- The first eligible models for the UK’s recently announced Electric Car Grant have been revealed today, with a group of four fully-electric Citroen models set to benefit from the lower-band £1,500 discount.
- The Citroen e-C3, e-C4, e-C5, and e-Berlingo will all be eligible for a £1,500 discount.
- The grant brings the price of the e-C3 down to £20,595, helping to further cement its position as one of the cheapest electric cars on the market.
Eligibility for the Electric Car Grant starts to be confirmed
Following the announcement of an all-new Electric Car Grant last month, in which the government is offering up to £3,750 off the price of a new and eligible electric passenger car, the first cars to be confirmed as eligible for the scheme have been revealed, consisting of four EVs from Citroen’s lineup.
Owing to the number of technical and environmental criteria that need to be met to qualify, this achievement by Citroen suggests that we should see similar ECG discounts apply to other EVs within the Stellantis conglomerate. Fiat’s Grande Panda and the Vauxhall Frontera Electric, for example, are based on the same platform, which could allow these cars to qualify in the future too.
Following this initial announcement from Citroen, we’re likely to see an increasingly large list of EVs that qualify (and those that don’t). We’re yet to see an EV that qualifies for the higher band grant of £3,750.
Whilst waiting for confirmation on eligibility, other manufacturers have already launched their own discount schemes in lieu of the official ECG, in an effort to minimise customer cancellations and hold-offs. This includes a number of Chinese manufacturers including MG, Leapmotor, and GWM, and also manufacturers such as Hyundai, Volvo, CUPRA, Skoda, and Volkswagen.
Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, commented:
“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 side of motorists and manufacturers, driving down costs for consumers, supporting jobs and putting money back in people’s pockets.”
Greg Taylor, Managing Director of Citroen UK, added:
“We welcome the support of the Electric Car Grant and are delighted to be the first to have our electric range, including the New ë-C3, New ë-C4, New ë -C5 Aircross and ë-Berlingo, approved 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.”
