dealers doubt 20 days after its application

It was presented on December 4 and promises to be active on January 2, 2026. That day, if everything goes ahead, we will be able to go to the dealership, commit our electric car and see a discount on the final bill. That, at least, is what was promised the day the Auto+ Plan was presented. The last to doubt this: the dealers.

The presentation. It’s been eight days since The Auto+ Plan was presenteda purchase assistance program framed within the Auto Plan 2030a transversal strategy to promote the electric car and general improvements in the mobility of our country.

The star measure: direct discounts on the purchase of electric cars. It is a decision that meets the demands of buyers and manufacturers who have been asking for this measure for years to encourage the expansion of this type of vehicles. And it is that, with the MOVES III Plan and in all previous editions, the delivery of aid was delayed in some cases by up to 18 months.

many doubts. Despite the announcement, many doubts remained floating in the air:

• It is not known how much aid for electric cars will amount to.
• It is not known if the aid will also cover the purchase of plug-in hybrids.
• It is not known if the aid will have to be declared in the income tax return, although if it is applied as a discount to the purchase it is likely that this will not be the case.
• It has been announced that Aid from the MOVES III Plan will be covered that have not been entered but it has not been clarified how long we are talking about.

To be restless. When this Auto+ Plan was announced we could expect that all agents were aware and had agreed. Much more so if we take into account that there are 20 days left until the new purchase aid is available.

But the truth is that dealers are revealing their doubts. According to The Economistthe concessionaires are negotiating with the Ministry of Industry the delivery of the aid but they have a red line: they will not advance the aid. From Xataka We have contacted Faconauto, the dealer association in Spain, but they have refused to comment on the matter.

The problem, they point out from the media, is that the concessionaires do not have sufficient financial health to advance the money if the State extends its subsequent income. According to data from Facoauto itself, the profitability of the sector is only 1.38% and three out of every ten dealerships are in losses.

The Valencian case. One of the proposals that had been put on the table was to act the same as with the Restart Auto+ Plan when Up to 10,000 euros in aid were offered for buyers of an electric car after the DANA in Valencia. The objective was to take advantage of the forced renewal of the automobile fleet with the delivery of electric cars.

Then we worked with the idea that the aid money would be deducted from the total payment for the vehicle. However, the bureaucracy made an appearance again to the point that some dealers advanced aid to customers with a discount on the purchase at the expense of their request being later approved but without prior acceptance through.

In The Economist They point out that the dealers remember that this way of acting was only carried out by some brands, delivering the car before having approval for help. Furthermore, they remember that the Valencian case was exceptional and that it is difficult for something similar to be applied on a state level if they do not have the State’s commitment to deliver aid in a short period of time.

20 days left. Now, with this position of the concessionaires in front of us, the Government has less than three weeks to negotiate aid that was announced for January 2, 2026. A complex situation that is reminiscent of the last extensions of the MOVES III Plan.

It must be remembered that in February 2024the Government has already promised to provide aid for the purchase of electric cars with a discount on the contract. Throughout that year, this possibility was delayed until the renewal of the MOVES III Plan arrived with the same conditions as always.

That same aid program fell when meeting within the Omnibus Decree lying by the Congress of Deputies despite being announced and active. Months later, in April 2025, the MOVES III Plan came back… with the same problems as always. That is, with a management that left the client at the expense of collecting the aid until 18 months had passed in some cases.

Photo | Robin Le Mee and Mohamed B.

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