Government Electric Car Grant: Which cars get them and how to save even more

How do cars qualify for the Electric Car Grant?

The ECG scheme opened on 16 July 2025 with funding available until at least the 2028/29 financial year. It's the manufacturers, not car buyers, that apply for the grant, meaning it will be deducted automatically at the point of sale. Car manufacturers' price lists and online configurators will be adapted to reflect the discounted prices.

Those models which qualify for the ECG will be published on a government portal that will be updated regularly to reflect changes to existing model ranges and when new ones are launched.

Eligibility will be based on 'the highest manufacturing sustainability standards,' said the government. This factors-in emissions produced during production which it is understood will most likely incentivise EVs built in the UK and countries geographically closer to it over those manufacured in Asia.

Whether this will encourage more firms to consider British-built EVs or to accelerate existing plans to shift production from China to the UK — as is expected for the MINI Cooper Electric in 2026 — remains to be seen.

Other eligibility criteria for the ECG include the vehicles being:

• Battery- or hydrogen fuel cell-powered
• Cars designed primarily for carrying passengers — classed by the DVLA as M1 vehicles 
• Van-based MPVs if classed as M1 vehicles — goods-carrying vans (N1 and N2) cannot qualify
• Capable of a WLTP Combined cycle driving range of at least 100 miles
• Capable of a maximum speed of at least 60mph — light quadricyles (L6 and L7) such as the Citroen Ami cannot qualify

The government says car buyers will benefit from discounts as soon as manufactures successfully apply for their zero-emission cars to be part of the grant scheme. The most sustainably produced models will be approved for the £3750 Band 1 discount, while those which meet some of the criteria will be eligible for the £1500 Band 2 reduction.

'As the biggest savings will be given to cars with the strongest "green" manufacturing credentials, drivers will be picking models that are not only better for their wallets, but better for the planet too,' said RAC head of policy Simon Williams.

Adam Wood, Renault UK's managing director, which made the best-selling EV for private buyers in April and May said: 'These incentives are extremely welcome and a much-needed signal that government is ready to put tangible action behind the ambitious plans for the transition to electric vehicles that it has outlined.'

Which EVs are eligible for the Electric Car Grant?

Details of exactly which models are eligible for either level of grant applied to each of them are being confirmed on an ongoing basis from 11 August 2025. The up-to-date tables below reflect the position for each potentially eligible EV.

ECG Band 1 cars receiving a discount of £3750

No cars are currently in receipt of a Band 1 discount.

Other potentially ECG-eligible cars

The following cars have yet to have their compliance for either Electric Car Grant confirmed or their manufacturers have launched their own EV discount scheme:

*On sale imminently, prices TBC

Abarth E-Grant

Proving you can snag a discount on something fun, a £1500 discount is available on both the Abarth 500e and 600s ranges courtesy of Fiat's E-Grant. Under the ECG scheme the range-topping 280PS Abarth 600e Scorpionissima isn't currently eligible, but it is included within this E-Grant offer.

Applicable to private customers ordering before 30 September 2025 it can be combined with other retail incentives, including 0% finance.

Alfa Romeo EV Grant

Offering a £1500 discount across the entire Junior Elettrica range, the Alfa Romeo EV Grant is available to private buyers and runs until 30 September 2025. If the Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica does qualify for the ECG it will only apply to the 156 models, not the range-topping Veloce as this price reduction does.

Alfa Romeo's EV Grant is in addition to existing offers, including the free installation of a home wallbox worth over £1000. Alfa Romeo UK's managing director, Jules Tilstone, said the deal is intended 'to underscore the commitment Alfa Romeo has in making electrification more accessible'.

BYD five years' free servicing

Chinese firm BYD has been one of just a few manufacturers to directly comment on the ECG application process. A recent press release stated: 'While BYD has formally applied to be included in the government-backed scheme, the brand may not be immediately eligible.'

Rather than discounting its prices it's instead offering five years' free servicing on the Dolphin Surf and Dolphin — models which might be ECG-eligible — as well as the BYD Atto 3 which won't currently qualify. BYD has also increased its high-voltage battery warranty across its range of EVs and plug-in hybrids from 100,000 to 155,000 miles, citing that its announcement 'follows ongoing uncertainty surrounding eligibility for the UK Government’s Electric Car Grant.' 

