“Too expensive”, really? Electric has almost caught up in the thermal

Despite the acceleration of the electric transition, The purchase price remains argument n ° 1 advanced by reluctant persons. Or simply people who would like to go to the electric car, but who cannot. In 2024, a study by the KFW (German public bank) recalled that 59 % of motorists from across the Rhine still cited the price as the main electric barrier. An argument that decreases, but which remains in front of the lack of recharging infrastructure (51 %), autonomy (44 %) or charging times (30 %). And for good reason: New electric cars have long cost 10,000 to 15,000 € more than their thermal equivalents. A difference often compensated by government bonuses or specific devices (social leasing, tax exemptions), but which remained sensitive in the budget of households.

A new study shows a convergence of prices

According to the latest data compiled by the car expert Ferdinand Dudenhöffer, The average price difference between thermal and electric models in Germany fell under the € 3,000. A calculation that is based on the 20 best -selling models in each segment, included. In one year, the price difference was divided by two, thanks to a double effect: both the discounts on the electric models which have increased sharply, today reaching an average of 17 % of the catalog price, but also, on the thermal side, discounts which are rarer, even though their basic prices are increasing. In other words, the curves meet. Or at least get closer, always to the advantage of thermal. To buy at least, because in use it is another case. In any case, with an equivalent model, and taking into account commercial discounts, the purchase of an electric vehicle becomes less and less an inaccessible luxury.

But in some countries, the electric remains (too) dear

If this development is encouraging, it does not yet reflect all European realities. In France, for example, the UFC-Que Choisir recalled last April that The average price of a new electric car (€ 42,390 in 2024) was much higher than that of a thermal model (€ 26,774). The association notably pointed out the gradual drop in purchase aid, from 1.5 billion euros in 2023 to 700 million in 2025. Result: differences from +12 % to +40 % depending on the model, even for city cars such as the Peugeot 208 or the Fiat 500. Far from the equality announced.