The 2026 EV grant for people new to Germany
If you have only recently moved to Germany you can get the grant, but you will meet hurdles of your own: tax assessments, digital ID, translations and the holding period.
Worked through by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
Moved here: arrival year and first full year
Grant, battery electric
€4,500
| Household income | €52,500 |
| A year later, two full years | €3,500 |
Only German income tax assessments count. Foreign income that is not part of the taxable income on the assessment is not included.
For Germany’s 2026 EV grant, nationality plays no part. You can apply if your main residence (Hauptwohnsitz) is in Germany and the new car is first registered to you in Germany. People living abroad are excluded. The real hurdle for newcomers is proof of income: BAFA asks for the 2 most recent income tax assessments (Einkommensteuerbescheid) from a German tax office for every adult in the household. In the year you arrive, the assessment only shows income taxable in Germany; foreign income from before the move at most raises the tax rate, not taxable income (zu versteuerndes Einkommen). An example: Priya moves to Germany in July 2025; her 2025 assessment shows €31,000, the 2026 one €74,000. Her partner has no income and submits assessments showing €0, and one child lives with them. Household income is €52,500, the grant for a battery electric car €4,500. You apply online with BundID, documents must be in German or a certified translation, and the car must stay registered in Germany for 36 months.
Who can apply
BAFA has two questions that decide things for newcomers. First: does nationality matter? No. Second: can you apply from abroad? Also no, because only natural persons with a main residence in Germany are eligible. On top come the conditions that apply to everyone: a new M1 passenger car, first registration in Germany to the applicant, a minimum age of 18, and household income under the limit. Whether you live here on an EU Blue Card, a settlement permit, as an EU citizen or with another residence title is not asked.
Tax assessments after the move
Proof of income is the biggest hurdle for new arrivals. BAFA asks for the 2 most recent income tax assessments per adult, issued by a German tax office. Payroll tax certificates, payslips or foreign tax assessments do not replace them. Employees are often not required to file a return, but filing is frequently worthwhile after a move anyway, for instance because of moving costs. Filing is what produces the assessment.
In the year of arrival, taxable income is usually low, because only the months in Germany count. Foreign income from before the move is in many cases taxed abroad under a double taxation agreement and only enters the German tax rate through the progression clause. That does not count for the grant, which only looks at taxable income on the assessment.
| When you apply | Priya’s assessments | Partner | Household income | Grant with one child |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2027 | €31,000 (2025) and €74,000 (2026) | €0 twice | €52,500 | €4,500 |
| One year later | €74,000 (2026) and €76,000 (2027) | €0 twice | €75,000 | €3,500 |
The example shows an effect that often surprises newcomers: the half year after the move pulls the average down, and the household gets a grant it would no longer be entitled to a year later. Because you can only apply after registration, this depends on when the car is registered and which assessments exist by then.
What BAFA leaves open
If you have only one German assessment, you face a question BAFA does not answer directly. For people who have filed only one return because they previously had no income of their own, it points to a voluntary return that can lead to a €0 assessment. Whether that carries over to a year in which you did not live in Germany at all depends on your tax position in that year. This site therefore only works with assessments that exist and suggests putting the question to BAFA before you apply. Until then, the safe route is to wait until you have two German assessments.
Digital ID and the application
Applications are online only, through the federal funding portal (Förderzentrale). You can only log in with a BundID account at a sufficient level of trust:
- Online ID function: German ID card, electronic residence permit or eID card for EU and EEA citizens, each with the online function activated and a PIN.
- ELSTER certificate: requested on the ELSTER portal with your tax identification number; the activation code is posted to your German address.
A BundID with only a username and password is not enough. If you file your tax return through ELSTER anyway, the certificate covers both.
Documents and language
You upload the assessments, part I of the registration certificate (Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I), the purchase or lease contract and, where relevant, proof of children, all as PDFs of at most 5 MB each. Documents must be in German or come with a certified translation. That mainly affects a purchase contract from abroad. For children only German Kindergeld counts; a child benefit from another country does not replace the Kindergeld proof.
A car from abroad
According to BAFA it makes no difference where a car is bought, even outside the EU. What matters is that it is new and first registered in Germany on or after 1 January 2026. A car you bring from your home country that was already registered there is not a new car under the guideline. A purchase bonus from another EU state for the same car rules out the German grant. More under new cars only.
Holding period and fixed-term stays
The car must stay registered to you in Germany for 36 continuous months. With registration on 1 November 2026, that runs until 31 October 2029. If you are here on a fixed-term contract or a secondment, compare that with the planned end of your stay. If you move away with the car or sell it earlier, you must tell BAFA, which decides case by case on a partial or full claw-back. Details under holding period and resale.
Checklist for newcomers
- Main residence registered in Germany (Anmeldung).
- Two German income tax assessments per adult, or clarification with BAFA and the tax office if there is only one.
- BundID set up with the online ID function or an ELSTER certificate.
- Purchase contract in German or with a certified translation.
- A stay of at least 36 months planned from registration.
- Apply after registration, by 1 November 2027 at the latest for a registration on 1 November 2026.
How partners and children are counted is under household income and children bonus; the steps in the portal are under how to apply.