Cupra Grant Guarantee

As with other brands within the Volkswagen Group, Cupra launched its Grant Guarantee, resulting in a £1500 discount for Born models in V1, V2 and V3 specification. This goes beyond the scope of the ECG underwhich only 59kWh battery versions of the Cupra Born. 

'We welcome the government’s announcement of an Electric Car Grant and we’re keen for everybody to be able to make the most of electric motoring as early as possible,' said Marcus Gossen, Seat and Cupra UK's managing director.

Fiat E-Grant

If you're not interested in anything quite as spicy as their Abarth twins, Fiat's 500 Electric and 600e are both available to buy with a £1500 discount thanks to the manufacturer's own E-Grant incentive. It also runs through to the end of September and can be used in conjunction with 0% finance and any other discounts you're able to negotiate as a private buyer.

It's possible all Fiat-badged versions of the 500 Electric and 600e will qualify for the ECG, as should the Fiat Grande Panda Electric. Note that the Grande Panda is not included within Fiat's own E-Grant offer.

GWM Green Grant

GWM has used the announcement of its own Green Grant offer to criticise what it alleges is a lack of clarity around the ECG scheme: 'The initiative follows the recent announcement that the UK government’s (EV) grant will focus on a specific set of vehicles, leaving many customers confused and waiting to see if models like ORA 03 will qualify,' it said. The subtext here is that GWM doesn't expect its Chinese-made Ora 03 to be eligible for the ECG.

Nevertheless GWM's Green Grant is one of only a few manufacturer discounts which matches the full £3750 Band 1 level of grant. This brings the price of the cheapest GWM Ora 03 — the car formerly known as the Funky Cat — down to £21,245, a price cut we think it's been crying — meeowing? — out for amid the arrival of far cheaper competitors. 

Hyundai Electric Grant

Another EV we thought was too expensive for its own good is the excellent Hyundai Inster. Great news, then — thanks to the Hyundai Electric Grant discount scheme £3750 has lopped-off the price for all private buyers ordering before 30 September 2025, bringing the entry-level Inster 01 under the £20,000 mark.

Aside from the Inster, only the Kona Electric is expected to be potentially elibible for the government's ECG, yet Hyundai's own Electric Grant also sees a £1500 reduction applicable to the rest of its EV range, including the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N performance car and the newly launched Hyundai Ioniq 9 seven-seater SUV. Meanwhile, there's an additional £500 off the Inster and Kona Electric for orders placed before 31 August 2025. 

Kia Electric Car Allowance

While all versions of the Kia EV3 and the box-fresh Kia EV4 hatchback are potentially eligible for the government's ECG scheme, the brand has launched its own Electric Car Allowance — albeit with restrictions.

Kia's discount enables private buyers to enjoy £3750 off the price of an EV3 or EV4 but only in entry-level Air specification. Additionally, the cars have to be bought on a PCP through Kia's own finance scheme to qualify. Unless you know you want an Air-specification model of those cars, we reckon this deal is best left alone.

Leapmotor Leap-Grant

'Why wait for the government? Leapmotor UK is giving drivers an instant head start with our very own electric car grant,' is the cheerily enticing message on the Chinese brand's website. We'll forgive the Leap-Grant for the curious hyphen usage in its name because it's another scheme offering up to £3750 — and from a brand where the ECG discount is unlikely to apply.

Only the C10 SUV receives the larger discount, with the much cheaper T03 city car having a more modest £1500 knocked off its price. Available on cars ordered by 30 September 2025 the Leap-Grant can't be combined with other offers unless explicitly stated.

MG EV Car Grant

Under the guise of the Ronseal-alike MG EV Car Grant name, £1500 discount is available on the MG 4 EV — including the XPower version — and the MG S5 EV, but not the Cyberster roadster or the newly launched IM5 saloon and IM6 SUV models. The reduction is offered 'over and above any incentives currently offered by MG’s 155 UK dealer partners,' which means an additional £1000 off as part of a test drive promotion. 

