Malta hands out some of the largest electric vehicle grants in Europe. It also has one of the highest take-up rates on the continent.
The island is 27 kilometres long, so range anxiety is not a real problem here. Almost no journey is long enough to flatten a battery.
What you get
- A grant of €11,000 towards a new electric or plug-in hybrid, without trading anything in.
- More if you scrap an old petrol or diesel car at the same time.
- No registration tax, which on a normal car is a large share of the price.
- Five years with no annual licence fee.
- Free parking in some localities and exemption from the Valletta CVA charge.
The scheme runs by calendar year and the terms change each January. Check the current year’s version before you commit to anything.
Grants are capped in number as well as value. When the year’s allocation is gone, it is gone.
Charging
Charging is where Malta lags.
There are several hundred public charging points across Malta and Gozo, and government has committed to adding well over a thousand more.
Most owners charge at home overnight, which works if you have a garage or a wall you can run a cable to.
In a village core with no off-street parking it is harder. Answer that question before you buy.
Public points are a mix of slow and fast. Several apps map them and show which are free.
The catch
Second-hand electric cars carry a smaller grant than new ones, and without the full grant the sums look different.
A used import may cost more than you expect once the tax is added.
Insurance and servicing are not cheaper here than for a petrol car, and there are fewer garages that will touch one.
Battery replacement out of warranty is the risk on an older import, and there is no local supply chain for it.
Does it add up
On a new car bought to keep, the grant plus no registration tax plus five years of no licence fee is a large number.
Running costs help as well. Electricity here is cheap by European standards and the distances are short.
The case is weakest if you cannot charge at home. Relying on public points on a small island with a few hundred of them is a daily inconvenience.
Where to check
Transport Malta publishes each year’s scheme, the eligible vehicle list and the application forms.
The grant is claimed after purchase, not at the dealer, so you pay the full price first and wait.
This is general information, not financial advice. Read the current scheme before you sign anything.
