First four car models that will qualify for £1,500 | Tech News

Motorists seeking to go inexperienced are being provided a £1,500 enhance beneath a authorities scheme to slash the price of electric automobiles.

The first four electric automobiles accredited for the low cost beneath a new taxpayer-funded drive to speed up the swap to EVs are all from French carmaker Citroën.

The models – the e-C3, e–C4, e-C5 Aircross and the e-Berlingo – will be bought with the grant robotically utilized from this week, which means no paperwork is needed by clients to say the saving.

The £650million Electric Car Grant (ECG) is a component of a wider £4.5billion authorities strategy to cut emissions, scale back motoring prices and enhance UK industry. It can also be designed to help carmakers offset world financial pressures by pushing gross sales of electric automobiles.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander mentioned: “With the first four models approved today and more to come over the next few weeks, this summer we’re making owning an electric car cheaper, easier and a reality for thousands more people across the UK.

“Once again we’re delivering our Plan for Change by standing firmly on the facet of motorists and producers, driving down prices for customers, supporting jobs and placing money back in people’s pockets.”

The move comes as ministers attempt to revive interest in battery-powered vehicles following a recent slowdown in demand, largely blamed on high upfront costs and patchy charging infrastructure.

Under the scheme, EVs priced under £37,500 that use Chinese-made batteries will qualify for a £1,500 grant, while models without Chinese batteries will be eligible for a larger £3,750 discount. Additional qualifying vehicles are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

Citroën UK managing director Greg Taylor welcomed the move, saying: “We are delighted to be the primary to have our electric vary… accredited and eligible.

“At Citroën we want everyone to have the opportunity to make the switch to an electric car and this support will help make our cars more accessible for our customers.”

The RAC additionally backed the coverage, saying it could ease the price barrier for drivers seeking to go electric.

Simon Williams, RAC head of coverage, mentioned: “It’s great to see the first qualifying models announced for the government’s new Electric Car Grant.

“Not solely does this imply more drivers will benefit from the decrease price of working an electric vehicle, but it surely’s hopefully the signal of more to return from different producers within the weeks forward.”

Figures suggest the savings could go far beyond the showroom price. Drivers who switch from petrol or diesel to electric can save up to £1,500 a year in fuel and running costs.

To support the rollout, more than 17,300 new public chargepoints have been added since last summer – a 27% increase – taking the UK total to more than 82,000. The government claims a new charger is being installed every half an hour.

A separate £63million programme has also been launched to help people charge electric cars at home, even without a driveway, enabling EVs to run at as little as 2p a mile – the equivalent of driving from London to Birmingham for just £2.50.

The Electric Car Grant follows a string of motoring pledges aimed at easing the cost of driving, including £1.6billion to fix potholes and a continued freeze on fuel duty until spring 2026 – a move said to save drivers an average of £59 a year.

The ECG forms part of a wider push to ensure Britain leads the electric revolution. The UK was the largest EV market in Europe in 2024, with sales up 20 per cent on the previous year.

The support is also tied to the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate, which requires manufacturers to steadily increase their EV sales. Ministers say recent updates to the rules will give industry “the knowledge, stability and help they’ve been asking for”.

The grants will run till 2028-29, with additional models set to qualify within the coming days as producers submit their automobiles for approval.