Extra information on rebates
Waka Kotahi has updated its factsheets about interim rebates available to consumers buying electric vehicles (EVs).
The discounts are available until the end of the year, and apply to new and used battery EVs (BEVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) when registered for the first time.
From January, the full clean-car discount programme will start, which is also known as a feebate scheme.
The transport agency has now provided extra guidance on how the rebates will work. Click here for the car dealer’s guide.
Claiming after registration
Providing the vehicle has not been delivered or the registered person has taken possession of it, an MR2D – an application to reverse registration – can be submitted to enable that person to claim a rebate. The rules are:
• The dealer completing the MR2D must be the trader who registered the vehicle.
• The form must be submitted by a registered dealer.
• The vehicle must not have been driven since being registered.
• The MR2D, licence plates, rego label and supporting documents must be received by Waka Kotahi’s office in Palmerston North within 28 days of the MR2A being processed.
The following documentation needs to accompany the MR2D application:
• A written request on letterhead from the dealer who registered the vehicle explaining why the customer did not take possession.
• A signed disclaimer from the registered person stating why they didn’t take possession.
• Licence plates, unless they are personalised plates.
• The original rego label.
A refund will be paid to the dealer once the application has been accepted.
A handling fee of $57.50 plus GST and an admin fee from the licence portion of the original transaction of $6.26 plus GST will be deducted from the refund.
Because the plates and label are not reusable, fees for those will also deducted. Waka Kotahi says it will endeavour to deal with requests as soon as possible. Click here for MR2D processing times.
When dealers qualify
Registered motor-vehicle traders who want to purchase a vehicle for a legitimate business use, such as a demo vehicle or courtesy vehicle, are eligible for a rebate if the car is registered after July 1.
A declaration is required stating that the vehicle is not for on-selling to show it is for legitimate business purposes or individual use, as reported by Autofile Online on June 30.
This is to be included in the uploaded scanned file of the sale agreement or internal equivalent, which must include the vehicle identification number.
Dealer registrations for any other purpose will invalidate the rebate claim for the trader and any subsequent purchaser of the vehicle.
General guidance
Waka Kotahi’s advice to car dealers states: “Buyers may need help to apply online for their rebate and you may want to assist them.
“The vehicle must be registered before a rebate application is submitted because the plate number is needed on the application. The signed sales agreement document is also required.
“Rebates can only be paid into the bank account of the registered person and bank account details must be submitted in pdf, png and jpeg form [not more than 5Mb].”
Applications for rebates will be accepted until February 28, 2022, for vehicles registered between July 1 and December 31.
To qualify for a rebate, a vehicle must cost less than $80,000, including GST and on-road charges, and have a safety rating of three stars or more as listed by www.rightcar.co.nz.
Click here for a general clean-car discount factsheet. Visit www.nzta.govt.nz/cleancar for more information about the government’s clean-car programme.
Legislation has yet to be passed by parliament to empower the transport agency to take fees on high-emitting vehicles from January 1 as part of the full clean-car discount programme.
