Ministers said the funding was no longer a major driver of new EV sales and would be better spent improving the public charging network.
Those who can afford the upfront cost of an EV stand to make major savings on fuel. The plug-in car grant was established by the Government in 2011 to help boost a then-nascent market for electric vehicles. There are currently 24 EV models on the UK market priced under £32,000. But dig a little deeper and those figures reveal that a large proportion are registered to business users benefiting from financial incentives including salary sacrifice schemes and low benefit-in-kind,” she said. Mike Hawes is the chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, the trade body for carmakers. The cost of buying a fully electric car has fallen significantly over the past decade, due to an 89 per cent drop in the cost of producing car batteries.
Transport minister Trudy Harrison said the Government has now successfully “kick-started” the electric vehicle market. “We now want to use plug-in grants to ...
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders reacted angrily to the grant being removed overnight, describing it as “sending the wrong message” to motorists. Transport minister Trudy Harrison said the Government has now successfully “kick-started” the electric vehicle market. The £1,500 grant for new electric cars has been dropped as Government moves focus to other areas
The Government has withdrawn the plug-in car grant (PiCG), which was worth up to £1500 off an electric vehicle (EV), with immediate effect.
The UK government is ending the last remaining subsidies for electric cars, arguing it will free up funds to expand the charging network and support other ...
This in turn would help to remove older and dirtier ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles in the same way that scrappage schemes have successfully done in the past.” If we are to have any chance of hitting targets, government must use these savings and compel massive investment in the charging network, at rapid pace and at a scale beyond anything so far announced.” Carmakers said the decision was not a surprise but “hugely disappointing”.
Experts warn that removing the £1500 incentive will mean families struggling with the cost of living crisis will not be able to switch.
“The timing could not be worse, with record fuel prices when we want to encourage people to change,” said Edmund King, the AA president. “People can’t afford petrol and diesel and now they can’t afford to make the switch.” Electric vehicles account for one in six of new cars on the road, with sales rising 70 per cent in the last year as petrol and diesel sales slumped.
The government is pulling grants for electric cars that offered discounts of up to £1500 and giving the cash to taxis and vans instead, in a move slammed by ...
Sales of new petrol and diesel cars and vans in the UK will be banned from 2030. "Having successfully kickstarted the electric car market, we now want to use Plug-in Grants to match that success across other vehicle types, from taxis to delivery vans and everything in between, to help make the switch to zero emission travel cheaper and easier." The DfT said the "success" of the Plug-in Car Grant means the Government will now "refocus" the funding. Existing applications for the grant "will continue to be honoured", the DfT stated. The Government now wants to encourage users of vehicles like taxis and vans to make the switch to electric. Grants for new electric cars worth up to £1,500 have been scrapped from today, the Department for Transport (DfT) has announced.
Shock and surprise in the automotive industry as the Department for Transport said all grants for new electric cars have been scrapped.
If costs remain too high, the ambition of getting most people into electric cars will be stifled.” Drivers, and indeed many fleets, planning to make the switch to EV, may now back out until they can find more cash.” The DfT argued the “success” of the Plug-in Car Grant means the Government will now “refocus” the funding to encourage users of other vehicles to make the switch to EVs. Existing applications for the grant “will continue to be honoured”, the DfT added. “Having successfully kickstarted the electric car market, we now want to use Plug-in Grants to match that success across other vehicle types, from taxis to delivery vans and everything in between, to help make the switch to zero emission travel cheaper and easier.” In a shocking blow the car industry, the Department for Transport (DfT) has revealed that £1,500 grants for purchases of new electric cars have been ditched, even though UK sales of petrol and diesel cars are set to be discontinued this decade.
Department for Transport annouces closure of electric car incentive scheme and plan to “refocus” on other EVs and charging infrastructure · Sign up to our ...
In the most recent changes, the grant was cut from £2,500 to £1,500 and the maximum price of eligible EVs cut from £35,000 to £32,000. If costs remain too high, the ambition of getting most people into electric cars will be stifled." However, successive changes have reduced the grant amount and tightened eligibility criteria. Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said the decision came at “the worst possible time”. He said: “The decision to scrap the Plug-in Car grant sends the wrong message to motorists and to an industry which remains committed to Government’s net zero ambition. The Government said the success of the scheme in encouraging drivers to switch to electric cars meant it could now “refocus” funding to improve EV adoption in other areas of transport. Announcing the closure of the scheme, the DfT emphasised that the incentive programme was always intended as a temporary measure and said that repeated reductions in the grant “have had little effect on rapidly accelerating sales, or on the continuously growing range of models being manufactured”.