Yahoo News What is the Plug-in Car Grant, how much is it – and what are the best cars that still qualify for a discount?
The Plug-in Car Grant (PiCG) is the government funded incentive that reduces the cost of new zero emissions vehicles. Only pure-electric cars (EVs) are eligible – no plug-in hybrids qualify for financial assistance.
On 15 December 2021, the Government reduced the grant for the second time this year. The subsidy amount dropped from £2,500 to £1,500, and the maximum on-the-road price for eligible cars was also dropped from £35,000 to £32,000. A previous grant cut happened at budget time in March, when the price cap fell from £50,000 to £35,000, and the savings that buyers could enjoy on a new electric car were slashed from £3,000 to £2,500.
Pure electric vans and commercial vehicles have also had the grant cut, and you can read all the details here, although wheelchair-accessible EVs have retained the £2,500 grant and £35,000 price cap.
The Government has always been open about the fact that the PiCG is a finite incentive, and with EV sales burgeoning (now accounting for around 10% of all car sales in the UK), there has always been a risk that the fund will run out.
This is undeniably disappointing given the need to further encourage EV take-up in a market where many buyers are understandably hesitant about the high purchase prices of EVs, and the uncertain reliability of the public charging infrastructure.
The good news, however, is that there are still a great selection of new electric cars available for below that £32,000 limit.
Here’s our top five EVs that you can buy today and still qualify for that government subsidy.
MG ZS EV
Price: £29,495 after PiCG
The ZS EV has just been updated with a bigger, 72.6kWh battery that gives it a WLTP range of 273 miles. It’s safe to assume that you’ll get around 180 to 250 miles per full charge in winter and summer real world use respectively. That’s the longest range you’ll find at this price, and it’s in a very smart, spacious, inoffensive family SUV.
The infotainment touchscreen has also been updated with a big, glossy affair that includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and the materials are actually not bad at all, so it really doesn’t feel the poverty-spec car that you might imagine.
Sure, you have to stick with the entry-level model to squeak in under the new £32,000 PiCG eligibility cap, but you still get the 10-inch touchscreen, digital driver’s display, houndstooth fabric upholstery, climate control and even adaptive cruise control.
The 50kW rapid charging isn’t as quick as some rivals, but you’ll still get a 100-mile top-up in around 30 to 40 minutes. If you don’t mind the amount of warning bongs that this thing fires off all the time, it’s one of the finest budget EVs you can get.
Nissan Leaf 40kWh N-Connecta
Price: £28,995 after PiCG
The Leaf remains one of the most popular family EVs, with more than a decade of mainstream EV leadership to its name. This version has the smaller of two batteries on offer, delivering a WLTP range of 168 miles, so you can assume that you’ll get rather less than 100 miles to a charge in wintery motorway miles, while summer conditions will see that creep back up to around 150 miles in between charges.
Rapid charging of 50kW is good enough, if nothing special, but equipment levels are very good. An 8-inch colour touchscreen brings Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and an around-view parking camera, and you even get climate control, adaptive cruise control, heated seats and auto lights and wipers.
As an aside, if you’re more worried about monthly finance deals than getting some money off with the PiCG, the Leaf is one of the cheapest EVs and is often available with interest-free offers.
Vauxhall Mokka-e SRi
Price: £30,435 after PiCG
The Vauxhall Mokka-e looks absolutely brilliant, is fun to drive and has a respectable official WLTP range of 209 miles from the 50kWh battery (as of a recent upgrade).
Our long-term experience with the car shows that cold weather and solid motorway miles (a worst case scenario for every EV’s range) will drop the real-world range to around 100 miles, but we’ve seen 180 miles in summer conditions.
Rapid charging of 100kW is also usefully quicker than most others in the price range, so a 100 mile top-up will take around 20 minutes from a 150kW rapid charger.
Even better, since Vauxhall has dropped the prices of the Mokka-e (and the smaller Corsa-e) following the government grant changes, you can get a mid-spec car complete with the big, 10-inch touchscreen, heated seats and keyless entry.
Peugeot e-208 Allure Premium
Price: £29,525 after PiCG
This has got to be one of the best-looking small cars of the moment; it’s also a very fine EV, with a classy interior, perky handling and loads of equipment.
The official range of up to 232 miles from a 56kWh battery is also very good, and expect around 130 to 200 miles in real-world use.
You can also get a well equipped, mid-spec Allure Premium and still benefit from the Government’s PiCG, so you even get swanky gloss black exterior highlights, part-leatherette upholstery, reversing camera, LED headlights and a 7-inch colour touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Renault Zoe S Edition
Price: £28,595 after PiCG
The Renault Zoe is well established as one of the best small EVs, not least thanks to its long range of up to 239 miles – assume a real-world range of more like 150 to 210 miles depending on the weather and driving conditions.
The 50kW rapid charging will do the trick for anyone who isn’t routinely doing a lot of motorway miles and on-the-go charging, too.
A high driving position and slightly humdrum handling make it feel noticeably more like a city car than the rather sportier-feeling Peugeot e-208, but the Renault’s light and airy interior, logical touchscreen system and efficient motor still make it a really appealing small EV.
Plus, prices are low enough that you can get one of the higher-spec trims that include reversing camera, front and rear parking sensors, 16-inch alloys, cruise control and more, while still qualifying for the grant.
There are other electric cars that fall below the current £32,000 PiCG price cap, including the Hyundai Kona Electric, MG5 and the supremely stylish, if short-range, Honda e and Mini Electric. All are well worth considering if you feel your lifestyle would suit them.
It goes to show that, despite the Government’s rather abrupt changes to the PiCG being seemingly counter-intuitive to this year’s Cop 26 agenda, there is still an appealing array of EVs available at increasingly affordable prices.
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