Both the Vauxhall Grandland and Renault Scenic have been given price cuts to drop them below the £37,000 threshold for the Government’s new electric car grant.
The pair were slightly above the cut-off when the grant was announced last week, but the entry point for the Scenic range has dropped by £200 and the Grandland by £400 to put both electric SUVs at £36,995.
Although manufacturers are yet to receive clarity on exactly which models will be eligible for the grant, with scientific evidence needing to be submitted about the environmental impact of the battery and production process, Renault is confident that its whole range of electric cars – the new 4 and 5 models, the Megane and the Scenic, will qualify.
“The government is yet to announce the precise application of these grant bands but we expect our range of award-winning electric cars to benefit from the grant”, said a statement on the brand’s website, referencing the fact that the grant is subject to Office for Zero Emission Vehicles approval.
That approval process isn’t likely to produce tangible results in terms of which vehicles get grants until mid-August, with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders predicting around two-thirds of EVs below £37,000 will get some form of reduction. The grant will be either £3,750 or £1,500 depending on which level the car achieves against the Government criteria. Although some EVs costing under £37,000 will not qualify at all.
Various manufacturers including Kia, MG, Leapmotor and Alfa Romeo have announced either offers or price reductions in the wake of the Government’s announcement that has caused short-term uncertainty while consumers wait to see which cars are going to get what level of grant. As brands continue to react, you can find the latest top deals on electric cars through the Auto Express marketplace and our sister brand Carwow has a live EV deals page tracking the latest offers.
Getting the entry models under £37,000 is crucial for brands, as that brings the entire line-up using the same battery into eligibility. So the base Design specification Vauxhall Grandland being under £37,000 also means the Vauxhall’s GS and Ultimate trim levels qualify despite being over the price threshold. Likewise, even the top-spec £42,195 Scenic Iconic Esprit Alpine would qualify for the grant, because its Techo-spec sibling is below £37,000.
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