With more than 30,000 registrations in 2024, France will account for almost 50% of licence-free car sales in the European market.
Long marginalised, these no-licence cars (VSPs) are enjoying a second lease of life in France, thanks in particular to electrification and modern communication aimed at attracting (very) young drivers – from the age of 14! – but also city-dwellers keen to reduce their environmental impact and make their cars more practical. With the ecological transition playing an increasingly important role in the minds of the French, and city traffic becoming more and more difficult for conventional combustion-powered vehicles, electric MPVs are an extremely attractive alternative.
Why are electric licence-free cars so popular in France?
Electric MPVs are continuing to win market share from their combustion-powered rivals, as well as from ‘conventional’ cars, because they appear to be a natural response to many of today’s problems. For example, the ever-increasing cost of a driving licence, which for more and more urban dwellers is no longer as useful as it once was, and the spread of populations, which means that people living in more isolated areas are choosing the car at an ever younger age, are the two main factors behind the overpopulation of PSVs in France.
But we can also add to this the lower speed limits in town (a licence-free car is limited to 45 km/h), the elimination of parking spaces and the increasing costs associated with the use of a conventional car (insurance is generally less expensive and roadworthiness tests are less frequent).
Finally, the electric version cuts the bill even further by reducing maintenance and fuel costs. To sum up: a licence-free car is full of advantages for an ever-growing proportion of the French population… and its electric version is even more advantageous!
Incumbents vs. traditional builders: beneficial emulation
Historically dominated by combustion engines, the French PSV market seems to be moving slowly but surely towards electric power. The boom of the Citroën Ami, launched in 2020, has had a lot to do with this, with more than 65,000 units sold in 5 years. It has recently been joined by another small electric no-licence car from a major manufacturer, the Fiat Topolino. These two models have enabled their manufacturers to take second and fourth place respectively in the rankings of the biggest sellers of licence-free cars in France in 2024.
All this in the face of players who are already well established and, above all, specialised. Pioneers who are not giving up, however, since the leader, Aixam, has added a 100% electric range, as has Ligier which, after seeing Citroën overtake it, was only a few thousand sales away from seeing Fiat do the same! The fact remains, and this is good news for everyone, that sales of the four brands mentioned have risen sharply between 2023 and 2024. This competition is good for a market that was once considered old-fashioned, as it has encouraged the Stellantis giants to invest in innovation around this soft mobility that they had sidelined for too long, and also the traditional players to speed up their electrification. All this while glamorising electric PSVs with marketing campaigns!
In the space of just a few years, licence-free cars have gone from being a « punishment for those who lose their licence » to a highly desirable form of soft mobility. And in this market, it’s a case of give and take: on the one hand, electric cars have given a boost to the PSV, and on the other, the growth of the PSV means that the French car fleet can be electrified more quickly.
Top 4 PSV manufacturers in France (2024)
1- Aixam / 10,771 sales / Growth of 8.7% / Combined heat and power / 33.9% of the market
2- Citroën / 9,267 sales / Growth of 4.2% / All electric / 29.3% of the market
3- Ligier / 5,869 sales / 8.4% growth / combustion and electric / 18.5% of the market
4- Fiat / 4,567 sales / First year / All electric / 14.3% of the market
( Voltandgo figures)
