Source: New Zealand Ministry of Transport
Social Leasing aims to provide low- or zero-emission vehicles to people and whānau on low incomes at a set weekly price. It is part of the Government’s commitment to ensuring an equitable transition to a low-emissions economy.
The Trial
We are running a trial to see whether a targeted social leasing scheme is generally an effective way to support households on low incomes to shift to cleaner transport. Social Leasing has limited examples to draw upon, so we will test it before potentially rolling out to a national level scheme.
Eligibility
Social Leasing is a targeted scheme aimed at helping people and whānau on low-incomes access low- and zero-emissions vehicles. It is likely that there will be an income threshold to participate.
Targeting of the trial
Over the next decade, low emissions vehicles, such as EVs, will become cheaper to run and high emissions vehicles will become more expensive to run. Social Leasing aims to make sure the long-term savings people can make by using low emissions vehicles accessed by those who need it most.
Low-income households are already spending on average 28 percent of their income on transport. This compares to 8 percent for high income households.
By targeting those with the least ability to adopt low-emissions vehicles, this scheme can speed up emissions reduction and increase vehicle safety.
