Registering an electric or hybrid car in France in 2026
The mini calculator compares, in the region you choose, the registration cost of the same used car as an electric, a plug-in hybrid and a petrol model.
Electric, hybrid or petrol: the registration cost
Fully electric · Hauts-de-France
€99.76
| Plug-in hybrid | €185.76 |
| Petrol or diesel | €185.76 |
| Saving for electric | €86.00 |
Change of keeper for a car under 10 years old, no malus.
Electric cars no longer get a free registration certificate, the “carte grise”, in France. Since 1 May 2025, each region decides for itself whether to cut its regional tax for electric and hydrogen vehicles. On 20 October 2026, 17 of the 18 regions charge the full rate, exactly as for a petrol car. Hauts-de-France, in the far north, is the only exception: after a full exemption until 31 March 2026, it has taken 50 % off its tax since 1 April 2026. A used 6 CV electric car costs €142.76 to register there, against €271.76 for a petrol one. The real saving lies elsewhere: a new fully electric or hydrogen car pays neither the CO₂ malus nor the weight malus, however heavy it is. Hybrids pay the CO₂ malus on their measured emissions and only get a weight allowance, larger for plug-ins with enough electric range.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
Regional tax on an electric car, region by region
For a 6 CV car under ten years old changing hands, electric and petrol cost different amounts in only one region:
| Region | Electric | Petrol | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hauts-de-France | €142.76 | €271.76 | €129 |
| Île-de-France | €427.76 | €427.76 | €0 |
| Brittany | €373.76 | €373.76 | €0 |
| Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | €271.76 | €271.76 | €0 |
| Mayotte | €193.76 | €193.76 | €0 |
Hauts-de-France used to waive the tax entirely: the same electric car bought on 15 March 2026 cost just €13.76. Its 2026 regional budget report brought the exemption down to 50 %. No other region has voted any reduction, as the service-public.gouv.fr news item on 2026 rates confirms. To rank all eighteen regions for your own horsepower, use the region comparison.
New cars: where electric really pays off
On a new car, the gap between powertrains is no longer a few tens of euros but the two malus taxes. Five 6 CV cars first registered in Hauts-de-France on 20 October 2026:
| Powertrain | CO₂ malus | Weight malus | Registration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electric, 2,100 kg | €0 | €0 | €142.76 |
| Plug-in hybrid, 1,950 kg, 30 g/km, 70 km | €0 | €2,765 | €3,036.76 |
| Full hybrid, 1,450 kg, 105 g/km | €0 | €0 | €271.76 |
| Mild hybrid, 1,580 kg, 128 g/km | €818 | €0 | €1,089.76 |
| Petrol, 1,580 kg, 128 g/km | €818 | €810 | €1,899.76 |
Despite its 2,100 kg, the electric car pays only the reduced regional tax and the fixed charges. Article L421-79 has exempted it from the weight malus since the 2026 Finance Act, with no mid-year change planned.
Hybrids: an allowance, not an exemption
- A plug-in hybrid with more than 50 km of electric range deducts 200 kg from its mass, up to 15 % of it. Its low official CO₂ figure usually avoids the CO₂ malus, but not always the weight malus.
- A full hybrid deducts 100 kg and pays the CO₂ malus on its emissions.
- A mild hybrid deducts 100 kg in 2026, then nothing. The one in the table goes from €1,089.76 to €2,357.76 if registered on 4 January 2027, through the loss of its allowance combined with the 2027 CO₂ scale.
The mass calculation is explained on the weight malus page, and the full timeline on the 2027 changes page.