10:24 am, October 18, 2024
Cupra has come up with a novel way of trying to hit its ZEV mandate targets by offering a no-quibble three-month return option on plug-in cars currently held in UK stock.
The Spanish manufacturer is offering the deal on its existing examples of the Born electric hatchback, under the banner ‘Love me or Leave Me’ and has partnered with a charger supplier and energy company to try and further sweeten the deal to convince customers to buy EVs.
It’s another example of manufacturers doing all they can to increase EV sales, following a slump in demand and a desperate bid by under-pressure carmakers to hit their zero-emission targets, which are already pointing towards a very unusual set of Q4 sales data across the industry.
Under the scheme, if the purchaser decides to hand back the car back, Cupra says it will return the deposit and payments (subject to damage and excess mileage) irrespective of whether the car was purchased outright or financed.
Marcus Gossen, Director of Seat and Cupra UK, said: ‘It is safe to say that the new scheme is ground-breaking and will give many drivers who have considered an electric car the impetus to make the leap.
‘Cupra Born is already a compelling proposition, bringing performance, great range, sporty styling and an outstanding interior into one package that owners tell us they love. But, if the experience doesn’t suit their lifestyle and a driver doesn’t gel with EV ownership, they can hand the keys back after three months.’
The three-month trial is available across all model variants of the Cupra Born, including the high-performance VZ model – but only on unsold cars currently in the country and not new factory orders.
Under the terms of the Love me or Leave Me deal, the company says that owners mist let the company know in writing between 80 and 100 days if they do not wish to keep the car.
Cupra has also teamed up with energy supplier OVO to offer owners up to 10,000 complimentary miles when they add its Charge Anytime tariff to an OVO energy plan.
Charge Anytime allows smart charging at home for 7p per kWh, any time, day or night. The company has also joined forces with EV charging company Ohme to offer a free home EV charger that integrates with any home charging tariff, enabling users to schedule charging with full mobile app control for keeping track of electricity usage and costs.
David Watson, Ohme CEO, added: ‘Ohme is committed to ensuring that no driver is left behind in the transition to greater e-mobility.
‘This is an exciting and innovative new scheme from CUPRA and Ohme looks forward to continue to work with them as their official home EV charging partner as well as with OVO to bring low cost, low CO2 EV motoring to more drivers.’
Main image: © Cupra
