Car makers from Hyundai to Volvo are offering up to £3750 off new electric cars as they wait for the arrival of the UK government’s new Electric Car Grant (ECG).
Announced earlier this month, the ECG has been introduced as a way of stimulating EV sales in the UK, following a period of stagnation since the previous government’s Plug-in Car Grant (PiCG) was pulled in 2022.
The new ECG, backed by £650 million of government funding, will yield a discount for qualifying cars of either £1500 or £3750, depending on their environmental impact.
To qualify, car manufacturers themselves must meet science-backed emissions targets, while the individual model lines must start at below £37,000 in entry-level trim.
Which discount a model receives is determined by how much CO2 is emitted in an EV’s production, assessing the energy used in vehicle assembly as well as battery manufacturing. Threshold levels have yet to be made public.
While any manufacturer can apply for their car to be included in the scheme, it’s thought that, due to this criteria, cars produced in Asian countries, such as China, South Korea and Japan, will not be eligible for the ECG.
This would include cars from Hyundai, MG and GMW – all three of which have already launched their own equivalent discounts, likely pre-empting that their cars will be denied access to the ECG.
Below are the discounts already being offered by car makers as they await the results of the ECG applications.
Alfa Romeo
The Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica – the Italian marque’s first EV – can now be had with £1500 off its list price. This leaves the Polish-made compact crossover retailing for £32,405.
GWM
Chinese firm Great Wall Motor has launched a £3750 grant for the Ora 03 hatchback. The MG 4 EV rival, which was previously named the Funky Cat, now costs just £21,245.
Hyundai
Hyundai is matching the government’s incoming ECG by offering a discount of £3750 on its new Inster hatchback, bringing it down in price to £19,755. The prices of all its other EVs – such as the Ioniq 5, Ioniq 6 and Kona Electric – have been slashed by £1500.
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