Cabinet accelerates subsidy for used electric cars
Lower- and middle-income households can trade in their old petrol or diesel car for a used electric car from late 2026.
The Cabinet wants to open the trade-in scheme for second-hand electric cars sooner. The scheme is intended for lower- and middle-income households that have an old fossil-fuel car scrapped, but the precise subsidy conditions have not yet been established.
The acceleration is set out in a Cabinet letter to the Lower House (Tweede Kamer) about the emergency package for energy, mobility and the economy. According to the letter, the scheme will open in the fourth quarter of 2026. The target group consists of lower- and middle-income households that hand in a car with emissions class 1 to 4 and purchase a used electric car in return.
The Cabinet links the measure to two objectives. Removing old petrol and diesel cars from the roads should reduce emissions from the vehicle fleet. At the same time, electric driving should become more accessible to people who lack sufficient financial scope for a new electric car. The government also describes the scheme as a way of making households less dependent on fossil fuels.
There has not yet been a final decision on the amount of the subsidy. Earlier parliamentary documents referred to an amount of around €2,000 per car, while reports about the plan have also mentioned amounts of up to €6,000. Those figures should not be regarded as definitive while the scheme has not been formally worked out.
The scheme is aimed at owners of an old car. Under the Cabinet’s current plans, people who do not have a petrol or diesel car to trade in cannot take part. It must also still be clarified which used electric cars will qualify, how the income thresholds will be determined and whether the subsidy will apply only to purchases or also to other forms of use.
The measure comes at a time when the tax treatment of electric cars is changing. In 2026, zero-emission passenger cars will receive a reduction in motor vehicle tax, but that reduction will be scaled back later and will disappear from 2030. The scheme may therefore lower acquisition costs, but it will not remove all the costs of ownership. The Lower House still has to consider the further details.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The scheme will open in late 2026.
- An old fossil-fuel car must be traded in and scrapped.
- The final subsidy conditions are not yet known.
Left
Arguments Targeted support can give households with less financial room access to cleaner mobility. The scheme must be broad enough for people who depend on a car and must not benefit only the upper middle class.
Values Equal access, affordability, climate protection and social justice.
Consequences A well-designed scheme can reduce emissions and transport poverty at the same time; a subsidy that is too small will leave lower-income households out of consideration.
Centre
Arguments A temporary trade-in scheme is defensible if it demonstrably replaces old polluting cars and remains feasible to implement. Clear income thresholds, checks on vehicles and evaluation of its effects are necessary.
Values Efficiency, feasibility, affordability and measurable policy results.
Consequences The scheme could strengthen the market for used electric cars, but it requires public funds and could become administratively complex.
Right
Arguments The government should be restrained in subsidising private car ownership. Those who consider electric driving worthwhile should make that choice as far as possible themselves; taxpayers’ money should not go to car owners.
Values Individual responsibility, low government spending, market forces and simplicity.
Consequences Less subsidy limits costs and bureaucracy, but could slow the transition and leave the climate burden with older petrol and diesel cars for longer.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
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The official parliamentary letter confirms the acceleration and the target group. Uncertain amounts are explicitly described as provisional proposals.
- confirmed The scheme is being brought forward to the fourth quarter of 2026. — This is stated in the letter to the Lower House. source
- confirmed The scheme is intended for lower- and middle-income households that have an old fossil-fuel car scrapped. — Description in the official parliamentary letter. source
- confirmed The amount of the subsidy has not yet been finalised. — The official scheme, including the amount and conditions, has not yet been published. source
Editor's note
The opening in the fourth quarter of 2026 and the target group have been officially established. The subsidy amount, income thresholds and further implementation rules have not yet been set.Sources
More on this in Dutch media
- RTL Nieuws — „elektrische auto”
- NOS — „elektrische auto”
- Het Parool — „elektrische auto”