'MG has been a key contributor to the EV sector, consistently recognising the economic and environmental benefits of introducing a wide range of affordable, electric-only models,"' said MG's UK commercial boss, Guy Pigounakis, adding: 'this announcement underlines this commitment and in addition to this, we will also seek to work constructively with the Government to further increase the sale of EVs.'

Skoda Grant Guarantee

Another Volkswagen Group brand, another Grant Guarantee discount scheme. Yes, Skoda's knocked £1500 off all versions of its Elroq apart from the most-rapid vRS model, providing you place an order before 31 August 2025. While the Skoda Elroq is expected to be eligible for the ECG in 50 and 60 guises, this deal also includes the longer-range 85 models.

Similarly, the Skoda Enyaq isn't expected to receive an ECG discount, yet all versions barring the SportLine 85x, the Enyaq vRS and all Skoda Enyaq Coupes are included in the firm's own Grant Guarantee. 

Skywell EV Switch Incentive

Relative newcomer to the UK market, Skywell has also drawn attention to the complicated and potentially lengthy nature of the ECG application process: 'A number of caveats and requirements have been set by the government before any vehicle is approved onto the new electric car grant scheme, which has left manufacturers, dealers and customers in limbo,' said Skywell UK general manager, David Clark. 'We want to start this process immediately, but we must first gather all the required documentation from Skywell, which could take many months.'

Potentially eligible for the ECG in Standard Range form, Skywell is also offering £3750 off the BE11 Long Range's price thanks to its EV Switch Incentive, on top of its existing £6000 finance deposit scheme. That's right, nearly £10,000 off the cost of the Skywell BE11, along with £3000 of charging credit. Dealers will be hoping something attracts customers as sales have barely got into double figures so far in 2025.

Smart

The reborn Smart brand was already offering a £2000 discount on most of its stock of 2023 model year versions of the #1, plus £3000 off the range-topping Brabus model, in an attempt to stimulate lacklustre sales. That level of discount has swollen by a further £1500 range-wide Smart EV Car Grant to boost those savings by up to £4500.

Smart's EV Car Grant also provides a range-wide £1500 discount for the #3 on top of an existing £1000 reduction on Pro and Pro+ versions and £2000 off the Brabus. Available until 30 September 2025 these sale prices are likely to beat any potential ECG discounts available to Smart.

Suzuki Granted 

Just launched, the Suzuki e Vitara is the Japanese firm's first EV and it's now looking a whole lot more tempting thanks to a range-wide Suzuki Granted discount of £3750, giving a new starting price of £26,249. As the e Vitara is built in and shipped from India, it's likely that any ECG discount will be at Band 2's £1500 level, if at all.

Setting this deal apart from the others announced so far is Suzuki's commitment to running it until the end of 2025.

Vauxhall Electric Offers

Despite Vauxhall's entire range of electric cars — barring the Vivaro Life Electric van-based MPV — qualifying for the £1500 Band 2 level of ECG discount, additional incentives remain available. They include Vauxhall's existing deposit contributions for private buyers using the firm's own finance packages which range from £1500 to £2500 depending on the model.

Volkswagen Grant Guarantee

While Pure 52kWh and Pro 59kWh versions of the ID.3 hatchback are expected to be eligible for some level of ECG discount, the Volkswagen Grant Guarantee goes further with a £1500 reduction available now on those models as well as the Pro S 79kWh. 

Not only that, the same level of Grant Guarantee discount is also available on Pure 52kWh and Pro 77kWh versions of the VW ID.4 SUV. These offers close on 31 August 2025 but speed is of the essence only if you fancy the VW ID.3 Pro S. 

Volvo EV Grant

When the ECG applications are sorted out, only the Single Motor Standard Range versions of Volvo's popular EX30 are expected to qualify. That makes the £1500 discount available with the Volvo EV Grant all the more tempting as it applies to all EX30 models.

Even better, it can also be used in conjunction with the 0% PCP finance deal that's available on some brand new Volvo EX30s within the firm's stock supply.