Four more EV models qualify for £3,750 discount under Electric Car Grant as government pumps an extra £1.5 billion into the switch to electric
Source: gov.uk (2025-12-03)

Government doubles the number of models available for the top ECG discount.

- new Renault and MINI models are now eligible for the maximum £3,750 discount, with over 40,000 drivers benefitting from the grant since its launch in July
- follows an extra £1.5 billion announced at the Autumn Budget to power up the UK’s electric vehicle revolution, saving people thousands and boosting the charging network
- includes £1.3 billion for the Electric Car Grant, increasing available funding and extending it to 2030, alongside £200 million to rollout more chargepoints nationwide
Drivers can save £3,750 off 4 more electric vehicles (EVs) as the top band of the Electric Car Grant (ECG) expands again today (3 December 2025) to include the:
- MINI Countryman
- Renault 4
- Renault 5
- Renault Alpine A290
The expansion doubles the number of EVs eligible for the maximum reduction under the grant, meaning drivers can now get £3,750 off 8 models across some of the most popular brands.

See a list of cars eligible for the Electric Car Grant (https://www.gov.uk/plug-in-vehicle-grants/cars).

The government has also gone further to make it cheaper and easier to choose electric with an extra £1.5 billion at the Autumn Budget including £1.3 billion to increase available funding and extend the ECG for a further year, meaning more drivers will be able to save thousands when making the switch, alongside £200 million to accelerate the rollout of chargepoints across the country.

The grant is helping to tackle upfront costs – traditionally one of the biggest barriers to EV uptake – and has already helped over 40,000 drivers choose electric since its launch in July.

September and October saw record EV sales with 1 in 4 new cars sold in the UK now being electric (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/vehicles-statistics), whilst interest in some eligible vehicles doubled (https://www.autotrader.co.uk/content/news/is-the-electric-car-grant-having-an-impact).

Buyers can choose from some of the UK’s best-loved brands through the grant, including Ford, Vauxhall, and Citroen, as well as Nissan whose LEAF model is set to be built at the company’s Sunderland plant helping to boost jobs and growth in the North East (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-sunderland-made-nissan-leaf-qualifies-for-3750-discount-under-governments-ev-grant-in-a-boost-for-north-east-manufacturing).

Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, said:

Our Electric Car Grant has already supported over 40,000 drivers to choose electric, and this latest expansion doubles the number of models available for the top discount – putting thousands of pounds back in more families’ pockets.

We’re doubling down on our drive to help people buy EVs, extending the grant to push down costs and boosting charging access with a further £200 million to expand the charging network across the UK.

The additional £200 million to support the rollout of more chargepoints across the country will build on the £381 million to help councils deliver over 100,000 new public chargers.

This is on top of a £25 million scheme (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-63-million-boost-for-britains-electric-vehicle-revolution) to make it easier for residents without driveways to install home chargers, enabling them to access cheaper electricity rates and charge up for as little as 2p per mile.

The government is also making it easier for people to install home charging solutions such as cross pavement charging with proposals to cut red tape and removing planning (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-looks-to-slash-red-tape-to-make-charging-electric-vehicles-at-home-easier) permission requirements. This could speed up residents’ applications and save drivers up to £250 in application fees.

There are almost 87,000 chargers (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/public-electric-vehicle-chargepoints-surge-23-in-just-one-year) already live across the country, with the fastest growth happening outside London in places like Yorkshire, Wales, the West Midlands, and the East of England, and rural chargepoints in England up 26% overall on the year.

The government has also launched a review into the cost of public electric vehicle charging, looking at the impact of energy prices, wider cost contributors, and options for lowering these costs for consumers.

Overall, the government is investing £7.5 billion to accelerate the transition to electric and to maintain the UK’s leading position as having the largest EV share of any major European market (https://www.acea.auto/pc-registrations/new-car-registrations-1-4-in-october-2025-year-to-date-battery-electric-16-4-market-share/) from January to October this year.

Ian Plummer, Chief Commercial Officer at Autotrader, the UK’s largest automotive marketplace, said:

The Electric Car Grant is helping to make electric cars more affordable for thousands of car buyers, which is vital if we are to accelerate the rate of adoption. We can clearly see the impact the grant is already having on consumer interest, with the number of people viewing grant eligible models on Autotrader increasing by over 100% in some instances, so with the addition of these news models to the scheme we will no doubt see similar levels of interest.

We’re also pleased to hear that the government is trying to make charging more accessible and cheaper for all. EVs enjoy significant running cost benefits, but only when the cars can be charged mainly on driveways or cheaper off street locations, so this investment is vital to ensure no driver is left behind on the journey to electric.

BEAMA CEO, Yselkla Farmer said:

BEAMA’s latest market pulse shows that the Electric Car Grant is leading to positive trends in new EV inquiries to date and its continued support by this government is a welcome measure, providing certainty and improving confidence for UK EV charge point manufacturers in the UK as the place to invest. With more cars becoming eligible for the top level of the grant the government’s ambitious ZEV mandate is becoming increasingly achievable.

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