Registering a used car in France may cost more from 2026. Here’s why
Malus system for heavy and polluting cars will be applied to some older vehicles when sold
Vehicles that emit a certain level of pollution will see additional taxes on their registration... even if second-hand
Paolo Bona/Shutterstock
Drivers looking to purchase a second-hand car in France are being warned about potential additional costs when registering it, based on how polluting it is.
The changes are part of stricter measures included in the 'malus' system of extra taxes for heavy and polluting vehicles, set to be toughened from January 1, 2026.
For the first time, changes will apply not only to newly-purchased or newly-imported vehicles, but also to second-hand ones.
Payments come when registering vehicle
Obtaining a carte grise (vehicle registration, officially a certificat d’immatriculation) is required when purchasing a second-hand car.
This registration is transferred from the previous owner to the new one, and contains information about the vehicle and owner.
If you purchase the vehicle through a dealership they should take care of the process of re-registering the carte grise for you.
Private purchases however usually require you to handle the formalities yourself – see our previous article here for more information on how to do so.
However, the new changes mean that when you apply for the carte grise, authorities will look at key information about the car to see if it is impacted by the malus system, in the same way as they do for new vehicle purchases currently.
The level of the tax will be calculated when registering the vehicle for its carte grise, showing you the amount payable.
Additional costs on obtaining the carte grise will apply on vehicles first registered after January 1, 2015 with an emissions limit of 131g of CO² /kg and weighing over 1,500 kg. The 1,500 kg weight is to be confirmed but is currently set at this in draft legislation.
Taxes will be formulaically reduced based on the age of the vehicle, for example a vehicle with a CO² emissions limit of 145g/kg first registered in 2015 will face less tax than one first registered in 2021.
If the previous owner has already paid the malus, then it is not collected a second time on a used car.
The level of tax is not yet known, however you can simulate the costs of a new vehicle subject to the maluses through the government simulator.
At present vehicles first registered before 2015 will not be impacted by the tax.
