The best electric cars eligible for the £3,750 grant
The £650 million scheme has its limitations, however. It applies only to new cars with a list price of less than £37,000. This means that it does not cover all manufacturers: BMW, Mercedes, Jaguar, Audi, Polestar and Tesla do not sell vehicles below £37,000.
Registration for the scheme opened last Wednesday. So far, the grant has brought 'chaos and confusion' as car dealers said they had been left fielding calls from potential buyers but had no information.
• Read more expert reviews, news and insights on cars and motoring
Qualifying vehicles fall into two bands based on the manufacturer's sustainability efforts and production emissions. Greener band 1 vehicles qualify for the full £3,750 discount and buyers of band 2 vehicles get up to £1,500 off. Manufacturers must apply for their vehicles to be part of the grant scheme, then they will find out which band their cars fall into.
Sustainability stipulations and warranty conditions rule out Chinese-assembled vehicles, although the Chinese companies MG, GWM UK and Leapmotor have announced their own discounts in line with the electric car grant bands.Drivers should be mindful about upgrading to the next trim level or adding other options because the increase in price could tip could tip them over £37,000.With improvements in battery longevity and heavy depreciation, second-hand electric cars are increasingly popular and may still prove more cost-effective than a new car with a grant. But if you're keen to take advantage of the scheme, here are five of the best qualifying vehicles.
With one of the best range-to-cost ratios, the Renault Scenic E-Tech is designed to make long journeys easier. In the real world 381 miles might be ambitious but owners should expect more than 300 miles per charge and compatible rapid chargers can take the Scenic's battery from 15 per cent to 80 per cent in 37 minutes.
Driving range is preserved by an efficient heat pump that controls cabin temperature, and the Renault app helps drivers to check range and plan charges en route. It has extensive safety features and driver aids, and the 12-inch Google-based touchscreen has apps such as Waze and Amazon Music built in.Pros Goes far for the moneyCons Could be more fun to drive
The Vauxhall Grandland Electric offers excellent battery range and space for the money, easily accommodating bulky baby car seats, gigantic teenagers and associated kit.
It's a decent-looking large family SUV that comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, lane keep assist, traffic sign recognition and adaptive cruise control. While it may not be the nippiest or most exciting car on the road, the interior is comfortable and there's 550 litres of space in the boot.Pros Spacious insideCons Feels underpowered
The Citroen E-C3 is a characterful little city car that can handle the occasional longer jaunt with an advertised range of 199 miles. Its front seats and steering wheel can be heated, and you get all the required safety features such as active lane departure warning. The 44kWh battery charges from 20 per cent to 80 per cent in 26 minutes at a fast public charger.
The infotainment system is accessed via the 10.25-inch touchscreen display, compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It has a playfully chunky design and a higher driving position, and the compact interior is clean and stylish.Pros AffordabilityCons Some cheap materials inside
Any sceptics who complain that electric cars take the fun out of driving should climb behind the wheel of an Alpine A290. Based on the Renault 5, with more performance and sportier handling, it's a proper little electric hot hatch, zipping from 0-62mph in 6.4 seconds.
The 220hp maximum power, 300 NM maximum torque and overtake button are complemented by muscular lines, rally-style lighting and a Formula 1-inspired steering wheel.
With a range of up to 226 miles, five doors, five seats and 326 litres of boot space, it can handle errands as well as bringing the fun.Pros Engaging handlingCons The Renault 5 is a lot cheaper and almost as fun
For an electric car that turns heads at a decent price, the Mini Cooper SE is hard to beat. It has a sleek, minimalist exterior, 16 to 18-inch alloys, panoramic sunroof, and stylish interior. The distinctive circular interactive display comes with a cutesy digital companion, while the upholstery is leather-free and recycled.
