Filenews 26 June 2025 - by Charalambos Zakos
The Government announced yesterday (25/6) that the Council of Ministers approved a new plan to boost electromobility, amounting to €2.5 million.
Essentially, this is the same framework of plans that were offered in previous years, with the main points being the state sponsorship of €9,000 for the purchase of an electric car and €7,500 for the purchase of a hybrid.
The plan comes in response to the concerns of car importers, who had protested the termination of the previous plan, a decision taken because of its low appeal to the public, as the Department of Road Transport had justified.
"F" collected the statistics on the cars circulating on Cypriot roads and analysed the type of fuel and traffic they use, in order to see both the impact of these plans and the preferences of Cypriot drivers.
It is recalled that the first call for plans for electromobility sponsorships was made in December 2021.
Over 865,000
According to data collected by "F", until May 2025, the number of licensed vehicles on the roads of Cyprus amounted to 865,654.
Indicatively, based on calculations, only 0.7% of the total was electric, while hybrids constituted 6% of licensed vehicles. Gasoline cars occupy the first place, with a percentage that exceeds 60%, while diesel cars reach 33%.
Specifically, in absolute numbers (until May 2025):
- Total: 865,654
- Gasoline: 523,452
- Diesel vehicles: 283,093
- Hybrids: 52,265
- Electrical: 6,208
- Other type: 636
Electric increased
Although the number of electric vehicles on the road in Cyprus is still low, the announcement of plans for electrification has given a boost to the market. At the same time, the shift of automakers and the availability of more models is expected to further reduce the cost of electric cars, which until recently were deterrently expensive for most consumers. In addition, the lack of charging infrastructure and the time required to charge remain significant barriers to the purchase of electric cars.
However, these are expected to be gradually resolved with the development of technology, as Cyprus moves forward with plans to install more charging points, while automakers are now promoting models that charge in minutes.
According to the data of "F", from 2021 onwards there is a significant increase in electrical registrations.
Indicatively, in 2014 there were 45 electric cars on Cypriot roads, in 2015 they increased to 67, in 2016 they reached 103, in 2017 they reached 204, in 2018 335, in 2019 505 and in 2020 752.
With the launch of the first plan for electromobility, in 2021 they increased to 1,036, in 2022 to 1,828, in 2023 to 3,125, in 2024 to 5,334, while by May 2025 an additional 874 had been registered, bringing the total to 6,208.
Hybrids are "ploughing" the roads On the other hand, the market for hybrid cars is showing an impressive increase, since in recent months even gasoline cars have been surpassed in registrations.
Hybrids seem to be the favourite choice for Cypriots, since they are more economical than electric ones, while they are not limited by range problems and combine lower initial costs with fuel savings.
Indicatively, in a period of five years, the number of hybrids on the roads of Cyprus has increased fivefold.
Until 2020, 10,010 hybrids were on the market, in 2021 they increased to 14,492, in 2022 to 20,505, in 2023 to 31,120, in 2024 to 45,195, while until May 2025 another 7,070 were registered, reaching a total of 52,265.
375 grants will be awarded in 2025
Essentially, yesterday's announcements concern two projects with a total amount of more than €3.6 million.
Based on what the Department of Road Transport explained, 97 sponsorships for vehicles and 18 for motorcycles will be reallocated from the redistribution of the 3rd call – after these were left unallocated due to the expiration of the implementation time – and then – with the exhaustion of the specific sponsorships – the new plan will begin.
– The first plan, as we mentioned above, essentially concerns the re-announcement of the previous plan, with a budget of €1,165,000 for 115 beneficiaries.
Specifically, the following will be given:
10 grants of €7,500 for the purchase of a plug-in hybrid saloon with the withdrawal of an old car
5 grants of €15,000 for the purchase of Plug-in hybrid with withdrawal for disabled vehicle beneficiaries
5 sponsorships of €15,000 Plug-in hybrid with withdrawal for a large family
57 grants of €9,000 for the purchase of an electric vehicle saloon
10 grants of €20,000 for the purchase of an electric vehicle for disabled vehicle beneficiaries
10 grants of €20,000 for the purchase of an electric vehicle for a large family and
18 sponsorships of €1,500 for the purchase of an electric motorcycle.
The number of sponsorships is increasing
With the exhaustion of the sponsorships of the 3rd call, the new project will be launched, with a budget of €2.5 million for 260 beneficiaries. An important change is that in the new plan there is also provision for used electricity.
Specifically, the following will be given:
40 sponsorships of €7,500 for the purchase of a plug-in hybrid saloon with the withdrawal of an old car.
150 sponsorships of €9,000 for the purchase of an electric car saloon.
10 grants of €20,000 for the purchase of an electric car for disabled vehicle beneficiaries.
10 sponsorships of €20,000 for the purchase of an electric car for a large family.
50 sponsorships of €9,000 for the purchase of an electric used car saloon.
