Croatia is about to pay people to buy electric cars again, and where its price lines fall decides what a Tesla buyer gets. The Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund (FZOEU) announced on 5 October 2026 that a new public call for private buyers is due to be published during October, with €20 million behind it — enough, by the Fund's estimate, for about 3,000 vehicles.
Two tiers and a ceiling
The grant depends on the car's price including VAT, and in every case it is capped at 40% of that price.
| Price incl. VAT | Maximum grant |
|---|---|
| Up to €35,000 | €9,000 |
| €35,000 to €62,500 | €7,000 |
| Above €62,500 | Not eligible |
| Electric L1–L7 vehicles up to €35,000 | €2,500 |
Because of the 40% cap, a car has to cost at least €22,500 to collect the full €9,000.
Where Tesla lands
Nothing Tesla sells in Croatia reaches the top tier. The cheapest car in its line-up, the Model 3 Standard, is listed at €36,990, the price it launched at in December 2025 — €1,990 above the €35,000 line. The Model Y starts at €40,990 after a €1,000 increase in April.
Both fall into the €7,000 tier, which would take the entry Model 3 to an effective €29,990 and the entry Model Y to €33,990.
The ceiling matters at the other end. The Model Y Performance was listed at €62,990 when tportal reported Tesla's April price change, €490 above the €62,500 limit. That would make it the one Model Y version with no grant at all. Every application must include the seller's quote with the price on it, so the figure on that quote is the one the Fund sees.
How applications work
Buyers apply directly to the Fund through its online system, signing in with NIAS, Croatia's national electronic identity service. Each application needs an informative offer from the seller stating the price, make, model, fuel type and vehicle category, a certificate of residence no older than 30 days, and a signed declaration.
Only private individuals can apply, for one vehicle each. Outright purchases and finance leases qualify; operating leases do not.
What it means for a buyer
Timing is the trap. A car paid in full before the call is published is not eligible, although a deposit paid since 1 January 2026 is accepted. A buyer holding a Tesla order with only the deposit paid should not settle the balance before the call appears.
Applications will be handled in the order they arrive, and the Fund itself notes that interest in these programmes is always high. At €7,000 a car, €20 million would fund at most 2,857 Model 3s or Model Ys even if nobody else applied. The Fund says the full conditions will be set out in the call itself.
Croatia is moving the opposite way from its neighbour: Slovenia stopped funding EV purchases in September. It is also the second Croatian decision in a fortnight that bears on Tesla, after the country recognised the Dutch approval for FSD (Supervised) on 28 September.