Electric cars just got more expensive: UK plug-in car grant gets cut again

(Pocket-lint) - The Department for Transport successful the UK has announced that it's changing the operation of the plug-in car assistance (or plug-in assistance scheme), reducing the qualifying bounds to conscionable £32,000.

The DfT says that the alteration has been made truthful that the enactment is determination for those who request it most, those buying electric cars successful the lowest terms bracket.

The punctual for alteration appears to beryllium the expanding measurement of income of electrical cars implicit the past year; arsenic we've seen successful the past, the Department for Transport sees the assistance strategy arsenic assistance for those struggling to spend an electrical car, alternatively than arsenic an inducement to bargain electric.

The caller headdress means that you present person less choices if you privation to payment from the plug-in assistance and volition present lone use to cars specified as, Mini Electric, Fiat 500e, Vauxhall Corsa e, qualifying for £1,500 disconnected the price.

The higher complaint of the assistance is being preserved for wheelchair accessible vehicles, retaining the £35,000 terms headdress and the £2,500 assistance value.

In the UK determination volition beryllium a prohibition connected the merchantability of caller combustion vehicles successful 2030 and hybrid models volition beryllium banned by 2035. The chopped successful the plug-in car assistance has travel arsenic thing of a surprise, with galore expecting the UK authorities to subsidise the accrued costs successful buying electrical cars to assistance thrust towards emissions targets.

But that hasn't been the case: arsenic electrical cars person go much established, the assistance has been progressively reduced.

Electric cars inactive travel astatine thing of a premium compared to combustion rivals: the Mini Electric, for example, tin beryllium your from £27,000 (with the £1,500 grant), portion a petrol equivalent would beryllium astir £23,000 (Cooper S). That spread grows arsenic cars get much expensive.

The quality was announced connected 15 December 2021 and astatine the clip of writing, not each car manufacturers person updated their prices to bespeak the caller levels. We wouldn't beryllium amazed if the strategy was coiled up successful 2022 and assigned to history.

Writing by Chris Hall. Originally published connected 15 December 2021.