6:36 am, July 22, 2025
Two Chinese electric car manufacturers have reacted to confusion over the government’s EV Grant, offering discounts ahead of grant scheme elgibility details being officially confirmed.
GWM UK, which makes the Ora (formerly known as the Funky Cat) and is soon to launch a new SUV called the Haval, has become the second Chinese maker to offer the full £3,750 grant equivalent discount off its new cars after Transport minister Lilian Greenwood told the BBC Today programme: ‘The grant is restricted to those manufacturers that reach minimum environmental standards. And, frankly, if you generate a lot of the electricity that powers your factory through coal power stations, then you are not going to be able to access this grant.’
Her comments have left a lot of Chinese makers in the dark as to whether or not they qualify, which last week prompted start-up brand Leapmotor to introduce its own £3,750 discount ahead of the grant’s inception.
The GWM ‘Green Grant’ scheme also prefaces the government’s Electric Car Grant, giving all retail customers £3,750 off an Ora 03 while details of the government grant remain sketchy.
Effective immediately, prices for the Ora 03 now start from £21,245, and the savings can also be used towards a personal contract purchase (PCP) deposit. A 0% APR finance package is also available on the model.
GWM says the £3,750 offer will run until the end of September, on all Ora 03 models.
Toby Marshall, managing director at GWM UK, said: ‘We don’t believe our customers should have to wait for the government to decide which vehicles qualify for the EV grant. So, we’ve taken matters into our own hands and matched the £3,750 saving, available to everyone, right now, on our Ora 03 range.
‘With immediate availability, competitive finance, and exceptional value, there has never been a better time to go electric with GWM Ora.’
Meanwhile, MG Motor UK has also reacted with discounts, offering up to £1,500 off on selected models.
From July 21, MG will offer a £1,500 discount on the MG4 EV and MG5 EV to private buyers. The brand says the move is intended to support the aims of the new grant scheme and will sit alongside existing promotions from MG’s 155 UK dealers. With the discount applied, the cheapest MG4 model is now £25,495.
Guy Pigounakis, commercial director at MG Motor UK, said: ‘MG has been a key contributor to the EV sector, consistently recognising the economic and environmental benefits of introducing a wide range of affordable, electric-only models.
‘Today’s announcement underlines this commitment, and we will seek to work constructively with the government to further increase the sale of EVs.’
