Electric cars eligible for £3,750 discount announced

The primary electrical automobiles (EV) eligible for the £3,750 low cost beneath the federal government’s grant scheme have been introduced.

The Division for Transport confirmed Ford’s Puma Gen-E or e-Tourneo Courier could be discounted as a part of plans to encourage drivers to maneuver away from petrol and diesel automobiles.

Underneath the grant scheme, the low cost applies to new eligible automotive fashions costing as much as £37,000, with probably the most environmentally pleasant ones seeing the most important reductions. One other 26 fashions have been cleared for reductions of £1,500.

Carmakers can apply for fashions to be eligible for grants, that are then robotically utilized on the level of sale.

Extra automobiles are anticipated to be authorised within the coming weeks and the DfT mentioned the coverage would deliver down costs to “intently match their petrol and diesel counterparts”.

The federal government has pledged to ban the sale of latest totally petrol or diesel vehicles from 2030.

However many drivers cite upfront prices as a key barrier to purchasing an EV and a few have advised the BBC that the UK wants extra charging factors. Because of this EVs “do not reduce the mustard”, mentioned Hugh Bladon, founding member of the Alliance of British Drivers.

He mentioned hybrid vehicles had been “the best way ahead” as they had been more cost effective than EVs and known as for comparable incentives for such automobiles.

In response to Ford, the retail value for a brand new Puma Gen-E prices £26,245, whereas a petroleum model is £26,580.

The grants to decrease the price of EVs can be funded by means of the £650m scheme, and can be out there for 3 years.

There are round 1.3 million electrical vehicles on Britain’s roads however presently solely round 82,000 public charging factors.

In addition to how environmentally pleasant the vehicles carry out, producers adopting probably the most sustainable and “greenest” strategies through the manufacturing course of, resembling utilizing 100% renewable electrical energy, stand a greater probability of attaining eligibility for the utmost low cost, the federal government mentioned.

• Citroën ë-C3 and Citroën ë-C3 Aircross
• Citroën ë-C4 and Citroën ë-C4 X
• Citroën ë-C5 Aircross
• Citroën ë-Berlingo
• Cupra Born
• DS DS3
• DS N°4
• Nissan Ariya
• Nissan Micra
• Peugeot E-208
• Peugeot E-2008
• Peugeot E-308
• Peugeot E-408
• Peugeot E-Rifter
• Renault 4
• Renault 5
• Renault Alpine A290
• Renault Megane
• Renault Scenic
• Vauxhall Astra Electrical
• Vauxhall Combo Life Electrical
• Vauxhall Corsa Electrical
• Vauxhall Frontera Electrical
• Vauxhall Grandland Electrical
• Vauxhall Mokka Electrical
• Volkswagen ID.3

The up-front price of EVs is larger on common than for petrol vehicles.

In response to Autotrader, the typical value of a brand new battery electrical automotive was £49,790 in June 2025, based mostly on producers’ beneficial costs for 148 fashions.

The equal for a petroleum automotive was £34,225, however the common covers a broad vary of costs.

Throughout all sorts of engines, gross sales of used vehicles outweigh these of brand name new automobiles.

Figures from the Society of Motor Producers and Merchants present as much as 7.6 million second-hand vehicles had been bought final yr, in comparison with practically two million model new automobiles throughout all gas sorts.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander mentioned the grant scheme was making it “simpler and cheaper for households to make the change to electrical”.

Edmund King, president of the AA, mentioned drivers “steadily inform us that the upfront prices of latest EVs are a stumbling block to creating the change to electrical”.

“It’s nice to see a few of these extra substantial £3,750 reductions coming on-line as a result of for some drivers this may simply bridge the monetary hole to make these vehicles reasonably priced.”

Mike Hawes, chief govt of the Society of Motor Producers and Merchants (SMMT), welcomed the grant, and mentioned it “comes on high of the substantive subsidies already supplied by producers”.

He known as on the federal government to course of purposes rapidly as automotive gross sales choose up in September attributable to number-plates altering.