11:23 am, March 24, 2021
Vauxhall is the latest car maker to have tweaked pricing for its electric car range in the wake of the government’s changes to the Plug-in Car Grant.
Vauxhall’s new pure-electric Mokka-e in SE Premium trim now starts at £33,040 while the top-of-the-range Launch Edition starts at £34,995.
As for the Vivaro-e Life people mover, prices have been cut by £2,000 so the entry-level Edition model is now £34,995.
The Corsa-e supermini’s pricing remains unchanged as this model falls beneath the new £35,000 threshold.
The price cuts are in response to the government changing the Plug-in Car Grant last week.
The grant was first introduced in 2011 as an incentive for motorists to purchase a pure-electric vehicle. But last week the price cap for eligible vehicles was reduced from £50,000 to £35,000, while the discount dropped from £3,000 to £2,500.
Mokka-e now starts at £33,040
Paul Wilcox, Vauxhall’s recently-appointed new managing director, said: ‘At Vauxhall, we believe in making sure our vehicles are as accessible as possible to the greatest number of people, and especially so when it comes to zero emissions-in-use motoring, so I am pleased to confirm that all Corsa-e, all Mokka-e and the new Vivaro-e Life Combi are eligible for the government Plug-in Car Grant.’
The announcement of the changes to the grant came out of the blue and Vauxhall is one of a number of manufacturers who reacted quickly and changed prices for their pure-electric models.
Citroen announced last week it had reduced prices of the new e-C4 and MG pledged it would make up the difference to the old discount until the end of March.
The government’s announcement caught the car industry off guard, with Mike Hawes, SMMT chief saying it was ‘the wrong move at the wrong time’ that ‘moves the UK even further behind other markets’.
A new survey published today from What Car? showed 79 per cent of in-market car buyers disagreed with the cut in subsidies.
