Electric car purchase aid in Andalucía set to run out again in just one week

It's been just a week since the Junta de Andalucía injected extra money into the subsidy scheme for the purchase of an electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle. The Moves III Plan had exceeded expectations. The initial 40 million euros have been exhausted and 13m more had to be added, taken from the much more generous fund for charging points. Of that additional money, barely 1.2 million euros remain.

The data comes from the Andalusian energy agency's (AEA) own website, which reveals that the chargers section still has six million euros remaining.

The application period for the 2025 Moves III aid scheme opened on 15 July for the whole of Andalucía and, in just over two months, the fund had run dry. The fact that the application window opened later in the year than usual and the rush for less polluting cars have contributed to this phenomenon, which has also been influenced by the rollout of the low emission zones in towns and cities across the region. Also, crucially, electric car sales have skyrocketed by 115% in Malaga so far this year.

On 8 October, the Junta increased the purchase aid by 13.36 million euros. Up to that date, nearly 10,200 applications had been submitted, of which approximately 1,900 were still on the waiting list. Thus, it is this waitlist that has led once more to the rapid depletion of these funds.

The regional ministry for energy matters, via the AEA, decided to redistribute the funds from this scheme, which was allocated a total of 66.78 million euros. Thus, Andalucía had allocated a total of 53.42 million euros to aid the purchase of energy-efficient vehicles (line 1), which represented 80% of the total funds assigned. The remaining balance of 13.35 million euros was intended for the installation of charging infrastructure (line 2), but some has now been reassigned to Line 1.

What happens if I apply for aid and the budget is exhausted? A waiting list is set up and the order of submissions is respected.

Which vehicles are eligible for this aid? In the case of fuel cell or hydrogen vehicles, the aid ranges from 4,500 to 7,000 euros, depending on whether the owner's previous vehicle is scrapped or not. For pure electric and plug-in hybrid cars with a range of between 30 and 90 kilometres, the range is 2,500 to 5,000 euros. For such cases, the sales limit is 45,000 euros (53,000 euros for 8- or 9-seater vehicles).

If we are talking about electric, plug-in hybrid or hydrogen vans with a range of more than 30 kilometres, the price range is 7,000 to 9,000 euros.

Turning to motorcycles, if they have a power equal to, or greater than, 3kW and a range of over 70 kilometres, the aid is between 1,100 and 1,300 euros. However, the sales price limit is up to 10,000 euros.

Demands from the automotive sector for faster grants to be made have been common in every round of this scheme. In some cases, delays in payments have been as long as two years. Linking the aid to the time of purchase is one of the proposals made by trade organisations such as the Malaga association for dealerships and employers in the automotive sector (AMA). Its president, Carlos Oliva, confirms the boom in electric car purchases and that there are many buyers on the waiting list for these grants.

There is also another type of advantage, via personal income tax (IRPF), with 15% tax relief. These are compatible and a maximum limit of 3,000 euros of tax relief is set. The maximum deduction base is 20,000 euros.

In Malaga, 2025 is proving to be a good year for eco-friendly vehicles. Electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles totalled 13,627 units, an increase of 51%. Significant declines were seen in petrol and diesel vehicles, with falls of 10.8% and 47.3% respectively. There were 5,706 registrations for petrol and 555 for diesel.

In terms of eco-friendly vehicles, hybrids continue to account for the largest market share: 6,707 registrations, up 30% year-on-year. In second place are electric vehicles, with 1,976 acquisitions, representing an exponential increase of 105%. They surpass plug-in hybrids, with 1,631 registrations, a 30% increase.