The government has confirmed 13 more models to be eligible for its new Electric Car Grant (ECG), including EVs from Renault, Nissan and Vauxhall – having announced that six electric Citroëns were eligible earlier this week.
The ECG is applicable to certain electric cars priced at £37,000 or under, depending on the emissions output of the countries where they are built, and awards discounts of either £1500 or £3750. This first batch of confirmed cars have received the lower amount, but some are among the cheapest EVs on sale already, making a £1500 discount all the more significant.
First 19 ECG cars: what they cost now
Alpine A290: £32,000Citroën e-Berlingo: £29,740Citroën e-C3: £20,595Citroën e-C3 Aircross:£21,595Citroën e-C4: £26,150Citroën e-C4 X: £27,215Citroën e-C5 Aircross: £32,565Renault Mégane: £30,995Renault 4: £25,495Renault 5: £21,495Renault Scenic: £35,495Nissan Micra: £21,495Nissan Ariya: TBCVauxhall Corsa Electric: £25,280Vauxhall Combo Life Electric: £29,865Vauxhall Astra Electric: £24,895Vauxhall Mokka Electric: £30,180Vauxhall Frontera Electric: £23,995Vauxhall Grandland Electric: £34,555
The Nissan Ariya is currently priced from £39,645 in entry-level Evolve trim, and so it will need a price cut to come in under the £37k threshold. Nissan says it will reveal pricing changes on Wednesday 13 August but it is not clear whether the SUV will receive a cheaper new trim level to take it below that point or simply have its on-paper price reduced.
Nissan GB managing director James Taylor hailed the ECG as “a clear signal to both customers and manufacturers that they are prioritising the uptake of electric vehicles in the UK, and on providing affordable options to consumers”.
He also noted that the Japanese firm has three new EVs on the way, referring to the Sunderland-built electric Juke, Qashqai and Leaf – the last of which is due imminently and is in a “very strong position” to benefit from the maximum £3750 grant.
Meanwhile, the UK-built Citroën e-Berlingo and Vauxhall Combo Life Electric have been awarded the lower discount. This is likely to be because their batteries come from abroad, while the Nissan Leaf’s battery will be supplied by the AESC factory next to Nissan’s Sunderland plant.
The government has not given any indication of when to expect the next batch of ECG-eligible EVs, but many sub-£37k EVs – including many from Asia that are unlikely to be deemed eligible on the basis of their manufacturing and export CO2 footprints – have already been discounted by their makers.