The Moves III Plan for subsidies to purchase electric and plug-in hybrid cars is now history: just recently and after a long delay it has been replaced by Plan Auto+, which offers subsidies of up to 4,500 euros. But just as there are serious doubts about how long the funds for this new plan will last, the Moves Plan has encountered many problems.
From extreme delays in receiving the subsidy to budget exhaustion, passing through regulatory blockages and a legal vacuum that has left nearly 3,000 applicants without the aid.
Almost 3,000 people, in a legal limbo
The Government has tried to ensure that the new Auto+ Plan, from which funds are still available (note that this time they are centralized and not allocated to each Community), does not fall into the same errors as Moves III. And one of the gravest setbacks affected applications made during the overlap of extensions and administrative resolutions, especially during the transition from late 2024 to 2025.
An adjustment in regulatory deadlines left over 2,700 buyers who purchased their vehicle in that period out of effective legal coverage; in other words, they bought the vehicle and the subsidy never arrived.
The legal mess. It was in January 2025 when Parliament did not validate the Royal Decree-Law that expanded the aid program, which created the regulatory vacuum affecting applications from January 1 to January 22. In April 2025, Royal Decree-Law 3/2025 was approved, but it only covers actions from January 1, 2025, excluding December purchases with January processing.
The problem has become so entrenched that citizen platforms have formed, such as Afectados Moves III.
The solution?: that communities contribute their own funds. Although the Auto+ Plan has retroactive effect (from January 1, 2026) it does not offer any solution for those affected by the Moves legal vacuum. Since the association of affected parties has activated administrative, legal, and media channels to solve a problem that some administrations have tackled on their own initiative, such as the Balearic Islands, which have allocated their own funds.
In this case, the only way to claim is through law firms or by joining platforms that apply pressure.
Find your ideal electric car
If you have considered buying an electric car, this will interest you. We have created the personalized Electric Car Recommender, where in addition to seeing the models that fit your needs you will also get answers to the questions that are most likely to worry you, such as price, range, or nearby charging points.
Images | Moncloa, Pexels, Peugeot
Are you looking for your next electric car and overwhelmed by so many options? It’s normal.
More than 45,000 readers have already tried it. And you?
Advice offered by the brand
