The 2026 EV grant on a leased car
Almost every second approved grant is for a leased car. What is different with leasing: who applies, how the lease term and holding period fit together, and where the money goes.
Worked through by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
Lease term and holding period
Months beyond the lease term
12
| Grant | €4,000 |
| Per month of the holding period | €111 |
| Holding period met | only with an extension or buyout |
The car must stay registered to you for 36 continuous months, however long the lease runs.
Germany’s 2026 EV grant applies to new cars that are leased just as it does to bought ones, with the same amounts and the same income limits. According to BAFA’s statistics of 1 October 2026, 48,462 of 97,790 approvals were for leases and 49,328 for purchases. The application is made by the keeper (Halter), the person the car is registered to. With a private lease that is usually the lessee; the buyer or lessee and the keeper need not be the same person, though. If the leasing company is entered as keeper, the driver gets no grant. The 36-month holding period applies whatever the lease term. A 24-month contract is therefore not enough: it must be extended or the car bought, or a claw-back may follow. BAFA pays into the keeper’s account, not to the leasing company. As a yardstick, a grant of €5,000 spread over 36 months is €138.89 a month.
Leasing is treated the same
The funding guideline funds new cars that are bought or leased. BAFA only says the vehicle must be acquired by purchase or lease; loan terms and other conditions play no part. The October 2026 statistics show how common leasing is:
| Acquisition | Approvals | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase | 49,328 | 50.4 % |
| Lease | 48,462 | 49.6 % |
Keeper, lessee, applicant
A lease has three roles that can differ: the lessee who signs the contract, the keeper named on part I of the registration certificate (Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I), and the owner, which is the leasing company. For the grant, only the keeper counts. The keeper applies, receives the money and must keep to the holding period.
| Case | Keeper on the certificate | Grant possible |
|---|---|---|
| Private lease, you are entered | you | yes |
| Private lease, partner signs, you are entered | you | yes, you apply |
| Leasing company registers the car to itself | leasing company | no |
| Business lease through your company | company | no |
Lease term and holding period
The car must stay registered to you for 36 continuous months. Many lease offers are shorter. The table shows what that means.
| Term | Months missing | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 24 months | 12 | extend or buy the car |
| 36 months | 0 | compare the return date with the registration day |
| 48 months | 0 | compare the return date with the registration day |
With a term of exactly 36 months, the days matter. An example: the car is registered on 3 November 2026, and the holding period runs until 2 November 2029. If the contract only starts at handover on 5 November 2026, it ends on 4 November 2029, after the holding period. Had the car been registered only after the contract began and you return it on the last contract day, a few days could be missing. To be safe, agree a return date no earlier than the day after the holding period ends.
The grant against the monthly rate
BAFA pays the grant as a lump sum into your account, not as a reduction of the rate. To compare it with a lease offer, you can spread it over the months of the holding period:
| Household income | Children | Grant | Per month over 36 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| €38,000 | 0 | €5,000 | €138.89 |
| €52,000 | 1 | €4,500 | €125.00 |
| €72,000 | 2 | €4,000 | €111.11 |
| €86,000 | 2 | €4,000 | €111.11 |
Some offers count the grant in as a special payment that you make once the money arrives. That is an agreement between you and the provider; BAFA still pays you. Read such offers carefully for what happens if the grant is not approved, for example because income is over the limit or funding stops.
Two offers compared
An example with made-up figures: offer A runs 36 months at €279 a month, offer B runs 24 months at €249. At first sight B is cheaper. For the grant, though, B only works if the provider commits to a twelve-month extension or a buyout at a fixed price. Without that commitment, after 24 months you would have to extend on terms you do not know today, or return the car and expect a claw-back. A household on €52,000 with one child would get €4,500. A pro rata claw-back for twelve missing months would be around €1,500; BAFA may decide differently. B’s €30 a month advantage would soon be gone.
Quota, tax and income on a lease
On a lease, the GHG quota payout belongs to the keeper, usually you. You can sell the quota yourself every year; the leasing company has no claim to it unless it is entered as keeper. Vehicle tax is also owed by the keeper, and for an electric car first registered by 31 December 2030 there is none for years anyway. Income works no differently: above the limit there is no grant on a lease either, and an offer that counts on the grant then costs more than advertised.
At the end of the lease
- Return after the holding period: no report needed, no claw-back.
- Return earlier: report to BAFA, which decides on a partial or full claw-back; details under holding period and resale.
- Extension: the contract continues and the car stays registered to you. Get the extension confirmed in writing.
- Buyout: you buy the car at its residual value. It stays registered to you and the holding period runs on without a break.
- Switching to a new leased car: the new car cannot be funded again, because each person receives the grant only once. A partner in the same household who has not had a grant could apply for a car of their own.
Business and company car leases
A lease through a company is excluded, because only private individuals can apply and the car may not be a business asset. That also applies to a company car your employer leases and lets you use. How the self-employed should proceed is under self-employed and company cars. How leasing works with manufacturer bonuses is shown in combining bonuses.
Checklist for leasing customers
- You are entered as keeper on part I of the registration certificate.
- A term of at least 36 months, or a commitment to extend or buy.
- Return date no earlier than the end of the holding period.
- The lease contract as a PDF for the application, complete with all pages.
- A written plan for the end of the lease: return, extension or buyout.
- Apply within 12 months of registration, with your own bank details.