Ownership cost by country

The same car costs a different amount to own in every one of these markets, and most of the difference is tax architecture and financing culture rather than the price on the windscreen.

Reputable finance providers named per market A bar chart of how many established finance providers this site names for each of 30 markets. United States6 named providersFrance5 named providersGermany5 named providersUnited Kingdom5 named providersAustria4 named providersBelgium4 named providersBulgaria4 named providersCroatia4 named providersCzechia4 named providersDenmark4 named providersEstonia4 named providersFinland4 named providersGreece4 named providersHungary4 named providersIceland4 named providersIreland4 named providersItaly4 named providersLatvia4 named providersLithuania4 named providersLuxembourg4 named providersNetherlands4 named providersNorway4 named providersPoland4 named providersPortugal4 named providersRomania4 named providersSlovakia4 named providersSlovenia4 named providersSpain4 named providersSweden4 named providersSwitzerland4 named providers
A count of who to ask, not a ranking. Every market has more lenders than we list; these are the established names to get a dated quote from. Source: this site’s market dataset.

Europe

Austria

Bank and captive loans with a strong leasing sector; Porsche Bank (the importer group’s arm) is a major domestic lender.

Europe

Belgium

Company cars are a structural part of salaries, so fleet and lease economics dominate the market.

Europe

Bulgaria

Cash-heavy retail with bank credit; the oldest car fleet in the EU shapes everything.

Europe

Croatia

Bank credit and leasing; annual subsidy rounds drive bursts of EV registrations.

Europe

Czechia

Škoda’s home market: captive financing and business leasing are strong, private EV demand historically modest.

Europe

Denmark

Bank financing and leasing; registration-tax arithmetic dominates every purchase decision.

Europe

Estonia

Bank and leasing finance; a compact, digital-first retail market.

Europe

Finland

Bank loans and a strong company-car sector; winter economics are a first-class cost input.

Europe

France

Strong captive presence (Mobilize, Stellantis Financial Services) with balloon-style credit and leasing both common; social-leasing schemes for lower-income households have been trialled for EVs.

Europe

Germany

Leasing dominates the new-car market via the captive banks — Volkswagen Financial Services, BMW Bank and Mercedes-Benz Bank are among Europe’s largest lenders — and company cars are a huge share of registrations.

Europe

Greece

Cash and bank credit lead; leasing is business-centred.

Europe

Hungary

Bank loans and leasing; green-plate benefits made company EVs attractive early.

Europe

Iceland

Bank financing; one of Europe’s highest EV shares thanks to tax structure and cheap renewable power.

Europe

Ireland

PCP arrived from the UK model and now dominates new-car retail alongside bank loans.

Europe

Italy

Captive financing and balloon loans are widespread; Stellantis’ home market has deep dealer-finance penetration.

Europe

Latvia

Leasing-led new-car retail through Baltic bank groups.

Europe

Lithuania

Leasing through Baltic banks dominates new-car finance.

Europe

Luxembourg

High company-car penetration and cross-border commuting shape the market; leasing is standard.

Europe

Netherlands

Private lease is unusually popular alongside business leasing; Ayvens and Athlon are home-market giants.

Europe

Norway

Bank loans and leasing both common; the market is so electrified that EV terms are the market terms.

Europe

Poland

Leasing has an outsized role because business sole-traders lease for tax treatment; bank credit for private buyers.

Europe

Portugal

Bank and captive credit typical of southern Europe; leasing growing from a small base.

Europe

Romania

Cash and bank credit dominate; leasing is business-led.

Europe

Slovakia

Bank and captive loans with business leasing; a car-manufacturing economy without a large EV retail market yet.

Europe

Slovenia

Bank and leasing finance typical of the region; Eco Fund administers EV support.

Europe

Spain

Bank and captive loans dominate; Santander Consumer Finance is the home-market giant.

Europe

Sweden

Company cars and leasing carry a large share; Volvo’s home market habits shape retail.

Europe

Switzerland

High cash-purchase share by European standards, with leasing well established; cantonal variation touches everything.

Europe

United Kingdom

PCP is the dominant purchase structure for new cars, with Black Horse (Lloyds), Santander Consumer Finance and the captives writing most of it; salary-sacrifice schemes have become a major EV channel.

US

United States

Loans through captives, banks and credit unions dominate; leasing concentrates in premium brands and EVs.

Related reading

EV Ground Truth

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Carbon Evidence

Personal carbon footprints, life-cycle assessment, and which changes actually move the number.

The EV Route

Planning an electric road trip around real range, real charge curves and where the chargers actually are.

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