With this measure from the Flemish Energy and Climate Plan, Minister of Mobility Lydia Peeters (Open VLD) wants to boost the greening of the Flemish vehicle fleet. Nine out of ten electric cars sold in our country today are commercial vehicles. An electric car is still too expensive for the vast majority of private individuals.
Lydia Peeters (Open VLD) — © BELGA
Minister Peeters had provided 20 million euros for this year to pay out the premiums, good for 4,000 electric cars. But the Council of State fears that the budget is insufficient to respond to all requests, which could harm the principle of equality. The liberal minister assumes that the 20 million euros is sufficient. Figures from the automotive sector already prove her right: last month, barely 258 private electric cars were registered, good for almost 1.3 million euros in subsidies.
53 million euros
The dossier put the Flemish government under high tension last week. The fact that 75 million would go to the better middle class in three years, who can anyway afford an expensive car, has been causing bad blood for some time. The criticism from the Council of State lit the fuse again last week.
Government partners N-VA and CD&V fear that premiums, just like subsidies for solar panels, would skyrocket. That is why they believe that any additional financing should come from an Open VLD portfolio. N-VA even wanted to stop the system at the end of September, but that was not possible. And so the Flemish Council of Ministers has decided to shorten the duration of the premium from three to one year. If the 20 million is insufficient, additional money will be sought during a next budget audit.
© MARC HERREMANS – MEDIAHUIS
Whether the premium can be applied for in 2025 and 2026 will be a matter for the new Flemish government. Initially, 53 million euros in premiums was provided for those two years. That budget is now being saved.
The premium – 5,000 euros for a new and 3,000 euros for a second-hand car – can therefore be applied for until the end of this year for zero-emission cars that are registered from January 1, 2024 and that were ordered on September 25, 2023 at the earliest. A used car must have been used for the first time at least 3 years and a maximum of 8 years ago. The purchase price of the vehicle may not exceed 40,000 euros (incl. VAT). The original catalog value of a second-hand vehicle may not exceed 60,000 euros (incl. VAT). The Flemish market currently has more than thirty different models of zero-emission cars, most of them European brands, that fall under this ceiling (new price).
Car inspection
In the file on car inspection, Minister Peeters succeeded on Friday. Vehicles with less than 160,000 kilometers on the odometer will only have to be inspected every two years.
© MARC HERREMANS – MEDIAHUIS
Anyone who has a car that is older than four years now has to undergo a car inspection every year. This leads to large crowds, because car inspection centers do not have enough capacity to help everyone quickly. To reduce the pressure on the centers, Minister Peeters is adjusting the rules. The annual inspection makes way for a visit to the car inspection every two years. This would mean half a million fewer cars would have to be inspected each year. When a vehicle has more than 160,000 km on the odometer, an annual inspection is required again.
Finally, Peeters is expanding the concept of decentralized inspections, whereby passenger cars, light freight and trailers can also be inspected outside a recognized inspection center. This can be done, for example, at a garage that installs an inspection line for this purpose.