How to Buy a New Car in France

Buying a new car in France requires residency or proof of application for residency. There are new-car dealers available who offer warranties and other perks such as trade-ins of your old car. The vehicle must be registered under the System d'Immatriculation des Vehicles (SIV), and CO2 emissions play a major role in government taxes or rebates in buying a new car.

Instructions

1

Source the car through advertisements online or through newspaper ads. Dealerships in France have online presences, and you can view available models at the dealer's showroom. Dealers offer guarantees on new cars, so check how long these will last and if they offer trade-ins or service deals before buying.

2

To buy a new car in France, you need a carte de sejour or proof of application for a carte de sejour, which is a residence permit. You must also present proof of identity, a permit de conduire (driver's license), bank details, insurance details and proof of funds to the dealer.

3

New cars in France are registered using a Certificat d'Immatriculation, previously known as a Carte Grise. This document identifies the car owner, the registration number, the vehicles make, model, year of manufacture, chassis number, horsepower and engine number and the car's compliance with European Union technical standards. Putting a new car in your name means applying to the Prefecture, Sous Prefecture or sometimes the local Mairie (mayor's office). In 2009, a new registration system was implemented called the Systme d'Immatriculation des Vhicules (SIV). Car owners no longer have to change registration of the car if they move department, and the car registration remains the same as first registered.

4

Since 2007, France applies rebates or extra taxes on new cars depending on their CO2 emissions.

When a new car with high CO2 emissions is first registered, a once-off ecotaxe is payable. Classes for emissions are 156 to 160 grams of CO2 per Kilometre (gCO2/km), 161 to 195 gCO2/km, 196 to 245 gCO2/km and over 246 gCO2/km. Rates, as of Septmeber 2010, costs from 200 euro to 2,600 euro.

Low CO2 emitters are classed into under 60 gCO2/km, 61 to 95 gCO2/km, 96 to 115 gCO2/km and 116 to 125 gCO2/km. New cars in these classes qualify for a rebate of from 100 to 5,000 euro, depending on class.

Trading in a car older than 10 can qualify you for a 500 euro bonus until March 2011, and if you're buying an electric, natural gas, LPG or combination diesel/petrol and electric powered car with emissions of 135 gCO2/km or less, you can apply for a separate 2,000 euro rebate.

Rebates are approved by sending in the "Bonus Ecologique" form to the Centre National pour l'Amnagement des Structures des Exploitations Agricoles (CNASEA) within three months of buying the car.