Latest news with #electric cars
Times
a day ago
- Automotive
- Times
Why electric cars are still for the rich — and we need more chargers
While they have been lauded as the future of driving, electric cars have been held back for years by how expensive they continue to be and the lack of public chargers available. There were nearly 1.4 million electric vehicles in circulation in the UK in 2024 — about one in 30 vehicles on the road. About six in ten of these are registered to companies for staff while the remainder are in private ownership. However, of those owned privately, the spread is highly uneven, with affluent areas continuing to dominate. A third, or 32 per cent, of electric cars are in the London and the southeast, while only 20 per cent are in the entire north of England (comprising the northwest, northeast and Yorkshire and the Humber), according to an analysis by Savills using Department for Transport and DVLA data from 2024.
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Telegraph
Just one in eight electric cars qualify for Labour's new grants
Just one in eight electric cars will be eligible for Labour's new grant scheme when it opens on Monday amid ongoing confusion over which models will qualify. On Monday, the Government began accepting applications for the electric vehicle (EV) grants and will begin payouts to manufacturers from next week. But at launch, the scheme will only apply to 17 cars sold by Citroen, Renault, Nissan and Vauxhall, with other manufacturers still waiting to find out if their vehicles are eligible. There are currently more than 130 EV models on sale in Britain, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Labour's grant scheme applies to new vehicles with a list price of £37,000 or lower. Manufacturers can receive either £3,750 or £1,500 in support, which is passed on to the consumer in the form of a discount. For a particular model to qualify, manufacturers must submit information about where the car is assembled and where its battery was manufactured, with the upper grant only awarded to those that score the highest for sustainability. This will rule out cars made in China, where more than 60pc of power is still generated by burning coal, ministers have said. In response, Chinese-owned brands such as BYD, MG and others have slashed their prices to remain competitive. But Western car makers have complained that they remain in the dark about which models will ultimately qualify until their funding applications have been approved. EV sales slowed in July as drivers held off from buying in hopes of a later discount. A Whitehall source said the Government was working through applications as quickly as possible and expected around two thirds of cars priced under £37,000 to be eligible overall. On Monday, 13 more cars were confirmed as eligible for the £1,500 discount – taking the total to 17. They include the Renault Megane and Vauxhall Corsa Electric in addition to the previously announced Citroen ë-C3, e-C4, ë-C5 and ë-Berlingo models. No car has yet qualified for the full £3,500 discount. However, it is understood that the new Nissan Leaf, which will be launched in the spring and made at the company's factory in Sunderland, is expected to be eligible. Heidi Alexander, the Transport Secretary said: 'With discounts on seventeen car models announced this week alone, we're delivering on our promise to make it easier and cheaper for families to go electric. 'This is about backing drivers, putting money back into people's pockets and creating the jobs and growth that will drive Britain forward, delivering on our Plan for Change.' Andy Palmer, a veteran car industry executive and founder of Palmer Energy Technology, said: '17 models is a good start, but what we need is the comprehensive list so that consumers can take comfort in being able to make a choice and not wait for models to be drip-fed. 'The longer the list takes to be final, the longer people will hesitate. The brands now available, Citroën, Renault, Vauxhall and Nissan are all solid – so the choices are already consumer friendly in the sub-£37,000 price bracket.' Dan Caesar, of Electric Vehicles UK, added: 'It's encouraging to see that 17 battery EVs are now even cheaper as a result of the Electric Car Grant. There are the best part of 50 models now under the £37,000 threshold, with some as low as £15,000, and we would hope to see a few more added in short order. 'Looking at the recent data of new and used battery EV sales, appetite and demand are clearly growing, and are only likely to accelerate as the Electric Car Grant begins to gain traction.'
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Automotive
- The Guardian
Charging ahead: will the UK's new electric vehicle grant work for you?
