Update 5pm
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat is to auction off his Alfa Romeo 159 car, with "at least part" of the proceeds from the sale going to charity.
The newly re-elected Prime Minister will instead switch to using a state-owned vehicle, he told TVM's Reno Bugeja in an interview due to be aired tomorrow on Dissett.
Dr Muscat has used his black Alfa Romeo since his time on the Opposition benches, having stuck with the Italian ride when he first entered Castille in 2013.
Instead of using a state-bought BMW as his official vehicle, Dr Muscat opted to keep the Alfa and pocket a €7,000 yearly tax-free allowance instead, with the decision garnering him significant flak.
According to information provided by the Office of the Speaker last legislature, Dr Muscat first started receiving the allowance - which excludes insurance and road licence costs - in October 2008.
In the eight and a half years since then, the allowance loophole means Dr Muscat has received almost €60,000 by opting to keep using his own personal car.
Despite the eye-catching figure, taxpayers may have nevertheless saved money from the unorthodox arrangement.
The BMW used by Dr Muscat's predecessor Lawrence Gonzi cost taxpayers more than €120,000 between 2003 and 2012 - an average of more than €13,000 a year - with costs for repairs and replacement vehicle doubling the initial €62,000 outlay needed to purchase the vehicle.
Dr Muscat's Alfa Romeo also proved to be more fuel efficient than the petrol-guzzling BMW, with fuel costs averaging €70 a week compared to the BMW's €96.
Under the hammer
But with the 2008 car now almost a decade old, it seems the Prime Minister has now decided it's time for a new set of wheels.
Dr Muscat told Mr Bugeja he would be donating the car to the Labour Party for it to be auctioned off and that he would henceforth make use of an official state vehicle.
A PL spokesman told the Times of Malta that details about the auction still had to be ironed out, but that "either a part and perhaps all" of the proceeds would go to a charity the party had yet to pick.
Second-hand Alfa Romeo 159 models similar to that owned by Dr Muscat are advertised at anything between €7,500 and €12,000 on local online marketplace Maltapark.