Electric vehicles, such as e-scooters and e-cars, are eligible for funding across the country. Depending on the federal state, different incentives are available to make the purchase of an e-scooter more appealing to businesses (you can find an overview of the support measures here). In addition to the premium incentives, there are some tax benefits to switching to electric company vehicles. However, it is important to distinguish whether electric scooters can be used privately or only as company vehicles.

Electric vehicles, including electric scooters that are first registered by December 31, 2025, are tax-free for up to ten years. Converting to an electric fleet results in a significant financial advantage. Companies needing to be mobile in their daily operations (delivery services, field staff, etc.) may find purchasing unu e-scooters as company vehicles are tax-deductible.

Company cars are taxed monthly at 1% of the list price under the 1% rule, and an electric scooter that can travel up to 45 km/h is also considered a motor vehicle under traffic and tax law. Since 2020, significant tax breaks for electric vehicles have been in effect. As a result, unu promotes e-scooters in the same way that it promotes electric cars: the employee only has to pay 0.25% tax on the benefit in kind instead of 1% (+0.03% for every kilometer between the place of work and the place of residence).

But how much money can you save if you use unu e-scooters for business and lease them to your employees? The actual cost savings versus purchasing an e-scooter can be calculated fairly easily and individually. Consider the unu Scooter Pro with a 36-month subscription for business customers:

Employees with a gross salary of €3000 in tax class I can save more than €1500 when compared to purchasing an e-bike or e-scooter.

This is due to the salary conversion that can be applied to the leasing contract for an unu Scooter (in this example, an unu Scooter Pro). The monthly value of the unu Scooter is counted as salary conversion and thus reduces the employees' original salary ([missing entry link]).

Your employees only pay a small monthly fee of €85, and the e-scooter can be completely transferred to the employees after the leasing contract expires.

This saves both employees (on the private purchase costs of an unu scooter that would otherwise arise) and you as an employer (on non-wage labor costs) - a win-win situation.

Lease a Bike, and Business Bike have already recognized these benefits for businesses and developed a business model to capitalize on them. You can lease e-scooters for your employees here; the entire process is handled through the platforms. Companies like Movelo even rent out e-scooters to their customers, helping to reduce pollution in urban traffic. Hotels and universities are eager to take advantage of this offer and incorporate leasing into their daily operations.

However, not only should the tax and other monetary benefits be mentioned. The transition to green energies and the reduction of traffic emissions and CO2 emissions can also be significant inducements to switch to electromobility. Furthermore, your employees are much more mobile and can easily find a parking space even in congested areas. No noise pollution, very low costs per battery charge, and always being digitally up-to-date as a company are all compelling reasons to switch to e-mobility. A company that provides its employees with an e-scooter is a cool thing to do - and having a good employer image doesn't hurt anyone, does it?

Personio is a startup that assists other businesses with personnel administration; since 2018, all employees at Personio have had their own unu e-scooter. You can best explain why this investment is worthwhile for the company: "The idea of offering the unu to our employees was well worth it - it increases motivation to work for Personio while also improving the company's external perception." In the highly competitive tech recruitment market, positive external perception and job advertisements that mention your own e-scooter instead of a ball pool and table football are important factors. We are delighted when businesses use our e-scooters and thus contribute to the transformation of the urban landscape.