Is it time to go electric? The UK car industry certainly thinks so and is readying for a surge in demand as a new subsidy scheme cuts the price of some electric cars by up to £3,750. With purchase prices – not to mention range anxiety – contributing to weak consumer uptake, the government grants are designed to bring the upfront cost closer to a petrol car. Making them cheaper will also give 'thousands more drivers access to savings of up to £1,500 a year in fuel and running costs compared to a petrol car', officials say. Robert Forrester, the chief executive of the car dealership group Vertu Motors, says: 'With the average new electric vehicle now costing close to £49,000, the market has drifted away from the everyday motorist. 'This grant helps correct that, opening access to a wider range of customers by making sub-£40,000 EVs more appealing and financially viable.' The £650m electric car grant (ECG) is a reboot of a previous state-backed money-off scheme to incentivise drivers to switch, before a ban on the sale of new fully petrol or diesel cars and vans from 2030. There are two tiers pegged to how green the manufacturing process is. The greenest vehicles in 'band one' qualify for a £3,750 discount while for 'band two' vehicles the figure is £1,500. All eligible vehicles must have an RRP below £37,000. The grant only applies to new cars. The good news is that consumers don't have to fill in any extra paperwork when they make a purchase. It is the manufacturer that applies for the grant, with the allocated funds deducted from the car's list price. Tom Jervis, the consumer editor at Auto Express, says that while the grant is aimed at EVs costing under £37,000 'price alone isn't enough'. 'Eligibility also depends on manufacturer commitment to emissions targets, the environmental impact of the battery and production process, and where the car and battery are built,' he says. 'It is based on lifecycle carbon costs, meaning the country of assembly and battery production play a major role.' The price and environmental conditions attached to securing a grant mean that some well-known brands, including Tesla, are not part of the scheme. To qualify the manufacturer must have a science-based target for cutting greenhouse gas emissions. These are verified by the Science Based Targets initiative, an independent body that assesses corporate sustainability plans. Vehicles made in countries where the electricity grid is more reliant on fossil fuels will get a higher score than those made in one powered by renewables or nuclear. This focus on emissions essentially excludes vehicles made in China with its reliance on coal-fired power stations. Although the scheme was launched formally in the middle of July, the full list of qualifying cars is still some way off. That's because manufacturers need to apply to be considered for funding. This week, the government announced the first. On the list are 19 models from four carmakers: Citroën, Renault, Nissan and Vauxhall. They include the Citroën ë-C3 – Auto Express's 2024 car of the year – Renault Megane, Nissan Micra and Vauxhall Grandland Electric. They are now available at the band two discount of £1,500 each. The Department for Transport (DfT) has a dedicated page on the website which it is updating on a rolling basis with the list of approved vehicles. It says it expects to approve more models over the coming weeks. The £37,000 cut-off point narrows the choice significantly in a market where about 70% of new EVs cost over £40,000. It rules out upmarket models, including the UK's bestselling EV, the Tesla Model Y, and every other Tesla on sale. No Audi, BMW or Mercedes EV would now be eligible either. The scheme's design also favours European over Chinese-built cars. 'Countries with high-carbon electricity, like China, are penalised in the grant calculations, meaning Chinese-built EVs like the MG4, BYD Dolphin, and Leapmotor models are expected to only qualify for the £1,500 tier – if they qualify at all,' says Jervis. 'South Korean brands like Hyundai and Kia are in a grey area – reliant on fossil-fuel-heavy grids but potentially meeting other sustainability metrics. Their eligibility will likely vary by model.' He adds: 'The scheme is unapologetically tilted in favour of European production with cleaner assembly and battery footprints, and this has given many manufacturers confidence that they will qualify.' The latest Nissan Leaf, which is being produced at the Japanese manufacturer's Sunderland plant, is thought to be a shoo-in for scheme qualification when it arrives in showrooms later this year. Auto Express has compiled a list of the 52 cars its writers think could qualify if they meet the sustainability criteria. A recent poll by online