Bonus-malus: new losers of 2012

Bonus-malus: new losers of 2012 

The new bonus-malus scale in 2012, which will take effect from 1 January 2012, has just been unveiled and we can already announce that the victims are many.

Each year, the bonus-malus scheme sees his bearings changed in order to take the entire automobile production toward greater simplicity. Thus, consumers are encouraged to buy less polluting models (or at least those who reject the least CO2), and therefore the manufacturers are forced to optimize the engines of their models to avoid them be penalized in the market.

But the task is more difficult because the slices of the scale are lowered each time, instead of the amount of penalty that is in contrast to higher and higher. For if the goal is officially green, the goal for the state is not to lose money as in 2008, the year of the implementation of this measure.

As for the bonus amounts are greatly reduced and no longer concern that vehicles with CO2 emissions less than or equal to 104 g / km. Thus, a Renault Megane 1.5 dCi 110, which previously enjoyed a bonus of € 400 with the release of 106 g / km, would no longer give any bonus in 2012 if it does not change. So, outside of urban diesel hybrid, the bonus will be extremely rare.

And if in the lowest bracket, it is very interesting (€ 5000), it does less than 50 g / km as electric vehicles or natural extension of the type of autonomy Opel Ampera. It is also fun to see a new band was formed 50 to 59 g / km and € 3,500 bonus, but it does no vehicles in the current world production, since no thermal or hybrid vehicle does not go down currently below 80 g / km and the electric does not emit CO2 by definition.

Expensive Ecology

Regarding the penalty, they obviously affect more and more vehicles and are also more "painful" than before. Now every new vehicle purchased emitting 141 g / km or more will be wearing a penalty of an amount more or less important. Thus, a Renault Mégane 1.4 TCe 130 which was previously neutral in the box with 145 g / km, is now penalized with a penalty of € 200. It is interesting to note that if the number of slices bonus remained at four, the slices of penalty increased to 6. The better to punish customers who want to offer a powerful car and polluting?

What is certain is that the high-end manufacturers are obviously the most affected and some models who were at the limit of a given threshold, have their penalty increased to a considerable extent. When a Citroen DS3 THP 150 or BMW 325 d (155 and 151 g / km) have their penalty from 200 to 500 €, a Mercedes E 300 CDI with 181 g / km it passes 750 to € 1 300 malus. But the hardest on the final level which is now beginning to 231 g / km instead of 240 and increased the score of 2 600 to 3 600 €. Thus, a model like the BMW X6 35i rejecting 236 g / km changes category and gets a double punishment, seeing his penalty increase from 1 600 to 3 600 €.

Of course, these examples are taken from the current state of affairs. And there is no doubt that manufacturers will present to update the performance of some of their models so that they remain in a category less penalizing. Anyway, if you plan to buy a new car soon, choose the month of December than in January because in many cases, the addition will not be the same. Finally, remember that this still applies only to the scale CO2, a greenhouse gas, not a pollutant, and that diesel vehicles are promoted them while they are much more harmful pollutants (including particulate and NOx ) than gasoline models.