There is a notable disparity between the number of electric and hybrid cars per inhabitant in Brasília and in the Goiás cities located in the Federal District's surrounding area. While Brasília shows the highest national rate, neighboring cities in the surrounding area demonstrate a very low registration of these vehicles.
This statistical difference prompted suspicion that is currently being investigated by the Goiás Tax Authority: there are indications that vehicles circulating in the surrounding area are registered in Brasília, taking advantage of the IPVA exemption offered in the federal capital.
A survey conducted by AutoPapo compared ABVE registration data, covering the period from January 2022 to September 2026, with population estimates provided by IBGE. The eight main Goiás cities in the surrounding area, including Águas Lindas de Goiás and Formosa, have a total population of 1.2 million inhabitants but registered only 57 electrified cars (fully electric and hybrid), representing less than 5 vehicles per 100 thousand residents.
In contrast, the Federal District registers a rate of 2,539 per 100 thousand inhabitants, a value more than 500 times higher. In Santo Antônio do Descoberto, with 76 thousand residents, no vehicles were registered, while Cidade Ocidental, with 104 thousand, registered one.
Although lower income in the surrounding area contributes to this difference, other factors were analyzed, using Greater Goiânia as an experimental control group. Cities such as Aparecida de Goiânia, Senador Canedo, and Trindade, which share the same state and IPVA rules but do not border the DF, show significantly higher rates: Aparecida with 291 per 100 thousand, Senador Canedo with 344, and Trindade with 250.
By summing up the Goiás municipalities with over 50 thousand inhabitants outside the surrounding area (excluding Goiânia), the rate reaches 425 per 100 thousand, almost one hundred times higher than that of municipalities near Brasília. Such low numbers in Brazilian cities with over 100 thousand inhabitants are rare, comparable only to remote areas in the Amazon, such as Parintins (AM).
The main incentive for citizens of Goiás to register their cars in Brasília, possibly irregularly, lies in the 2019 legislation of the Federal District, which fully exempts IPVA for electric and hybrid cars until the end of 2027. This is the only federation unit that offers such an exemption without income restriction, unlike Goiás.
Due to this situation, the Goiás Secretariat of Economy and the Civil Police initiated Operation Chiron in August 2024. The operation aims to combat owners residing in Goiás who register their vehicles outside the state, using false, relatives', or incorrect addresses.
In its first phase, the police identified about 500 owners, with 99% of the cases related to the DF. In April 2025, the state had already recovered over R$ 3 million, and in September, the number of notified owners rose to about 700, with an estimated loss of R$ 10 million.
A new phase of the investigation, announced in October 2025, focused on 172 vehicles acquired outside Goiás, mostly in the DF. In addition to collecting IPVA, offenders may be fined 100% of the amount due, pay the ICMS difference, and face charges for tax order crimes, punishable by up to two years of detention.
Authorities have not disclosed the residence cities of the investigated individuals. Meanwhile, the exemption in the DF remains valid, and there is a bill under consideration in the Legislative Chamber seeking to extend this benefit until 2030.