Billed as bringing a 'go-kart feeling', the Mini Cooper SE's low centre of gravity makes it enjoyable to sling around corners, taking on city driving and longer trips with comprehensive safety and driver assist features. It can charge from 10 per cent to 80 per cent in about 30 minutes.Pros Desirable stylingCons Not the best value
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
20 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
ALEX BRUMMER: Bank fears Farage turmoil in No 10
As a public figure, the governor of the Bank of England Andrew Bailey receives most attention from consumers and businesses alike for his role in setting interest rates. Critical as that is to national wellbeing, it has long been my belief that Bailey is more comfortable with the Bank's other, less discussed role of maintaining financial stability. Bailey was first to the battlements in his early days in office in March 2020 as the pandemic shut down Britain and much of the world. Bond markets in New York were in panic, and the Bank, led first by Mark Carney and then Bailey, moved to calm events. A currency swap deal with the US was activated, interest rates were cut to the bone and more money printing, through quantitative easing, was authorised. Bailey passionately urged government to take steps to prevent scarring to the economy. He was also at the tiller in the autumn of 2022 when Liz Truss's tax-cutting mini Budget sparked a run on the pound and a sudden retreat from British government bonds. The scale and suddenness of the move caused ructions for pension funds which had used derivative products to gamble on returns. The episode had threatened, without Bailey's intervention, to cause a cascade of financial collapses among banks who had provided credit for the trades. The Bank of England became a butt of criticism, not least on these pages. Its twice-yearly Financial Stability Report had in the past warned of the potential danger of liability driven-investment products (LDIs) but neither the Bank nor the Pensions Regulator addressed the matter. It is one thing for the Financial Stability Committee to identify and warn of dangers to the financial system, but quite another to tackle a weakness and close it down. Bailey was in the Bank's engine room in the Great Financial Crisis of 2008, so has vast experience of dealing with fractures in the financial system and knows how rapidly contagion takes place. All this experience tells him that Chancellor Rachel Reeves' efforts to encourage growth, by deregulating the City, could be a huge error. It is a reminder of the light touch regulation in the run-up to the collapse of Northern Rock in 2007 and the crisis which followed. Readers of this month's Financial Stability document would find few clues to what Bailey believes is the most acute concern at present. It is not Trump tariffs or the present Government's borrowing needs, as serious as they may be. The governor's biggest worry is political uncertainty. It may seem mad to think that this should be the case given Labour's vast Commons majority and four more years in office. The significant statistic is that Nigel Farage's Reform UK has led the other parties in 65 consecutive polls. And the present kerfuffles in Epping and the record small boat arrivals in a long hot summer make the potential for a Farage journey to Downing Street ever more credible. Bailey and the independent Bank never indulge in party politics. But for the governor, pound sterling, the bond markets and the whole stability of the financial system, the number one threat is a big-spending populist released into Downing Street. Reach for the safety straps.
BBC News
23 minutes ago
- BBC News
Allingham completes Superstock double at Brands
David Allingham completed a Superstock double at the British Superbike Championship round at Brands Ireland's Allingham beat championship leader Ilya Mikhalchik by just 0.594 seconds in the second race around the Grand Prix circuit in SMS BMW rider had dropped to second behind Tom Ward in the early stages but responded to take the lead on lap nine and he held off Mikhalchik on the final Saturday, the 30-year-old had beaten Mikhalchik to the chequered flag by just 0.3 seconds after starting the race from pole was a first two victories of the season for Allingham, who is now up to third in the standings and 47 points behind leader at Brands Hatch, Nikki Coates beat title rival Barry Burrell by just 0.062 seconds to extend his championship lead in the BMW Motorrad F 900 R the British Superbike Championship, Andrew Irwin finished 11th and seventh in the opening two races but he failed to finish the third Swann secured three points finishes with 14th and two 12th places.
Daily Mail
23 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Charging point shortage dents demand for EVs
A shortage of charging points is denting demand for electric vehicles, according to industry experts. Figures show there are just 82,369 public chargers in the UK with 48 added each day on average so far this year. Analysis by the Mail reveals Britain needs to build around 130 a day – nearly triple the current number – to reach the goal of having 300,000 public charging points by 2030. The shortage of charging points – which has fuelled so-called 'range anxiety' among motorists worried about where they can plug in – has been highlighted as one of the reasons why demand for electric cars has dwindled. Drivers have also been put off by the price of electric vehicles, which are typically more expensive than petrol and diesel cars. The Government has this summer announced plans to give motorists up to £3,750 to switch to EVs in a bid to boost demand to meet net zero targets. But experts said the shortage of charging points was a major threat to these efforts. Quentin Willson, founder of FairCharge, said the Government 'should do more to fast track and better support installations, especially in areas where there are charging deserts'. He added: 'Consumers rightly worry that there aren't enough public chargers. 'Government needs to send out a clear message to drivers that they are in control of the EV charging narrative, that they will support investment into the charging sector and help keep prices down.' According to charging point statistics website Zapmap, about 8,670 were added to the public network in the first half of this year. But this is less than half of the 19,834 added in 2024, suggesting the rollout is slowing. Just 1,371 were added to the Zapmap database in June – or 46 a day. Susan Wells, a director of EV charging point firm Hive, said: 'Charging must become as straightforward as filling up a petrol or diesel car.' A Department for Transport spokesman said: 'We're adding a public charge point every half an hour.