marketplace Carwow found that four in 10 drivers thought the scheme excluded too many of the EVs now on sale. The objective is to make budget EVs more attractive to the public as opposed to executives who lease them, or acquire them as company cars, or through salary sacrifice schemes. Carwow's Iain Reid says: 'Crucially, the grant applies to both outright purchases and leasing deals, making electric vehicles more accessible to a wider range of private drivers.' If you have your heart set on a car marque unlikely to make the cut the good news is that the scheme has triggered a wave of price cuts by manufacturers who don't want to be left behind. The Chinese brand Leapmotor has, for example, launched what it calls a leap-grant, with adverts that pose the question: 'Why wait for the government?' It has cut the price of its cheapest model, the To3, by £1,500 to £14,495 and is billing it as the 'UK's most affordable 5-door electric city car'. It has also cut the price of its C10 SUV by £3,750, bringing it down to £32,750. Other manufacturers have taken action to make sure models come under the price threshold for the scheme. Jervis says: 'Both the Vauxhall Grandland and Renault Scenic were slightly above the cut-off when the grant was first announced, but the entry point for the Scenic range has dropped by £200 and the Grandland by £400 to put both electric SUVs at £36,995. 'Getting the entry models under £37,000 is crucial for brands, as that brings the entire lineup using the same battery into eligibility.' He says Chinese carmakers GWM Ora and MG have also cut prices by up to £3,750, 'likely because they fear they won't qualify – in order to stay competitive. Volvo, Hyundai and Kia all launched offers too, and we are likely to see more brands follow suit over the next few weeks.' With the scheme scheduled to run until 2027–28 – or until the funding is exhausted – early signs point to strong demand. Carwow's Reid says: 'Traffic to our EV grant information pages surged 160% immediately after the announcement. The government's previous plug-in car grant, which ended in June 2022, helped increase electric car sales by 70% within a year. Our advice is to start researching and test-driving now. On average, the car-buying journey takes around 190 days, so being prepared means you can act fast once the grant applies to your chosen model. There's a definite first-mover advantage and today's mix of official and brand incentives may not stick around for long.' Now is a 'very good time to go and buy an electric vehicle', says Vertu Motors' Forrester. 'It's coming at a time when we are, for the first time, seeing cheaper electric vehicles on the market.' He adds: 'I think there'll be a limited number [of cars approved for grants] because a lot of manufacturers don't think they will comply and are discounting to overcome the competitive disadvantage. Whether you get a grant or not, doesn't really matter, does it? The price has come down.'
Auto Express
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Auto Express
Vauxhall ‘pre-empts' Electric Car Grant with its own £1,500 discount
Vauxhall has joined a host of other manufacturers in providing a £1,500 discount on its electric cars in response to the announcement of the Government's Electric Car Grant. Now offered on the pure-electric versions of the Vauxhall Corsa, Mokka, Astra, Frontera and Grandland, Vauxhall's £1,500 'Electric Car Grant' comes just days after Citroen became the first manufacturer to be officially eligible for the Government grant. Vauxhall said the offer applies to all of its electric cars from today, but also expressed confidence that it would meet the criteria for the Government's grant, stating the move was 'ahead of official confirmation of eligibility from the Office of Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV)'. Vauxhall and Citroen are both part of the Stellantis empire and many of those aforementioned Vauxhall models share parts, batteries and platforms with Citroen models that have already been declared eligible for the government's new Electric Car Grant. The grant process run by the government is a 'first come, first served' system, so while Vauxhall's EVs might not qualify for the government grant right now, considering the shared technology between the brands, we wouldn't be surprised to see them accepted for the official grant soon. Advertisement - Article continues below Skip advert Advertisement - Article continues below Citroen's cars sit in the lower 'Band 2', qualifying for a grant of £1,500, but no cars have been announced yet for the larger 'Band 1' grant of £3,750. Vauxhall's grant obviously counters this, essentially meaning that, at least for the customer, there's no difference. With