The government has recently announced the addition of 13 new electric car models to its Electric Car Grant (ECG) program. This includes EVs from well-known manufacturers such as Renault, Nissan, and Vauxhall. Earlier this week, six electric Citroën models were also confirmed to be eligible for the grant.
The ECG offers discounts of either £1500 or £3750 on certain electric cars priced at £37,000 or under, depending on the emissions output of the countries where they are built. The first batch of confirmed cars have received the lower discount, but some of them are already among the most affordable EVs on the market, making the £1500 discount quite significant.
Here is a list of the first 19 ECG-eligible cars and their current prices:
– Alpine A290: £32,000
– Citroën e-Berlingo: £29,740
– Citroën e-C3: £20,595
– Citroën e-C3 Aircross: £21,595
– Citroën e-C4: £26,150
– Renault Mégane: £30,995
– Renault 4: £25,495
– Renault 5: £21,495
– Renault Scenic: £35,495
– Nissan Micra: £21,495
– Nissan Ariya: TBC
– Vauxhall Corsa Electric: £25,280
– Vauxhall Combo Life Electric: £29,865
– Vauxhall Astra Electric: £24,895
– Vauxhall Mokka Electric: £30,180
– Vauxhall Frontera Electric: £23,995
– Vauxhall Grandland Electric: £34,555
The Nissan Ariya, priced from £39,645, will need a price cut to meet the £37k threshold. Nissan is set to announce pricing changes soon, potentially introducing a more affordable trim level. Nissan GB managing director James Taylor praised the ECG for promoting the adoption of electric vehicles in the UK and providing affordable options for consumers.
The Citroën e-Berlingo and Vauxhall Combo Life Electric, both UK-built models, have received the lower discount likely due to their imported batteries. On the other hand, the Nissan Leaf, which will have batteries supplied locally, is in a good position to benefit from the maximum £3750 grant.
While the government has not specified when the next batch of ECG-eligible EVs will be announced, many sub-£37k EVs from Asian manufacturers may not qualify based on their manufacturing and export CO2 footprints. Nevertheless, several manufacturers have already discounted their electric vehicles to make them more accessible to consumers.
