Combining bonuses: what adds up and what does not
Besides the federal grant, makers advertise their own bonuses, states and cities their own schemes, providers the GHG quota. Which amounts add up and where the line is.
Worked through by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
Discount, grant and quota together
Price after discount and grant
€26,495
| After discount | €30,995 |
| Federal grant | €4,500 |
| Plus quota payouts over three years | €900 |
A discount is a price reduction, not public funding, and does not rule out the grant. The quota payout is an October 2026 market price.
Germany’s 2026 federal EV grant can be combined with several other benefits, but not all of them. A manufacturer or dealer discount is a price reduction, not public funding, and does not rule out the grant. Volkswagen, for example, advertises its own “ID. Kaufprämie” of up to €4,000, which has nothing to do with the federal grant. The GHG quota payout (THG-Prämie) is a market income that comes on top every year; in October 2026 offers were above €300. The vehicle tax exemption applies by law to every electric car. What is excluded is a second public grant for the same vehicle, for instance from a state or municipal scheme, unless an administrative agreement (Verwaltungsvereinbarung) with the Federal Environment Ministry expressly allows the combination. Comparable funding from another EU state also rules out the German grant. For a VW ID.3 with a list price of €33,995, a household on €55,000 with one child gets €4,500; with a €4,000 discount the price falls to €25,495.
Four benefits, four bases
| Benefit | Who pays | Basis | Combinable with the grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal EV grant | federal government, via BAFA | funding guideline | starting point |
| Maker or dealer discount | maker or dealer | purchase contract | yes |
| GHG quota payout | provider, from quota trading | 38th BImSchV, market price | yes |
| Vehicle tax exemption | nobody, a tax simply falls away | Motor Vehicle Tax Act | yes |
| State or city scheme | state or municipality | its own scheme | only with an administrative agreement |
| Purchase bonus from another EU state | other state | that state’s scheme | no |
The rule is in the funding guideline: no other public funding may be used for the same vehicle unless an administrative agreement with the Federal Environment Ministry provides for it. “Public” is the key word. A company’s discount is not public funding; a city’s subsidy is.
Maker bonuses
Many makers advertise their own bonuses in 2026, often with names that sound like the federal grant. On the day of our price research, Volkswagen’s website named an “ID. Kaufprämie” of up to €4,000. Such bonuses are the maker’s price reductions and are deducted by the dealer in the contract. The federal grant, by contrast, is paid by BAFA into your account after registration. If you get both, you see the discount in the contract and the grant weeks later on your bank statement. The conditions of a maker’s bonus are set by the maker alone; some only apply to certain versions, stock cars or finance deals.
Worked example with a VW ID.3
The list price of the VW ID.3 entry version was €33,995 according to the maker’s price list. The table works out three households with a discount equal to the advertised maximum bonus and the quota payout over three years at October’s market value.
| Household | Grant | Price after discount | After the grant | Plus quota over three years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| €40,000, 0 children | €5,000 | €29,995 | €24,995 | €900 |
| €55,000, 1 children | €4,500 | €29,995 | €25,495 | €900 |
| €75,000, 2 children | €4,000 | €29,995 | €25,995 | €900 |
Whether the full discount applies to a particular car is the maker’s decision; the table assumes the advertised maximum and is therefore a favourable case. The quota payout is a market price that can change every year. The small calculator above lets you enter list price, discount and income freely.
When each payment arrives
The benefits arrive at very different times, which matters for financing. The discount works immediately, because it lowers the price in the contract. The federal grant only comes after registration, application and the grant notice, often weeks or months after handover. The quota payout comes once a year. The vehicle tax exemption never shows up as a payment at all. If you finance the purchase, you will have to bridge the grant at first. Many loans allow an extra repayment once the money arrives; whether that is free is set by the loan contract, not by the grant rules.
Traps in offers with bonuses
- The grant is already built in: some offers quote a price “after the grant”. BAFA pays you, and only if your income fits. Ask what happens if it is not approved.
- The discount only applies to stock cars: check whether a stock car has already been registered. A pre-registered car gets no grant.
- The lease discount only applies to short terms: a contract under 36 months does not meet the holding period without an extension.
States and municipalities
Some states, cities, districts and energy suppliers run their own schemes for electric cars, cargo bikes or charging points. For the car itself: public funding from a state or municipality for the same vehicle rules out the federal grant, unless an administrative agreement with the Federal Environment Ministry allows the combination. Schemes from municipal utilities acting as companies are a grey area; what matters is whether the subsidy comes from public funds. This page gives no amounts for such schemes, because they change often and are only reliable on the providers’ own pages. If in doubt, ask BAFA before applying for two public subsidies for one car.
Foreign grants
If you buy a car abroad, check whether a state bonus was granted there, for example automatically at the dealer. Comparable funding from another EU member state for the same vehicle rules out the German grant. More on buying abroad under new cars only.
What cannot be doubled
- Two federal grants for the same person: each person receives the grant only once.
- More than 2 grants in one household.
- A grant for a car already funded in another country.
- Federal and state funding for the same car without an administrative agreement.
What simply adds up
- The grant and a maker’s discount, even if both are large.
- The grant and the yearly GHG quota payout.
- The grant and the vehicle tax exemption.
- The grant for the car and the subsidy for charging infrastructure in an apartment building, because they fund different things; see wallbox grant.
- The grant whether you buy, finance or lease.
Quota figures come from Finanztip’s provider comparison as of October 2026; the grant is a federal payment whose conditions BAFA explains in its FAQ.