Electric or combustion car: what does it really cost to own in Austria?

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Purchase incentive 2026: the federal E-Mobilitätsförderung (E-Mobilitätsbonus — Austria's EV purchase grant) for new electric cars is no longer available — the funding budget is exhausted, new applications are not being accepted from private buyers or businesses, and the manufacturer co-funded share has also expired. So in 2026 there is no government purchase grant for a new electric car. The main remaining purchase advantage is the NoVA exemption (see below). We state this separately and include no purchase grant in the total costs shown above. Source: klimaaktiv mobil / Tullner Automeile, as of 1 July 2026. Check the current situation before you buy.

NoVA exemption (Normverbrauchsabgabe, the registration tax): pure electric cars (0 g CO₂) are fully exempt from the NoVA, saving a four-figure sum at purchase compared with a comparable combustion car. This is the electric car's biggest remaining purchase advantage in Austria. The NoVA on combustion cars and plug-in hybrids is CO₂-scaled and rises further in 2026 — making a combustion purchase even more expensive. We treat this as combustion purchase tax you don't pay, not as a cash grant, and state it separately. Basis: the 2026 NoVA rates, as of 1 July 2026.

motorbezogene Versicherungssteuer (the motor-related insurance tax — an important clarification): since 1. April 2025, electric cars are no longer exempt — BEVs now pay this annual tax like other vehicles (depending on power and weight, usually under 500 € a year, more in some cases). The electric car's former annual tax advantage is therefore gone. In our calculations we no longer credit the electric car with any saved motor tax — in 2026 the EV's advantage lies mainly in running costs (home charging, maintenance) and in the NoVA exemption at purchase. Basis: BGBl. I Nr. 7/2025 (WKO / ÖAMTC), as of 1 July 2026.