It’s not just the UK, France and Germany which are offering incentives for new car buyers to go green – now Italy is getting in on the act.
The Italian government has approved €1,500 payments to buyers who trade in older, more polluting models for greener, newer cars in an effort to boost the automobile sector.
According to its plans, the cars must be at least 10 years old and if the consumer purchases a hybrid car or one that runs on natural gas the cash incentive will be doubled. There is also an incentive for motorcycle riders to follow a similar policy – they will receive €500 if they buy a new motorcycle.
The incentives also extend to small businesses that buy or exchange small delivery trucks. They receive incentives of up to €2,500 for buying a new vehicle and €4,000 if the truck is a hybrid or uses natural gas.
The plans follow on from €2,500 incentives in Germany to encourage the trade-in of old vehicles and a €1,000 bonus in France for a new-for-old vehicle scrappage scheme.
In January, new car registrations in Italy plummeted by a third compared to 2008. Motorists have until the end of 2009 to take advantage of the new incentives.
