Government pushes EV sales with £3,750 grants

Transport secretary Heidi Alexander has announced a new £650m Electric Car Grant (ECG) to help reduce the cost of EVs, with up to £3,750 available on some cars under £37,000.

- STEVE FOWLER ELECTRIC VEHICLES EDITOR

The new grant comes into effect tomorrow, with the government promising a fuss-free scheme for buyers with car makers and their dealers made to do the paperwork. However, with just 24 hours before the scheme goes live, details on which cars get what discounts are yet to be announced.

The grant amounts are based on sustainability criteria with car makers having to commit to a Science-Based Target (SBT) on emissions. An SBT is a company's specific goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions in line with the aim to limit global warming to 1.5C or below 2C, as outlined in the Paris Agreement on climate change.

The grant amounts will depend on each vehicle manufacturer’s sustainability criteria. Cars from manufacturers in band one will receive up to £3,750 and band two vehicles will receive up to £1,500. Despite the grant coming into effect tomorrow, car makers still don’t know which bands their cars sit in and what grants will be offered on them.

Volkswagen group - the UK’s biggest seller of new cars across its Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda, Seat and Cupra brands - confirmed that it is signed up to Science-Based Targets, but could not confirm which of the electric vehicles it sells would be eligible for which grants.

Similarly, Renault Group - covering Renault, Dacia and Alpine - is also signed up to SBTs but could not confirm which EVs it sells were eligible for which grants. Ford has also said that it has an SBT and that it meets all the requirements stated so far. However, like everyone else, it was waiting on confirmation that its Puma Gen-E - an electric version of the UK’s bestselling car - is eligible for the ECG.

So far, the government has told us that the following rules will apply:

• Manufacturers will need to demonstrate a vehicle meets minimum technical requirements and offers a suitable warranty to give drivers confidence.