BYD's 2026 Bonus: Up to €11,600 Off, Worth It?

BYD invents its own incentive

From September 1 to 30, 2026, BYD is running a promotion in Italy that dealers have nicknamed the Decreto BYD, or BYD Decree: up to 11,600 euros in bonuses for anyone trading in an old car. The name deliberately echoes a government measure, but it isn't one. It's a commercial campaign from the Chinese carmaker, timed for a moment when public purchase incentives have run dry. For anyone deciding whether to trade in a used car at a dealership or sell it privately, understanding how this bonus actually works can be worth thousands of euros either way.

Why now

The PNRR-funded state bonus, worth up to 11,000 euros for buyers with household income (ISEE) under 30,000 euros who scrapped a car up to Euro 2 standard, closed on June 30, 2026. Separate MIMIT Ecobonus funds for electric cars had already run out in autumn 2025. Since July 2026, buyers of an electric or plug-in hybrid car in Italy have had no direct state support at all. BYD stepped into that gap with its own campaign, limited to its DM-i Super Hybrid plug-in range, which happens to be exactly where the brand is growing fastest.

How it actually works

The headline 11,600-euro bonus isn't the same for everyone. According to the terms published by dealers, the full amount only applies when trading in a vehicle with at least 150,000 certified kilometers on the clock. With lower mileage, or a model outside the DM-i range, the discount drops significantly, and in some cases the promotion stacks with other dealer terms to reach roughly 15,000 euros in the best combination. In other words, the number in the window is a ceiling, not a guarantee. Before signing anything, it's worth asking the dealer to break out, in writing, the discount on the new car separately from the real value assigned to your old one.

Why BYD can afford it

The push has a simple explanation: the Chinese brand is on a tear in Italy. In the first seven months of 2026 it registered nearly 34,000 cars, with its market share climbing to 3.6 percent in July alone. August registrations jumped 194.9 percent year on year, a leap few other brands can match in an otherwise sluggish Italian market. The dealer network now counts 101 points of sale run by 30 dealer groups, evidence the expansion isn't just advertising. Against that backdrop, an in-house bonus costs BYD far less than it earns back in volume and market share.

What BYD models actually cost

Stripped of the promotion, BYD's September 2026 Italian price list starts with the Dolphin Surf city car at around 19,000 euros. Next up is the Atto 2, available as a pure electric from roughly 25,500 euros or as a DM-i plug-in hybrid from about 27,600 euros. The Atto 3 SUV, in its new EVO trim, starts at 43,800 euros, the Seal saloon from 40,550 euros, and the Seal U SUV sits around 43,000 euros. These are list prices before any local discounting; real dealer negotiations, sharpened by competition among the network's 30 dealer groups, often land below these figures even without the September campaign.

The trade-in trap

This is where the story matters even to people who have no interest in buying a BYD. Scrappage-linked bonus schemes are built to maximize the perceived discount on the new car, not the price paid for the old one: the dealer has every reason to undervalue the trade-in, because the real margin sits in the new-car sale. Anyone with a car still in decent shape, under 150,000 kilometers or a model in demand on the used market, will almost always get more by selling it privately to a direct buyer than by handing it over in a trade-in built around a bonus meant for end-of-life vehicles.

What it means for used buyers

There's a flip side for anyone shopping the used Chinese EV and plug-in hybrid market. When a brand aggressively cuts new-car prices, as BYD has done repeatedly through 2026, the value of used units already on the road tends to slide in step, because a discounted new car sitting right next to it makes the used one look overpriced by comparison. That's good news if you're buying: a one- or two-year-old BYD negotiates with noticeably more room today than it did a year ago, precisely because the new-car reference price keeps moving down.

The practical takeaway

Before accepting a trade-in tied to the Decreto BYD, get your current car valued as if a private buyer were buying it, not as a scrap-value trade-in: the gap can be worth more than the bonus itself. And if you're eyeing a used BYD, keep an eye on new-car list prices, because every price cut ripples through to used valuations across Italy within weeks.

Sources

The sources cited throughout, including ANSA, NewsAuto, QuiFinanza, Fleet Magazine and Motorbox, cover the campaign's terms, BYD's 2026 Italian registration figures and the official September 2026 price lists.