The upfront price of new electric vehicles can be higher than a comparable petrol or diesel car. To help overcome this, the government introduced a plug-in grant to help buyers offset some of the cost of a new EVs.
This grant is available on a range of eligible EVs including cars, vans, motorcycles, mopeds, taxis, and even large trucks. To qualify for the plug-in car grant the EV you buy must; cost less than £35,000, have emissions of less than 50g/km, and a zero-emissions range of at least 70 miles.
For Vans there is no upper price limit and the vehicle must have emissions of less than 75g/km and a zero-emissions range of at least 10 miles.
The maximum grant available for new electric cars is £2,500 while the maximum grant for a new electric van is £3,500 for a small van (less than 2.5 tonnes) and up to £6,000 for large vans (2.5-3.5 tonnes). Taxis can get up to £7,500 and motorbikes up to £1,500.
With these generous grants, and given the low running costs of EVs, the total cost of ownership of a new EV can fall broadly in-line with an equivalent petrol or diesel model. Even better, you don’t need to do a thing to qualify for the grant. The dealer who you buy the vehicle from will include the value of the grant in the vehicle’s price at point of purchase. If you lease your vehicles the leasing company will reflect the value of the grant in the rental figure.
You can read more about the OZEV plug in vehicle grants, including full details of every EV which qualifies for the grant, on their website.