Latest news with #government grant
The Sun
2 days ago
- Automotive
- The Sun
Major change for Blue Badge holders kicking in TODAY with 1,000s of disabled drivers set to miss out on £3,700 discount
A NEW government EV grant scheme goes live from today, which aims to encourage drivers to buy electric vehicles - by offering a discount of up to £3,750. But many disabled drivers and Blue Badge holders may struggle to benefit from the grant - due to its price cap. 3 3 3 Launched today, August 11, the scheme allows motorists to save up to £3,750 on new EVs priced under £37,000. But the initiative, part of a £650 million effort to boost EV adoption, has been criticised as it means Blue Badge holders may miss out. Industry experts have estimated that 11,000 disabled Blue Badge holders may not be eligible for the savings due to restrictive affordability criteria. They found that only 20 of the 40 most accessible and affordable EVs on the Motability Scheme meet the price threshold. To that end, half of the most practical models for disabled drivers and Blue Badge holders could be excluded from the scheme. And furthermore, disabled motorists often require vehicle adaptations or wheelchair-accessible conversions, but these are not covered under the scheme and must be paid out of pocket - making EVs less affordable for disabled individuals. Experts, such as Matt Fieldhouse of Mobility in Motion, argue that the scheme neglects the specific needs of disabled drivers. As reported by InsiderMedia, Fieldhouse said: "To make the transition to electric vehicles truly inclusive, the latest policy must consider additional support for disabled motorists. 'This includes raising the price cap for EVs under the Motability Scheme, recognising the additional costs of adapting your vehicle, and ensuring that grant eligibility reflects the real-world needs of disabled drivers - not just headline affordability." How to get a Blue Badge A Blue Badge offers parking benefits for disabled individuals with applications assessed by local councils, while costs vary across the UK. Moment row erupts as driver says 'I didn't hit your car, f---ing prove it' In England, Wales and Scotland, you can apply for a Blue Badge on the website, with some people qualifying for the badge automatically and others assessed on an individual basis. Local councils are the ones in charge of assessing eligibility for badges, with applications taking up to 12 weeks. Badges in England cost £10, whilst in Scotland, they are priced at £20. In Wales, badges are free. If the council decides you are not eligible for the badge, you can request them to reconsider your application. In the UK, wheelchair-accessible vehicles are those that have been modified by increasing the interior size of the vehicle and equipping it with a means of wheelchair entry, such as a wheelchair ramp or powered lift. The £600million-a-year Disabled Motability scheme offers essential support to individuals with severe physical or mental disabilities. The scheme is funded by the Department for Work and Pensions, supports around 589,000 claimants in England and Wales as of 2024. Which EVs are eligible for the new Electric Car Grant? When the new Electric Car Grant was announced by the government on 15 July 2025, it was revealed that, to qualify cars, must be priced at or under £37,000 as well as meeting other warranty, battery range and sustainabilit y criteria. It was also revealed that there are two levels for the grant; Level 1, which is for cars that score more favourably against the government's sustainability criteria. These, in turn, will gain the maximum £3,750 grant. Level 2 cars, though, are deemed less sustainable and will receive the £1,500 grant. All cars approved for the grant so far fall into Level 2, making them eligible for a £1,500 discount. Alpine A290 Citroen e-C3 Citroen e-C3 Aircross Citroen e-C4 Citroen e-C4 X Citroen e-C5 Aircross Citroen e-Berlingo M Nissan Micra Nissan Ariya Renault 4 Renault 5 Renault Megane E-Tech Renault Scenic E-Tech Vauxhall Corsa Electric Vauxhall Astra Electric Vauxhall Frontera Electric Vauxhall Mokka Electric Vauxhall Grandland Electric Vauxhall Combo Life Electric
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
Daily Mail
28-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Urgent warning as 200 million Americans targeted with 'how are you' messages
It may look like a harmless message from someone you know, until your bank account vanishes and your identity is gone. A fast-growing impersonation scam is targeting more than 200 million people, using hijacked Facebook accounts. The fraud often starts with a simple message, 'How are you doing today?', which appears to come from someone you know but is actually from a criminal who has taken over their account. Hackers are using those stolen profiles to message friends and relatives, pretending to offer government grants, giveaways, or discounted items like trucks and hot tubs. Cybersecurity experts said these scams are hard to detect because they use real people's names and photos, making it seem trustworthy, and in many cases, victims do not realize it is fake until it is too late. The scam often relies on phishing, fake emails or messages that look real and claim the user's account has been compromised. Victims are told to reset their passwords using a link, but that link leads to a fake website that steals their login info. Experts warned that once they gain control, scammers send fake offers. One of the most common is a promise of a $150,000 government grant, and they told the victim that they must pay a $2,500 processing fee to receive it. Some scammers also created fake product listings and posted staged photos of cash or boxes to make the offers seem real. Cybersecurity advisor Claudiu Popa said: 'Users are told the offer is real and time-sensitive. They are pressured to act quickly and trust the person messaging them.' 'They are pressured to act quickly and trust the person messaging them,' she added. The tactic relies on urgency, fake photos, and emotional language to convince the target. Experts said if the victim questions the offer, scammers block them and delete the chats. Fox News reported a recent case where a retired tech worker named Jim received a message from a Facebook friend about a grant from an organization called 'Global Empowerment.' His friend said she had already received her payout and gave him the contact info for an agent named David Kelvin. Jim was told he qualified for $150,000 but needed to pay $2,500 to process the request. The agent even sent a photo of a FedEx box supposedly filled with cash. When Jim delayed, the scammer deleted the chat messages. He said one of the early warning signs was the grammar. Words like 'informations' tipped him off. 'That's when I started to doubt the story,' Jim said. Another victim, Lesa Lowery from New Brunswick, was locked out of her Facebook account after clicking a fake email that appeared to be from Facebook security. The message told her to reset her password. She entered both her old and new passwords, unknowingly handing full access to scammers. Lesa could see the public posts but was locked out of private messages. 'I just felt helpless,' she told CBC's Go Public. 'I literally sat there and cried.' Security researchers say Facebook's past data breaches have made things worse. Last year, hackers broke into systems at YX International, a company Facebook uses to send login texts. According to a report, about 50 million people were affected by the breach. That same month, 200,000 user records from Facebook Marketplace were leaked on a hacker forum after a cloud storage breach, according to HackRead. A recent blog reported that phishing kits, like RaccoonO365, are now available as services and scammers can now steal login credentials and even bypass two-factor authentication. Two-factor authentication is supposed to add an extra layer of protection for your private online accounts, typically by sending an access code to the legitimate user's phone or email. To stay safe, cybersecurity experts recommend always using strong, unique passwords, enabling two-factor authentication, and never clicking on links in emails or messages unless you are sure they are real. They advised using antivirus software, monitoring identity, and considering deleting the personal info from people search sites. The Federal Trade Commission says no real government grant program charges fees to give you money. Anyone claiming to be from Facebook or the FTC who asks for login codes, passwords, or payments is running a scam.
