More and more municipalities and federal states in Germany and Austria are promoting the purchase of private and commercial cargo bikes. A new overview page provides basic information on over 60 cargo bike purchase subsidies in these two countries.

The overview was developed by the manufacturer and dealer-neutral blog cargobike.jetzt, ECF's partner in the European City Changer Cargo Bike project and is supported by prominent players in the bicycle industry. Partners are the German bicycle industry association ZIV, the German bicycle leasing provider JobRad and the Austrian Cargobike test project KlimaEntLaster.

Find this great overview here: www.cargobikekaufpraemien.jetzt 

In March and April, there was a huge rush for purchase premiums for private cargo bikes in Münster, Nuremberg and Vienna, among others. In April, a state-wide cargo bike purchase subsidy scheme, with a budget of 300,000 euros came into force in Saxony-Anhalt. In Hamburg, a new round of promotion with 700,000 euros is to start on 1 June. And smaller cities like Geldern and Straelen (both NRW) also offer cargo bike purchase bonuses. Since February and March respectively, 10,000 euros of funding budget have been available there. The most sought-after cargo bike purchase bonuses in 2020 were in Cologne and Hamburg, where the promotion budgets were increased to 1.9 and 1.5 million euros respectively at short notice.

In Austria there is a nationwide purchase premium of 400 euros for all cargo bikes. In Germany, a nationwide purchase premium has so far been limited to the small market segment of commercial heavy-duty bikes with electric drive. For these there is a subsidy of up to 2,500 euros. 

In Aachen and Mainz, local electricity suppliers also offer their green electricity customers a purchase premium for e-cargo bikes. Munich and several other cities combine cargo bike purchase premiums with an additional car scrapping bonus of up to 1,000 euros. In April, Stuttgart's municipal council decided on an additional social bonus that covers up to 90 percent of the costs for an e-cargo bike.

To find about more fiscal incentives and purchase subsidies for cycling in general, visit our dedicated page.