million-euro budget.

To apply for the aid, self-employed individuals must access directly with their digital certificate, without the intermediation of a collaborating entity, the online application that the Agencia Andaluza de la Energía (Andalusian energy agency) has opened on its website and complete the corresponding form.

The regional government will automatically verify eligibility after the application is submitted, so no additional documentation is required. If the applicant meets all the requirements, the agency will notify them electronically within one month of the application being accepted and the grant will be paid immediately into the bank account the applicant has provided.

Furthermore, the account must be registered in the Junta's Fichero Central de Personas Acreedoras de la Tesorería and be linked to the beneficiary. Subsequently, the beneficiary has a maximum, non-extendable period of six months from the date of notification of the grant award to carry out the incentivised action if they have not already done so, such as paying for and registering the new vehicle and scrapping the old one.

Once the execution period has ended, the self-employed must submit the supporting documentation within a non-extendable period of four months. To do so, they will only need to complete the simplified supporting documentation form, available in the processing application.

In the case of direct purchase, the applicant must also provide the vehicle invoice and proof of payment. If they acquire it through renting or leasing, they must provide the corresponding contract. Failure to comply with or provide the required documentation in a timely manner will result in the withdrawal of the aid.

Applicants must keep all documents that prove compliance with the conditions of the programme for five years and make them available to the agency if requested.

With retroactive effect from 1 January 2026, the programme finances the direct acquisition or through financial leasing or rental of passenger cars (M1 vehicles) or vans (N1 vehicles with a maximum authorized mass not exceeding 3,500 kg), with an emissions value equal to or less than 120 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre.

To qualify for the grants, it is also necessary to scrap a vehicle with a valid Mot inspection certificate, registered in Spain and at least ten years old, which may have been deregistered from 1 January 2026 onwards, but not before, and the beneficiary must have been the registered owner of the vehicle prior to 12 March 2026.

The incentive applies to a single new non-electric vehicle registered in Spain by a self-employed professional, who must have their tax address or a place of business within the region of Andalucía and be registered in the Censo de Empresarios, Profesionales y Retenedores de la Agencia Estatal de Administración Tributaria. The maximum purchase price is 35,000 euros (excluding IVA) and the point of sale or dealership must be physically located in Andalucía.

Should funds run out, applications may continue to be registered on a provisional reserve list. These will be accepted in the order in which they are received should additional funding become available or new funds be allocated to the call for applications.

Being on this reserve list does not confer any rights until the application has been validated by the Andalusian energy agency, in which case the applicant will be informed via an electronic notification that the application has been accepted for processing.