Vauxhall's new £1,500 discount in place, the Corsa Electric now has an entry price of £26,505, the Frontera Electric starts from £22,495, the Mokka Electric from £31,005, the Astra Electric £33,505 and the Grandland Electric flagship £35,455. If that still sounds too expensive, then you can check out the Auto Express marketplace for fantastic deals on used electric Vauxhalls from under £9,000. Vauxhall's new £1,500 grant might not last long because the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has previously indicated that a more detailed list of the qualifying cars for the Government's grant will be published on August 11. With Citroen already formally announced, Vauxhall is expected to follow soon after, while we're also yet to hear from fellow Stellantis firm Peugeot, with its Corsa Electric sibling, the E-208, and the E-2008 possibly in line for the £1,500 grant. Even with Vauxhall's new grant, the company's 'Electric All In' package remains, adding eight years of roadside assistance (including charging assistance), £500 towards an Ohme home wallbox, Tesco charging or Octopus charging credit, plus 10,000 miles worth of free home charging when switching to an Octopus tariff. Buy a car with Auto Express. Our nationwide dealer network has some fantastic cars on offer right now with new, used and leasing deals to choose from... Find a car with the experts Volkswagen, Skoda and Cupra slash electric car prices Volkswagen, Skoda and Cupra slash electric car prices Volkswagen, Skoda and Cupra aren't waiting around for the government grant by cutting £1,500 from their EV prices Car Deal of the Day: MGS5 EV for under £200 a month is a true bargain Car Deal of the Day: MGS5 EV for under £200 a month is a true bargain The ZS EV's replacement is an excellent small electric SUV, and our Deal of the Day for August 4 How green is an EV? BMW reveals the surprise truth about EV vs ICE carbon footprints How green is an EV? BMW reveals the surprise truth about EV vs ICE carbon footprints The new BMW iX3 will have less of a carbon footprint than the petrol-powered X3 after just 12,428 miles of driving
The Independent
24-07-2025
- Automotive
- The Independent
UK car vehicle production falls amid global economic and trade uncertainty
UK vehicle manufacturing fell in the first half of the year as the sector continued to grapple with global economic and trade uncertainty. British car output fell 7.3% in the first six months of the year, while van and other commercial vehicle production plummeted by 45.4%, according to data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). According to the organisation, production was slowed or halted by some manufacturers due to uncertainty around the global economy and earlier threats of US tariffs. However, the SMMT said a new trade deal struck between Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and US President Donald Trump would become a 'basis for future growth'. SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said the numbers were 'very disappointing'. 'Global economic uncertainty and trade protectionism have taken their toll on automotive production across the globe, with the UK no exception,' he said. 'The figures are not, therefore, unexpected but remain very disappointing. However, there are foundations for a return to growth.' While overall car production declined, the number of electric cars made in the UK rose by 1.8%, with EVs now making up a record 41.5% of all cars produced in the UK in the first half of 2025. 'The industry is moving to the technologies that will be the future of mobility, our engineering excellence, highly-skilled workforce and global reputation are strengths, and we have an Industrial Strategy with advanced manufacturing and automotive at its core,' Mr Hawes said. 'With rapid delivery and the right conditions, UK Automotive can reverse the current decline and deliver the jobs, economic growth and decarbonisation that Britain needs.' Grants for new electric cars are being reintroduced after being scrapped in June 2022, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced recently. Drivers will be able to reduce the purchase cost of a new electric car by up to £3,750. Officials hope the measure – restricted to vehicles priced at up to £37,000 – will encourage more drivers to switch to electric motoring. The DfT said 33 new electric car models are available for less than £30,000. The Government has pledged to ban the sale of new fully petrol or diesel cars and vans from 2030. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: 'This EV grant will not only allow people to keep more of their hard-earned money – it'll help our automotive sector seize one of the biggest opportunities of the 21st century.'
