The 2026 penalty, or how to kill the pleasure in the catalog.

The numbers first. The threshold for triggering the CO₂ penalty dropped from 113 to 108 g/km on January 1, 2026, and the ceiling now reaches €80,000 beyond 192 g/km. According to the Dataneo firm, about 72% of new vehicles sold in France are affected.

Add the penalty for weight, which now starts at 1,500 kg at a rate of €10 per excess kilo, and the bill becomes absurd.

A thermal sports car accumulates both taxes. On some models, the penalty exceeds the depreciation of the first three years. You pay a tax that is worth more than what the car will lose while driving.

And it's not over: the threshold will drop to 103 g/km in 2027. A new six-cylinder in 2026 has become a militant act.

Used cars, on the other hand, do not pay twice.

A vehicle already registered in France generates no new penalty upon resale. The tax was paid once, at the first registration, end of story.

And for European imports? A penalty does apply to the first French registration, but with a 10% reduction for each year of age. Do the math: beyond 10 years, it drops to zero. An M3 e46 found in Germany or a 996 from Belgium incurs no penalty.

The state almost encourages you to buy a youngtimer.

The market is Europe.

Not the local classifieds in your department.

Limiting yourself to the French market is like looking at the catalog through a keyhole.

Germany, Italy, Belgium, or the Netherlands are full of examples often better maintained, better specified, sometimes cheaper. Complete histories, drier climates, serious mechanical culture: some cars that are searched for months in France can be found in fifteen days across the border.

The problem, historically, was everything else.

The language, payment to a stranger, transport, paperwork.

It's exactly this lock that Benzin has broken. : over 110,000 registered users, over 1,500 sales per year across Europe, verified ads, secure payment, and some of the lowest fees on the market. You bid from your couch on a car parked in Stuttgart, and the transaction is framed from start to finish.

And why auctions, exactly?

Because it's the only format where the price tells the truth. A classic ad displays the price hoped for by the seller. An auction shows what real buyers are willing to pay today, in front of everyone.

The rest follows naturally. Questions are asked publicly, defects are documented, seller responses are visible to all. The sale lasts a few days instead of dragging on for months. And from time to time, a rare configuration or a barn find slips under the radar. Those who follow our sales know what we're talking about.

A word from the team

The new thermal pleasure is dying fiscally, and the 2027 trajectory won't help. Meanwhile, European used cars have never been so accessible: zero penalty beyond 10 years even when imported, multiplied choices, prices set by the market and not by the seller's optimism. If you were still hesitating between a taxed new SUV and a youngtimer that appreciates, you have your answer.

Does the penalty apply to a used car purchased in France?

No.

A vehicle already registered in France does not generate a new penalty upon resale.

And for an imported used car from Europe?

A penalty applies to the first French registration, reduced by 10% for each year of age. Beyond 10 years, it is null.

Will the penalty become stricter again?

Yes. The CO₂ threshold will drop to 103 g/km in 2027.

Is buying at online auctions risky?

On a a specialized platform like Benzin, the ads are verified, payment is secure, and the question/answer exchanges are public. It's often more transparent than a transaction between individuals.