Plug-in grant scheme changes: what it means for you
From 1 March 2016, the UK’s plug-in grant has a new structure that will affect everyone buying a new hybrid or electric car...
The government has pledged to continue its plug-in grant scheme until at least March 2018, but it has been restructured as of today. Here’s everything you need to know.
What’s different?
Until now, anyone buying a new zero-emissions car was eligible for a government grant of £5000 off its list price. From today, plug-in cars have been split into two categories, each getting a different level of discount.
Category 1 cars emit less than 50g/km of CO2 and have a zero emission (pure electric) range of more than 70 miles. These cars qualify for a £4500 grant.
Category 2 cars emit less than 50g/km of CO2 and have an electric-only range of 10 to 69 miles. Buyers of Category 2 cars, which are mostly plug-in hybrids, will get £2500 off the list price.
Do the grants apply to all electric and hybrid cars?
No, Category 2 cars with a new list price of £60,000 or more are not eligible for any grant.
The government has also added a third category – Category 3 – to the revised plug-in scheme. It is for all cars that emit between 50g/km and 70g/km of CO2 and have a zero emission range of at least 20 miles. However, only the Mercedes-Benz S500 Hybrid and Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid fall into this category, and neither is eligible for the grant because their list price is more than £60,000.
Which cars fall into Category 1 and 2?
Category 1 cars are fully electric, so cars like the BMW i3, Nissan Leaf and Tesla Model S. They qualify for a £4500 discount.
Category 2 cars are typically hybrids, like the Toyota Prius and Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, both of which get a £2500 discount.
What about the home charging point grant?
The government has continued its pledge to support these by offering £500 to help with the cost of installing a charging socket at home, which equates to around half the usual bill.
