Four more EVs have become eligible for the government’s £3750 Electric Car Grant (ECG), doubling the number of models in the top band.
Those newly included are the Renault 4, Alpine A290, Mini Countryman and 52kWh variant of the Renault 5.
Including the grant, the Renault 4 now costs from £23,455, the Renault 5 £23,945, the Countryman £25,350 and the A290 £30,245.
The four models join the Nissan Leaf, Ford Puma Gen-E, Ford E-Tourneo Courier and Citroën ë-C5 Aircross in the ECG’s Band One.
The other 35 cars eligible for the ECG have been awarded the lower £1500 discount. These include the entry-level Renault 5, as its smaller 40kWh battery does not meet the top grant’s strict emissions-based eligibility criteria.
The news follows the announcement in last week’s budget that the government will be pumping an extra £1.5 billion into the scheme, and extending the cut-off from 2028 to 2030. The government will also begin taxing EVs via the new pay-per-mile levy that is due to come into force in 2028.
Transport secretary Heidi Alexander said: “Our Electric Car Grant has already supported over 40,000 drivers to choose electric, and this latest expansion doubles the number of models available for the top discount.
“We’re doubling down on our drive to help people buy EVs, extending the grant to push down costs and boosting charging access with a further £200 million to expand the charging network across the UK.”
Renault Group UK managing director Adam Wood said: “The awarding of the top-tier £3750 Electric Car Grant is great news for customers who are thinking about switching to electric.
“We are pleased to see that our focus on environmental accountability and investment in made-in-Europe battery manufacturing has been recognised by the awarding of the top-tier Electric Car Grant. Since the grant was introduced we have seen momentum build in the market, and this decision will boost the UK’s rising EV sales even further.”
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It'll be a tough ask to sell Renault 5 40kwh version when a 50kwh gets £2,250 of extra grant, in pounds and pence terms the difference must be tiny.
Just noticed they've changed their lineup accordingly and dropped a version or two.
Actually that makes sense now. I guess the smaller battery model will continue to be an imported battery which presumably isn't enough even now they have an approved SBT to get the full grant (even though it is a hell of lot greener than the Puma's supply chain yet that gets the full grant simply because the powertrain is assembled here).
That would explain why they've taken away the standard roof colour options on the comfort range and force you to have the more expensive black roof. Keeps a bit of a pricing gap.
How stupid is the Uk gov when the (french) Renault 5 gets a grant of £3750, but British built Nissan micra only gets £1500, when they are practiclly the same car!!!
Think you'll find the Nissan Micra isn't British built. Leaf is and gets the £3,750 grant