France to relaunch fuel aid scheme and expand it to 5.5 million drivers

France’s €100 fuel aid scheme will be expanded to cover 5.5 million drivers across the country, and will be renewed to run until the end of the year.

This is the main proposal announced by the government yesterday to help ease the burden of record fuel prices affecting drivers in France amid a slew of sector-specific support.

The ‘aide aux grands roleurs’ scheme will be distinct from the ongoing programme, set to be maintained until September 30, meaning drivers can apply for both payments of €100 and thus see up to €200 in total paid out.

“The situation is very difficult for our fellow citizens,” said Finance Minister Roland Lescure yesterday when announcing the scheme. 

“This is a situation we did not choose; it has been forced upon us.” 

The minister added that, despite 11% of fuel stations reporting shortages today, “there are no supply issues for any type of fuel in France.” 

This number is down from yesterday, when 14% of stations were reporting a shortage. 

By looking ahead and announcing expansions to schemes until the end of the year, the government seems to be signalling a belief that the fuel crisis is unlikely to be resolved any time soon. 

The government did not announce any cuts to fuel taxes or a price cap at the pumps.

Earlier this week it laid out intentions to introduce a measure in the 2027 budget that would siphon off any excess income in fuel taxes to a separate fund to help drivers and companies tackle higher costs.

Fuel aid will be relaunched

The main aid for drivers is the renewal and expansion of the €100 fuel aid scheme.

While the cap on aid will not increase and remain fixed at a maximum of €100, eligibility criteria and subsidies per litre have been expanded, to cover more drivers.

Originally launched in May 2026, it has been extended in its original format several times, and is now to end on September 30.
It will now be renewed, with new criteria for the months of October - December. 

The subsidy will cover an average of €0.40 per litre of fuel (up from the previous €0.20 per litre) across the three months. 

While drivers will still only be eligible if they use their vehicle for work or commuting (at least 15km per journey commuting between home and work or 8,000km driven across the year), household income thresholds to benefit have been raised.

From October, individuals with a household income €2,035 net per month will be eligible, with limits increasing based on household size and income. 

A couple with one child will see this increase to €4,070 net, and if they have two children will be eligible if monthly household net income is €6,100 or below. 

Financial criteria will remain fixed to 2024 income levels, as marked on the 2025 tax notice, and not current income.

This will see roughly two and a half million additional drivers eligible for the relaunched scheme, up from three million to five and a half million.

Note that the scheme applies per vehicle, so if a household falls within the income thresholds and has two vehicles, both used for work, both can be used to apply for the €100 aid. 

Households to benefit from both schemes, automatic payments

This expanded version of the scheme comes into force from October 1, while as mentioned the original scheme from May will continue to run until the end of September. 

This will allow eligible drivers to apply for both schemes, if they fall into the original criteria (available to view in our article here). 

Government officials have said only around half of the three million drivers eligible for the original scheme have so far applied, and are urging everybody to do so if possible so they can benefit twice from the aid.

Those who apply for the original scheme before September 30 – or have already done so – will see payments for the renewed aid paid to their account automatically. 

As income thresholds are being increased, not lowered, they will be automatically eligible for the next round of aid.

For those only applying for the October - December scheme, they will need to use the online application portal (it will be updated for the new scheme but currently is still in use for the original programme running until September). 

Alongside information from your tax notice, you will need your French tax number (numéro fiscal) and password for the French tax website as well as vehicle information including number plate and vehicle registration number from the certificat d’immatriculation.

What other help was announced? 

While this is the main aid offered to households, the government also announced that energy vouchers (chèques énergie) would be sent from January 2027, as opposed to the usual April timeline, subject to approval of the 2027 budget. 

While the voucher cannot be used for vehicle fuel purchases, it can be put towards household bills including for gas, contracts for which have increased dramatically alongside fuel costs due to the crisis. 

Private practice nurses will benefit from an additional €80 fuel bonus, and at-home helpers (aides à domicile) who meet the travel requirements for the fuel aid scheme and work at least 50% of a full work-week doing at-home work will also receive the aid.

Companies using the prime carburant bonus will see this expanded from €600 to €1,000. 

The bonus is a tax-free benefit employers can pay out to staff to cover fuel expenses for commuting or work.

Aid for the fishing, construction, and agriculture sectors has also been expanded or maintained. You can see full information in the graphic below.