Zero car tax.
Legally.
Monaco plates · 0% eco tax · €1 buyback
The eco-tax problem
Walk into a French dealership and configure a high-output petrol car. The sticker price is only the beginning. France applies a malus écologique — an ecological penalty tax — calculated on CO2 emissions and, separately, on vehicle weight. On a modern sports car, the CO2 malus alone reaches the legal ceiling: tens of thousands of euros, due at registration, before you have driven a single kilometre.
Tens of thousands in France. €0 under the Luxembourg structure.
That is not a discount. It is not an exemption you apply for. It is simply what happens when the car is owned and registered where the tax does not exist.
In France: CO2 malus up to the statutory maximum on high-emission petrol cars, plus a weight malus on heavier vehicles, plus annual company-car levies where applicable.
Under the Rentolux structure: none of the above applies, because the vehicle is not French-owned and not French-registered. The owning entity is in Luxembourg. The plate is from Monaco.
Why Luxembourg levies no green tax on petrol sports cars
Luxembourg takes a different view of car taxation than its neighbours. There is no purchase-time eco penalty on petrol cars — no malus, no CO2 surcharge at registration, no weight tax. What Luxembourg does charge is modest and predictable: a small annual road tax and a one-time registration formality. In our contracts, that translates into a vehicle registration tax of €36.29 per month — a figure we print in the offer, not bury in it.
This is why Luxembourg is the holding jurisdiction of choice for aircraft, yachts, art funds and vehicle fleets across Europe. Sophisticated owners have routed high-value assets through Luxembourg entities for decades. Rentolux Leasing applies the same logic to one car: yours.
Electric cars: tax-free across Europe
If your taste runs electric, the arithmetic is even cleaner. EVs held in the Luxembourg structure attract no ownership taxes across Europe — no registration levies, no emissions-based charges, no annual eco surcharges. A Taycan, a Model S Plaid or an RS e-tron GT leased through Rentolux carries essentially zero car tax for the life of the lease. The only recurring figures on your statement are the ones we quote up front: the lease payment, 17% Luxembourg VAT, insurance, and the €36.29 monthly registration tax.
How the structure stays fully compliant
Zero car tax isn’t a loophole. It’s a structure.
Here is exactly how it works, because for our clientele, precision is the selling point:
A Luxembourg SPV owns the car. SPV stands for special purpose vehicle — a single-asset company whose only job is to hold your car. It is incorporated, administered and tax-resident in Luxembourg, and it pays every tax Luxembourg actually levies.
The car is registered in Monaco. Registration follows the structure, not you personally — which is precisely why the plate is otherwise out of reach for private individuals.
You hold an operational lease with a purchase option. A standard, recognised contract form. You are the lessee; your rights — including the €1 buyout at any moment — are written into it.
Nothing is hidden from any tax authority.The entity exists on the Luxembourg register. VAT is charged at 17% and remitted. The structure works because the taxes genuinely do not apply — not because anyone is pretending they don’t.
The result: France taxes ownership, and you don’t own the car — your future Luxembourg company does. When the lease is fully paid, that company transfers to you, tax position included.
Rentolux Leasing structures vehicle ownership and leasing; we do not provide personal tax advice. Figures reflect current Luxembourg and French rules and our standard contract terms. For your individual position, consult your tax adviser — we are happy to brief them directly.
France vs Luxembourg: the same car, two tax realities
One petrol sports car. Two jurisdictions. Read the right-hand column twice.
Figures reflect standard French registration taxes for high-emission petrol vehicles and Rentolux Leasing's standard Luxembourg contract terms. Every Rentolux figure above appears, identically, in your offer.
See how the plate works
| Buying in France | Rentolux Leasing | |
|---|---|---|
| Eco tax / malus at registration | Tens of thousands of euros | €0 |
| Weight malus | Applies | €0 |
| Annual eco / company-car levies | Apply | €0 |
| EV taxation | Varies by country | €0 |
| Registration cost | Taxes + malus, upfront | €36.29/month |
| VAT | 20% (French) | 17% (Luxembourg) |
| What you deal with | Prefecture + paperwork | One contract |
What you actually pay — every euro named up front
The worked example below is a real contract structure: an Audi RS3, 24-month operational lease with purchase option. We publish it because transparency is the product.
Included: 20,000 km/year (€0.20/km beyond). Registration & transport: €18.75. Late payment admin fee: €50. Rentolux is obliged to buy or swap the vehicle at any time.
Run your own numbers
€1,444.83/month, all-in
Car lease €858.33 + Luxembourg VAT (17%) €433.50 + insurance (3%) €153. No fuel-type surcharge. No eco levy. Ever.
€36.29/month
Vehicle registration tax — the entire recurring tax burden on the car, stated to the cent.
€20,000 initial · €18,500 balloon
25% in, 25% at the end. Model cost €68,000, 10% factory discount → €61,200 purchase price.
€71,731.17 total
The complete 24-month cost — after which the Luxembourg company that owns the car transfers to you for €1.
One structure, four moving parts
This is how sophisticated ownership is actually done — drawn in four boxes.
Luxembourg SPV owns the car
A single-asset Luxembourg company holds title. It pays Luxembourg’s taxes — which, for your car, round to essentially zero.
Monaco registration on the plate
The SPV registers the vehicle in Monaco. The most recognized plate in Europe, on your car from day one.
You hold the lease
A compliant operational lease with purchase option. Fixed monthly, fixed term, fixed exit — nothing at the lessor’s discretion.
At €1 buyout, the SPV becomes yours
Pay €1 plus the remaining balance at any moment, or complete the term — and receive the company itself: car, plates and tax position included. Then a preferential discount on your next car from the catalog.
The smartest address for your car is Luxembourg
The tax structure is one of five reasons
Zero car tax is the rational case. Here is the rest of it.
The plate money can't buy
A lease with an exit priced at €1
Tax-free electric
A car that pays you back
Tax questions, answered plainly
Is it legal to avoid the French malus this way?
Will I owe car tax in my home country?
Can my business recover the VAT?
What happens tax-wise after the company transfers to me?
What taxes DO I pay, exactly?
Is this different for electric cars?
Get your all-in figure — taxes included, because there barely are any
Tell us the car. Within 24 hours you’ll have a personal offer with every euro itemized: lease, 17% VAT, insurance, and the €36.29 registration tax. Nothing appears later that isn’t in it.
No obligation. No credit check at this stage. Crypto accepted.
Prefer to talk?
WhatsApp usGuarantee, quoted verbatim from the contract: “Rentolux is obliged to buy or swap the vehicle at any time.”
