Hungary to strip PHEVs of its green number plates

Since 2016, plug-in hybrids and range-extended cars have enjoyed the same benefits as electric cars in Hungary. That will change on 1 September 2024. From then on, only fully electric and emission-free vehicles will receive a green licence plate.

Plug-in vehicles or those in the extended-range environmental category (meaning they have an all-electric range of 25 to 50 kilometres) will need to have their licence plates exchanged by 30 November 2026.

According to the Hungarian Future Mobility Alliance, 52,209 BEVs, 12,358 PHEVs, and 29,646 REEVs were on the road in Hungary by the end of June 2024, meaning that 101,213 were eligible for green licence plates. That number will drop drastically next month. However, it can also be noted that the number of cars across all categories has grown similarly compared to the same period last year, with PHEV gaining the most (about +35 per cent).

In February, the Hungarian government launched an incentive programme worth 30 billion Hungarian forints (75.3 million euros) to promote electric vehicle uptake for company cars. So far, more than 3.400 companies have applied for subsidies, the Hungarian Ministry of Energy reported. The government covers 2.8 to 4 billion HUF of vehicles’ purchase price.

That also means that the latter categories will most likely no longer be eligible for tax incentives associated with the green number plates. It marks “the end of the era for luxury SUVs with green plates”, Daily News Hungary concludes.

dailynewshungary.com, hatc.hu (figures), facebook.com (incentive programme)