In relation to Europe and the rest of the world, the market presence of hybrid and electric cars in Serbia is still modest. While the number of registered hybrid cars stands at only a few hundred, when it comes to the number of electric cars, we are still talking about only dozens.
Increasing supply
However, judging by the trend in the number of ads for the sale of these two types of cars on the site polovniautomobili.com, we can notice that hybrid and electric cars are slowly but surely breaking into the Serbian market.
At the beginning of 2019, the site advertised the sale of only fifty used and several new hybrid cars and only one new electric car, in May 2020, that number was many times higher both in new and used cars category.
Thus, in May, polovniautomobili.rs ran sales ads for 190 used and 15 new hybrids and 30 used and one new electric car.
What about the price range?
Whether you want to buy an electric or a hybrid car, be prepared to set aside a larger amount of money than usual. In terms of electric cars, mostly BMW i3 (i-three), which price ranges from 20,000 to 46,000 euro, dominate the offer and these cars have proven to be quite good.
If you are a fan of Golf and electric propulsion, you will find something in the ads that suits your preference. Also, there is the legendary Fiat 500 in the electric variant.
On the other hand, the offer of hybrid cars is somewhat better and the choice is greater. While the prices of the new ones range from 17,000 euro and up, used hybrid cars of the older generation can be bought for as little as 8,000 euro.
What awaits us?
The question remains whether the trend of growing popularity and sales of vehicles that use alternative and ecological fuels will spill over to Serbia.
As of January 1 this year, the owners of hybrid and electric cars (but also all types of vehicles powered by this type of fuel, such as motorcycles, tricycles and the like), are exempt from paying tax (on registration).
In mid-March, the Government of Serbia adopted the Decree on the conditions and manner of conducting subsidized purchase of new vehicles with electric or combined (hybrid) drive. For solely electric cars, the subsidy is 5,000 euro, for hybrid 2,500 euro, and plug-in hybrids 3,500 euro. This measure only applies to new, not used cars.
In the last few these days, the first contracts were signed. According to the media, a total of 45 requests for subsidies were submitted, of which 10 were approved because the documentation was complete.
Also, since the beginning of the year, the site polovniautomobili.com has been recording a constant growth in the number of car ads from these two categories.
All this indicates that there is no reason not to believe that Serbia will join global trends when it comes to hybrid and electric cars.
Limited availability
How fast is that going to happen will also depend on how much the state encourages this process as well as stimulates and enables as many drivers as possible to turn to hybrid and electric cars. The first steps are encouraging. The first results, as we have seen, show that there is a strong interest among drivers.
However, both hybrid and electric cars, even with subsidies, are accessible to a very small number of citizens, primarily those with a “fatter wallet”.
If a solution were found so it made such cars more accessible to a larger number of drivers, the growth of their popularity in Serbia could relatively fast reach the European and global level.
Do you want a used Tesla?
While only a year ago, it was almost unthinkable to find a certain brand of electrical car in the ads, today quite a few ads are advertising the sale of a car which has piqued the media’s interest – Tesla. Admittedly, we are talking about used Teslas. Depending on the model, generation and year of production, the price of Tesla in our market ranges from 45,000 euro to more than 100,000 euro. You still can’t buy a new Tesla in Serbia, but we believe that the day when that will be possible is not that far away.
Registration
When it comes to electric cars, first and foremost, there are doubts about whether and how they can be registered, as well as about the price of registration. The situation is quite clear. Electric, as well as hybrid cars, can be registered, and the procedure is the same as for the usual cars. Registration is not possible only if your car’s classic engine has been modified to run on electricity.