7:55 am, August 5, 2025
The first electric cars to be eligible for the government’s Electric Car Grant have been announced… and they’re all Citroens.
Buyers of the e-C3, e-C3 Aircross, e-C4, e-C4 X, the brand new e-C5 Aircross, and the e-Berlingo will be able save £1,500, the Department for Transport (DfT) said, with the discount being automatically applied at the point of sale.
These are the first models approved under the new £650m Electric Car Grant as they meet ‘Level 2’ of the criteria. This covers cars that are assembled in Europe.
Confusion has reigned since the government first announced the initiative three weeks ago.
It has rumoured but not confirmed that Chinese carmakers will not be included in the scheme, leading to a tranche of Chinese brands, along with manufacturers who build their electric models in China, introducing their own price cuts.
The grant will enable motorists purchasing a new electric car to save either £1,500 or £3,750, depending on sustainability criteria.
It is hoped the measure will encourage more drivers to switch to electric motoring.
Transport secretary Heidi Alexander said more models will be announced in the coming weeks.
‘Once again we’re delivering our plan for change by standing firmly on the side of motorists and manufacturers, driving down costs for consumers, supporting jobs and putting money back in people’s pockets,’ she said.
Greg Taylor, managing director of Citroen UK, said: ‘We want everyone to have the opportunity to make the switch to an electric car, and this support will help make our cars more accessible for our customers.’
Edmund King, AA president, said ‘any government support to boost the demand for EVs is welcome’, adding: ‘This discount of £1,500 for some more affordable EVs will help a number of those with tighter budgets.
‘We look forward to seeing the full list of discounts up to £3,750 on more models to really push the market forward.’
The grant is being seen as a way to boost electric car sales to meet this year’s ZEV Mandate figure of 28%.
Across all manufacturers, the figure during the first half of the year was 21.6%.
