What cars qualify for the electric car grant? Full list with our best (and worst) picks
More than 40 electric cars are now eligible for a Government-funded discount. Which should you go for from the ever-growing list?
It’s now been more than five months since the UK Government announced the new Electric Car Grant (ECG), which removes up to £3,750 off the price of selected EVs to make them more affordable and more accessible for all.
Not every electric car on sale is eligible for a Government-funded price cut, of course, and those that miss out aren’t restricted to incredibly opulent EVs such as, for example, the Rolls-Royce Spectre or Lotus Evija. There are complex criteria that car manufacturers and their models have to meet in order to receive the ECG.
Only cars which start from less than £37,000 and that cost no more than £42,000 once configured are eligible to receive the Government’s subsidy, which is split into two distinct bands.
Band 1 is for the most sustainably produced EVs, which qualify for the full £3,750 discount. Those considered to meet a lesser standard fall into Band 2 and receive the lower amount of £1,500 off.
So far, only a small handful of EVs have qualified for the £3,750 discount, although this does include the retro-styled Renault 5 and the Ford Puma Gen-E. If they don’t take your fancy, there is a diverse selection of almost 40 other EVs that get the lower £1,500 discount, including several Auto Express award winners.
If any of the cars on the list catches your eye and you feel like now is the right time to go electric, we can help. Our electric car deals page has all the top offers, and our parent site Carwow is running a live hub page for the latest EV discounts.
Alpine
Alpine will be known to most people as either a sports-car maker or a Formula One team. But earlier this year, the performance brand launched its first-ever EV: a meaner version of the new Renault 5, called the Alpine A290, and the exciting electric hot hatch is officially eligible for Level 1 of the Electric Car Grant.
- Alpine A290 – best EV grant car for keen drivers - prices now start from £30,245
Citroen
The first six electric cars eligible for the Government’s new grant were all Citroens, including the Auto Express 2024 Car of the Year, the Citroen e-C3. The Long Range version of the all-new Citroen e-C5 Aircross also qualifies for full £3,750 grant, offering a massive 421-mile range for less than £33,000.
- Citroen e-C3 – prices now start from £18,495
- Citroen e-C3 Aircross – prices now start from £21,595
- Citroen e-C4 – prices now start from £26,150
- Citroen e-C4 X – prices now start from £27,215
- Citroen e-C5 Aircross – Best long-range EV grant car - prices now start from £30,495
- Citroen e-Berlingo MPV – Best seven-seat EV grant car - prices now start from £27,055
- Citroen e-SpaceTourer MPV – prices now start from £36,995
Cupra
The Cupra Born is among the latest batch of cars that the Government has confirmed is eligible for its grant. The sporty electric hatchback offers up to 346 miles of range, punchy performance and a roomy yet sporty-feeling cabin.
- Cupra Born – prices now start from £34,190
DS Automobiles
If you want an EV that’s designed with style in mind and to feel premium rather than sporty, DS Automobiles has confirmed two of its electric models are eligible for the Government grant: the DS 3 E-Tense small SUV and the newly facelifted DS No4 hatchback.
Ford
Ford was the first manufacturer to have any of its electric cars officially qualify for the full £3,750 Government grant, likely helped by the fact the powertrains for the Puma Gen-E and E-Tourneo Courier are produced in the UK. Thanks to the discount, the Puma EV is actually cheaper to buy than the petrol-powered version.
- Ford Puma Gen-E – Prices now start from £26,245
- Ford E-Tourneo Courier – Prices now start from £29,940
Kia
Kia has been making electric cars for longer than most brands and it currently has no fewer than seven in its line-up, from the award-winning EV3 compact SUV to the PV5 Cargo panel van. However, just two of them are eligible for the ECG: the EV4 hatchback – which was designed for Europe and built here, too – and the PV5 Passenger MPV.
MINI
The MINI Countryman Electric is one of the few models that qualifies for the top-tier Band 1 level of funding. The Countryman Electric ‘only’ has a range of up to 285 miles, but makes up for that with a roomy interior filled with tech and funky, premium-feeling materials, plus we think it’s quite fun to drive. Overall, the Countryman is MINI’s most convincing SUV to date.
- MINI Countryman Electric – Best premium EV grant car - Prices now start from £29,255
Nissan
Nissan is confident that the all-new, third-generation Leaf that is coming soon will be eligible for the full £3,750 grant. In the meantime, the new Micra supermini (which is based on the Renault 5) has received the £1,500 grant. Meanwhile, the Nissan Ariya family SUV is now up to £9,000 cheaper than before thanks to the ECG and Nissan itself cutting the price.
- Nissan Ariya – Prices now start from £33,500
- Nissan Leaf - Prices now start from £32,249
- Nissan Micra – Prices now start from £21,495
Peugeot
Seven of Peugeot’s electric models are eligible for the ECG, from the E-208 supermini and E-2008 crossover to the E-408 coupé-SUV and eight-seater E-Traveller MPV. We’re hopeful the new Peugeot E-208 GTi hot hatch will also get it, but there’s no word on that yet.
