Owners of cars older than ten years, which are still functional, can take them to scrap centers and receive vouchers worth 3,800 lei (EUR868). These vouchers can be used to buy a new vehicle, or sold to other people. Tuesday, April 3, the street price for the vouchers was RON1,500-2,100, according to online ads.
The program’s budget this year is 114 million lei (EUR26 million), enough to scrap 30,000 vehicles older than ten years in exchange for a voucher worth RON3,800. Up to three vouchers may be used to purchase a new car.
In 2010 and 2011, some 305,964 used cars were scrapped through this program and 101,766 new cars were bought using its vouchers, including 40,269 produced in Romania, according to the Environment Ministry’s data. (EUR1=RON4.378)