Although the total cost of owning an electric car is likely to be lower (thanks to reduced running and maintenance costs), new electric car prices may seem higher than those of equivalent petrol or diesel-driven models.
To mitigate these higher upfront costs, the Government’s plug-in grant provides up to £1,500 towards the price of a new electric car, but is only applicable if the car costs less than £32,000. You don’t have to apply for the grant either - your supplying dealer applies on your behalf and automatically deducts its value from the price of your electric car.
The Government’s Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) also provides a grant under the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS). This gives new and existing electric car owners 75% off the purchase and installation costs of a home charge point (up to a maximum of £500). You can find out more about your eligibility for an EVHS grant and how to apply, by reading the government’s EVHS Guidance document here.
We’ve tried to answer some of the more common questions about electric car grants below.
