Kia has introduced a new trim for its all-electric e-Niro, meaning buyers can now bag the big battery model and still be eligible for the government’s £2,500 plug-in discount.
Last week, the government slashed its Plug-in Car Grant from £3,000 to £2,500 and lowered the eligible price from £50,000 to £35,000.
A number of manufacturers’ electric cars became ineligible for the grant overnight including the long-range 64kWh battery Kia e-Niro models.
Now, though, Kia has introduced a new trim level to 64kWh battery versions, dropping the price to £34,945 – or £32,545 after the grant is applied.
The new ‘2’ Long Range trim has recorded a range of 282 miles on the official combined cycle, which Kia says gives it the longest range of any vehicle eligible for the grant, and it gets the same 201bhp motor used in the more expensive versions.
Standard equipment on this trim includes an eight-inch infotainment screen, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, 17-inch alloy wheels, reversing camera, rear parking sensors, and adaptive cruise control.
All e-Niro models give owners access to KiaCharge, which is the firm’s new public charging service.
It integrates various charging network providers into one app so owners don’t need multiple cards and accounts to charge their vehicle.
It includes 15,000 charge points across the country, including those from major providers such as Ionity and Pod Point.
Order books for the new Kia e-Niro 2 Long Range have opened today, with deliveries expected to begin in July.
While Kia has introduced a new cheaper model, other manufacturers like Citroen and Vauxhall cut list prices while MG announced it would make up the difference to the old discount until the end of March.
A new survey published yesterday from What Car? showed 79 per cent of in-market car buyers disagreed with the cut in subsidies.