- Peugeot E-208 – Prices now start from £28,650
- Peugeot E-2008 – Prices now start from £33,900
- Peugeot E-308 – Prices now start from £29,495
- Peugeot E-308 SW – Prices now start from £30,695
- Peugeot E-408 – Prices now start from £34,670
- Peugeot E-Rifter – Prices now start from £30,850
- Peugeot E-Traveller – prices now start from £35,490
Renault
Renault’s entire line-up of electric cars is now officially eligible for the Electric Car Grant, including two recent Auto Express New Car Award winners: the new Renault 5 supermini, which is our Affordable Electric Car of the Year for 2025, plus the reborn Renault 4 that won the hotly contested Small SUV of the Year award. Both of these get the £3,750 discount – base 40kWh versions of the R5 only get £1,500 off, as do the Megane and Scenic – making them more attractive choices than ever.
- Renault 4 – Prices now start from £23,445
- Renault 5 – Best value EV grant car - Prices now start from £21,495
- Renault Megane – Prices now start from £31,295
- Renault Scenic – Prices now start from £35,495
Skoda
The Skoda Elroq and its bigger brother the Enyaq were already among our favourite electric cars on the market, but the pair of comfortable, spacious and surprisingly fetching-looking SUVs are even more appealing now, because they’re eligible for the Government grant.
- Skoda Elroq – Best EV grant car for families and dog owners – Prices now start from £32,060
- Skoda Enyaq – Prices now start from £37,510
Toyota
Toyota might be known the world over for its innovations in hybrid technology, but the Japanese marque also has five electric cars in its line-up now, two of which are eligible for the £1,500 ECG.
- Toyota bZ4X – Prices now start from £36,925
- Toyota Proace City Verso – Prices now start from £31,995
Vauxhall
Vauxhall’s entire range of seven electric cars is eligible for the EV grant, including the new Frontera and the even more practical Grandland. Thanks to the grant, the new Vauxhall Frontera Electric is actually now more affordable than the petrol-powered versions of the small SUV, as prices start from just £22,495.
- Vauxhall Astra – Prices now start from £34,130
- Vauxhall Corsa – Prices now start from £28,175
- Vauxhall Combo Life – Prices now start from £31,365
- Vauxhall Frontera – Prices now start from £23,995
- Vauxhall Grandland – Prices now start from £36,055
- Vauxhall Mokka – Prices now start from £31,680
- Vauxhall Vivaro Life Electric – Prices now start from £36,900
Volkswagen
Half of Volkswagen’s electric passenger car line-up is now eligible for the ECG, with the ID.3, ID.4 and ID.5 all qualifying for the £1,500 discount. Whichever of this trio takes your fancy, all are refined, spacious and perfectly suited for taking on family duties while covering a lot of miles.
- Volkswagen ID.3 – prices now start from £29,360
- Volkswagen ID.4 – prices now start from £35,495
- Volkswagen ID.5 – prices now start from £35,495
What are the best cars with the EV grant?
We expect even more models will qualify for the Electric Car Grant as time goes on, but these are our picks for the best cars that come with the discount right now.
Leading the pack has to be the Skoda Elroq – the Auto Express 2025 Car of the Year, and Mid-size SUV of the Year. It’s an exceptionally talented car, that’s surprisingly nimble around town and soothing to drive on the motorway, not to mention incredibly spacious and well finished inside. Add to that some of Skoda’s brilliant ‘Simply Clever’ touches, a range of up to 355 miles and generous kit list, and you can understand why we like it so much – and that was before the starting price dropped to just over £32k thanks to the EV grant.
Another Auto Express award winner, the Renault 5 feels very sophisticated and well rounded for a small electric car. It offers impressive handling abilities, refinement and real-world range, plus class-leading Google-powered technology. The retro looks and charm sprinkled throughout are the cherry on top. What more could you want?
If your answer to that question was space, there’s the slightly larger and boxier Renault 4, our Small SUV of the Year. As well as a bigger boot and more rear-seat space, the R4 also offers one-pedal driving – something its sibling doesn’t right now – which is great around town. On top of all that, it’s actually slightly cheaper than the R5 when you compare like-for-like, with both cars fitted with a 52kWh battery thanks to an entry-level ‘evolution+’ version of the SUV.
If you want a lot of space, though, or would prefer an SUV that’s more focused on comfort than retro charm, then the Citroen e-C5 Aircross Long Range is the obvious choice with its very roomy cabin, 550-litre boot and up to 421 miles of range from a single charge. Plus it only costs a couple of hundred pounds to upgrade from the standard variant to the long-range version of the head-turning family SUV.
The Ford Puma Gen-E deserves a mention, too. Not only does the full £3,750 discount make it cheaper than the petrol car, but the EV is an efficient, entertaining and well equipped small SUV. During our testing, we found the on-board tech very easy to use and there’s an impressive amount of boot space for a small SUV.
The EV grant cars to avoid
While there are lots of excellent, hugely capable electric cars available with the EV grant, we’d recommend buyers avoid the Peugeot E-208 and E-2008, as well as the DS 3 E-Tense and Vauxhall Mokka.
All four are certainly stylish EVs, but they’re all several years old at this point, yet considerably more expensive than their rivals.
The DS 3 E-Tense is the worst by far, costing about £35,500 after the EV grant has been applied. That’s the same price as the Renault Scenic – a much newer family SUV with more range and better tech – and about £10k more than its much closer rival, the Renault 4.
It’s the same story with the E-208, as an entry-level model costs about the same as the top-spec version of the Renault 5, yet offers less range and features rather dated technology.
We should also point out that the updated versions of the Vauxhall Astra and Astra Sports Tourer have been unveiled but aren’t on sale yet. So if you’re considering either car, hold off until the new models hit showrooms, because they’ll offer more range, better cabin materials and sharper looks.
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