New Croatian Subsidy Program for Zero-Emission Vehicles

Program overview

On 8 August 2025, the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund (FZOEU) published the Conditions and Criteria for the national program supporting the purchase of new alternative-fuel vehicles (EnU-4/25). The scheme, backed by the EU’s NextGenerationEU instrument under Croatia’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NPOO), aims to accelerate zero-emission mobility uptake among Croatian legal entities and registered sole traders.

Budget and scope

• Total budget: €21,205,640
• Maximum grant per application: €90,000
• Funding cap per vehicle: varies by category (see below)
• Eligible vehicle types:
  • L-category (L1–L7): electric
  • M1, M2, M3: electric or hydrogen
  • N1, N2, N3: electric or hydrogen
• Electric bicycles are excluded from the program.

Eligible applicants

• Fizicke osobe – obrtnici (sole traders)
• Pravne osobe (legal entities in public or private ownership), except associationsApplicants must have a registered seat in Croatia, no outstanding tax liabilities, no blocked accounts, no unsettled obligations to the Fund, and meet all program requirements. Certain sectors (e.g., taxi services, road freight transport, short-term vehicle leasing) are ineligible.

Funding limits per vehicle (Table 1)

Cost eligibility and timing

• Purchase or financial leasing of new vehicles, first registered in Croatia.
• Costs eligible if incurred:
  • Advance payments: from 1 January 2025
  • Full purchase/lease costs: from 8 August 2025
• Projects must be completed by 31 May 2026, with the same deadline for cost eligibility.
• VAT is not an eligible cost.
• Operational leasing is excluded.
• For financial leasing, beneficiary’s own contribution must be ≥ grant amount, and vehicle ownership must transfer to the beneficiary within 3 years of grant payment.

Application process

• Each applicant may submit one application covering one or multiple vehicles.
• Applications will be submitted electronically via the eFZOEU system, using Croatia’s NIAS secure login.
• Required documents include registration certificates, tax clearance certificates, technical vehicle offers, and statutory declarations. Foreign-language documents require a certified Croatian translation.

Strategic relevance

This program reflects Croatia’s commitment to decarbonising transport and aligns with AFIR deployment targets. By targeting both electric and hydrogen vehicles across passenger and freight categories, the scheme addresses diverse fleet needs while leveraging EU recovery funding to stimulate sustainable mobility investment.