Are There Subsidies for Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles?
4 Answers
Plug-in hybrid vehicles are eligible for subsidies. Here are the specific details: 1. Subsidy standards for plug-in hybrid vehicles. Plug-in hybrid vehicles must have a range of more than 50 kilometers to qualify for subsidies. The national subsidy is 22,000 yuan, and there are also local subsidies, which typically amount to around 10,000 yuan depending on local fiscal conditions. 2. Pros and cons of plug-in hybrid vehicles. The biggest advantage of plug-in hybrid vehicles is their ability to drive purely on electric power. The downside is that they have larger battery capacities, and the engine alone cannot fully charge the battery, requiring a separate charging station. Currently, the biggest advantages of plug-in hybrid vehicles are their low fuel consumption and high cost performance.
I remember studying the subsidy policies when helping my relatives buy a car last year, and there have been significant changes now. The national purchase subsidy was indeed phased out by the end of 2022—previously, plug-in hybrid vehicles could receive up to nearly 10,000 yuan in subsidies. However, there’s still a hidden benefit: the exemption from purchase tax for new energy vehicles has been extended to 2025, which can save you around 10,000 yuan on the car price. Local governments have their own strategies—for example, Shenzhen offers an additional 3,000 yuan subsidy for replacing a car with a plug-in hybrid, and Shanghai’s green license plate policy is still ongoing. The key point this year is to pay attention to the transition period, as some cities have set the deadline for local subsidies at the end of June. I’ve been urging my friend to complete the scrapping procedures for their old car quickly to catch the last chance. By the way, manufacturers also run limited-time subsidies themselves—last week, I saw a brand promoting a 'national subsidy phase-out, we’ll cover it' campaign.
Subsidies depend on your location. For example, my hometown Tianjin still offers regional subsidies—6,000 yuan cash rebate for plug-in hybrid purchases, but requires local residency and social security eligibility. My colleague who picked up a car in Hangzhou last month got a highly practical subsidy package: direct waiver of charging pile installation fees plus three years of public charging credits. With national subsidies phased out, local policies now dominate. Guangzhou’s trade-in subsidy for hybrids, for instance, is 500 yuan higher than for pure EVs due to extra fuel-to-electric incentives. Pro tip: Call your local 12345 hotline with your car model—they’ll clarify eligibility. Bonus hack: Some cities issue 'auto consumption vouchers' worth 20% more than cash subsidies.
Currently, purchasing a plug-in hybrid mainly enjoys two types of benefits: firstly, the nationwide exemption from purchase tax, saving 26,000 yuan in taxes on a 300,000-yuan car, which is automatically deducted by the system; secondly, various local subsidies. My cousin bought a car in Chengdu last month and received a 2,000-yuan consumption voucher that can be used for both fuel and charging. Special reminder to pay attention to automakers' actions—recently, many brands are compensating for the phase-out of national subsidies, with two brands I follow offering a limited-time compensation of 8,000 yuan this month. There's also an implicit subsidy for license plates, such as in Beijing where buying a plug-in hybrid allows you to enter the lottery for a new energy license plate. It's crucial to check the local policy white paper—last time I helped a friend buy a car in Wuhan, we found that non-local residents only needed a residence permit valid for six months to apply for subsidies.
