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What is the Plug-In Car Grant?

You can receive a grant towards the cost of buying a new plug-in car that meets certain conditions. The term 'plug-in' applies to any car which can be charged by electricity.

The level of the grant is 25 per cent of the cost of the car, up to a maximum of £5,000. The government has made provision to support the Plug-in Car Grant through to 2015.

How to apply for the grant

There are no application forms to fill in. The dealership or vendor selling you your plug-in car will complete all the paperwork for you. The amount of your grant will automatically be deducted from the price of your car at the point of purchase.

Cars covered by the grant

The grant covers any car that meets the criteria. At the moment, this is likely to be certain types of cars:

• electric vehicles (EVs) – these run completely on batteries and are plugged into the mains to be recharged
  
• plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) – these use a petrol or diesel engine combined with a battery that plugs into the mains
  
• hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and other technologies

The first cars eligible for the grant are:

• Chevrolet Volt
• Citroen CZero
• Mia Electric Mia
• Mitsubishi iMiEV
• Nissan Leaf
• Peugeot iON
• Renault Fluence
• smart fortwo electric drive
• Toyota Prius Plug-in
• Vauxhall Ampera

Only cars that meet the criteria set out below will be eligible for the grant.

For more detailed information about cars fuelled with electricity, hydrogen fuel cells and other greener fuels, see ‘Greener fuels for cars’.

• Greener fuels for cars

The criteria cars must meet

In order to be eligible for the grant, cars must meet certain standards of safety and performance.

Vehicle type

Only new cars are eligible for the Plug-in Car Grant (vehicle category ‘M1’). This includes pre-registration conversions (normal, internal combustion engine cars that were converted to battery or hybrid versions by specialist convertors before the car’s first registration). A Plug-In Van Grant has also been launched to support the purchase of eligible low emission vans. Motorbikes and quadricycles are not covered in either scheme.

Carbon dioxide exhaust emissions

Vehicles must give off less than 75 grams of carbon dioxide (CO2) per kilometre driven.

Range

Electric vehicles (EVs) must be able to travel a minimum of 70 miles between charges. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) must have a minimum electric range of 10 miles.

Minimum top speed

Vehicles must be able to reach a speed of 60 miles per hour or more.

Warranty

Vehicles must have:

• a 3-year or 60,000-miles vehicle warranty (guarantee)
  
• a 3-year battery and electric drive train warranty, with the option of extending the battery warranty for an extra 2 years

‘Drive train’ means the parts that send power from the engine to the wheels. These include the clutch, transmission (gear box), drive shafts, U-joints and differential.

Battery performance

Vehicles must have:

• either a minimum 5-year warranty on the battery and electric drive train as standard
  
• or extra evidence of battery performance to show reasonable performance after 3 years of use

Electrical safety

Vehicles must comply with certain regulations (UN-ECE Reg 100.00) that show that they are electrically safe.

Crash safety

To make sure cars will be safe in a crash, they must either have:

• EC whole vehicle type approval (EC WVTA, not small series)
  
• or evidence that the car has appropriate levels of safety as judged by international standards
  

What about vans?

A Plug-In Van Grant is also available to support the purchase of eligible new ultra-low emission vans. Van buyers are able to receive 20 per cent - up to £8,000 - off the cost of a plug-in van. To be eligible for the scheme, vans will have to meet performance criteria to ensure safety, range and ultra-low tailpipe emissions.

Consumers, both business and private, will receive the discount at the point of purchase. For more information on the support available for low emission vans, use the 'Plug-in Van Grant' link.

• Plug-in Van Grant

Why are the grant is being offered

At the moment, the up-front cost of a plug-in vehicle is higher than that of a petrol or diesel equivalent. This is because they are being made in small volumes and the batteries are currently expensive. The Plug-In Car and Van Grant will help to make buying a plug-in vehicle more affordable. For many drivers, the running costs of a plug-in vehicle will be lower than for conventional vehicles.

The environmental benefits of electric vehicles

Plug-in vehicles produce less carbon dioxide and air pollutants when driven than conventional cars and vans. Electric vehicles produce no tailpipe (exhaust) emissions when they’re driven. This means they don’t add to the problem of poor air quality in cities and towns.

For more information about electric vehicles, see ‘Greener fuels for cars’.

• Greener fuels for cars

Where can I plug in my vehicle?

Most people will be able to plug in their vehicles in at home and recharge overnight to make use of cheaper electricity tariffs.

It is possible to recharge an electric vehicle using a standard 3-pin plug, subject to the adequacy of the wiring. Increasingly, however, manufacturers are recommending dedicated home chargers that will allow faster charging times.

If you need to recharge your vehicle while out and about there are a number of areas already installing public infrastructure. The government is funding the following areas to do so through the Plugged-In Scheme:

• East of England
• Greater Manchester
• London
• Midlands
• Milton Keynes
• North East
• Northern Ireland
• Scotland

Charging points are also being installed by councils across the UK and by private sector providers.