Which cars qualify for the UK’s Electric Car Grant?

• Following the UK’s discontinuation of the Plug-in Car Grant back in 2022, the government this week introduced the Electric Car Grant (ECG), offering up to £3,750 off the price of a new electric car.
• However, unlike the previous Plug-in Car Grant, the criteria for cars to qualify is more stringent.
• We’ve compiled a list of the most important technical and environmental criteria manufacturers need to meet for their cars to qualify for the ECG, whilst keeping track of manufacturers who have confirmed which of their cars qualify for the grant.

What needs to be met to qualify for the new Electric Car Grant?

Skip to eligible cars here

One of the key criterion is that the vehicle in question must be 100% zero-emission at the tailpipe, with the grant primarily targeting fully-electric cars. Plug-in hybrids and mild hybrids are not part of the new grant scheme. There are many more aspects that need to be met to qualify the ECG, which also determine whether the EV will meet the first discount band of £1,500, or the higher second discount band of £3,750. There are also no discounts in place for electric cars sold on the used market.

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Price

In an effort to focus on making the most affordable electric cars even more accessible, rather than handing out discounts to expensive luxury EVs, cars will need to have a recommended retail price at or below £37,000 to qualify for the ECG. This means the UK’s best-selling EV, the Tesla Model Y, won’t be eligible for the discount – though many other popular electric cars are available under this price point.

An important point is that this £37,000 maximum will only take into account options on the specification list affecting battery capacity, drivetrain configuration, and maximum net power. Other unrelated optional extras, which take the initial price above £37,000, will still allow the car to qualify – provided the total retail price does not exceed £42,000.

As a hypothetical example, an electric car model could have an entry level specification that includes a 50kWh battery, with a base price of £37,000. The next specification up could include a 60kWh battery, with a more powerful electric motor, starting at £38,000 – the latter would not qualify. However, if the 50kWh model (with its £37,000 starting price) was configured with other non-standard extras which don’t directly affect car performance, such as a sunroof, heated seats, and an upgraded sound system, and this took its sale price above £37,000, it would still be able to qualify for the ECG. If the same model was specified with additional equipment that took its sale price above £42,000 however, it would not qualify.

Vehicle type

Another aspect is the type of vehicle in question, which must be part of the M1 passenger vehicle category, meeting specific European safety and construction standards. Commercial vehicles, or EVs classified as a quadricycle like the Citroen Ami, will not qualify.

With that in mind, electric cars will also need to meet a minimum top speed of 60mph, and a minimum WLTP-rated range of 100 miles, to qualify.

Warranties and long-term reliability

Eligible cars will also need to meet minimum new warranty periods, both for its general warranty and its battery and drivetrain warranty.

The general warranty, excluding battery and drivetrain, must be a minimum period of 3 years or 60,000 miles – whichever comes sooner. When it comes to the battery and drivetrain warranty, manufacturers must cover these components for a minimum of 8 years or 100,000 miles – again, whichever comes first.

In addition, longer-term battery degradation must be kept to a minimum. Specifically, the EV battery must retain at least 80% of its initial capacity during the first 3 years of ownership, dropping to a minimum of 70% after 8 years/100,000 miles of driving. Considering the long-term performance we recently saw on a Volkswagen ID.3, it looks like most manufacturers should meet this specific target with ease.

Sustainable criteria

Another defining part of the new ECG is that the vehicle manufacturer of the model must hold a Science Based Target that has been verified by the Science Based Target Initiative, a group that assesses corporate sustainability plans. In order for a car model to qualify, this target must be near either the near-term status, net-zero status, or both.

The environmental score, which defines whether the car qualifies and whether it receives the £1,500 or £3,750 discount, also takes into account the place of manufacturer both for the vehicle and the battery. Vehicle assembly emissions will account for 30% of this environmental score, whilst battery production emissions will account for the remaining 70%. Vehicles manufactured in the UK, with more localised supply chains, are generally expected to perform better in this regard.

This article covers a brief overview of the most important aspects to qualify, but there are other aspects to consider, such as crash and electrical safety. The full, in-depth criteria can be viewed on the government’s website here.

Which cars have been confirmed to qualify for the grant?

Since the Electric Car Grant was revealed in the summer of 2025, the list of vehicles eligible for the ECG is continuing to grow. Below is a full list of the vehicles that qualify so far, and we expect to see even more cars join the list in the coming weeks and months.

More models continue to qualify for the scheme, and we’ve seen an increasing amount of models join the higher tier £3,750 discount. Most recently, the Alpine A290, Renault 4 E-Tech, and MINI Countryman Electric all received eligibility for the £3,750 discount. This higher reduction has also been extended to the Renault 5, but only for models specified with the 52kWh battery pack – other Renault 5 models still only receive the £1,500 discount.

We’ve highlighted the models with the more significant £3,750 discount in bold.