What Electric Vehicle Grants Are Available?
Ellie Dyer-Brown, 6 months ago
5 min read
- Electric vehicles
- Car ownership
FIxMyCar discusses what government grants are available to help UK motorists go green.
Electric vehicles aren’t cheap to buy, and installing a home charging point is an added cost, leaving many motorists wondering whether there are any government grants to reduce the financial burden. This guide discusses all the help available to UK drivers wanting to go green.
Contents
Electric vehicle grants in the UK
Electric vehicle grants in the UK
The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) provides grants to help people and businesses buy an electric vehicle (EV) or install charging points.
There are four schemes currently in operation:
Plug-in Car Grant (PICG) - available through dealerships and manufacturers who pass the discount to customers.
Electric Vehicle Home Charge Scheme (EVHS) - contributes to the cost of installing a charging point at home.
On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS) - provides support to local authorities who want to install on-street chargers.
Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) - helps businesses with the up-front costs of charging infrastructure.
You can find more information about EV grants on the government website.
Plug-in Car Grant
Manufacturers and dealerships pass this discount on to customers, so there’s no need to apply for the grant. The vehicles included in this scheme must be on the government’s approved list.
Approved vehicles receive the following discounts on the purchase price:
Small vans - up to 35%, capped at £2,500
Large vans - up to 20%, capped at £5,000
Small trucks - up to 20%, capped at £16,000
Large trucks - up to 20%, capped at £25,000
Wheelchair accessible vehicles - up to 35%, capped at £2,500
Mopeds - up to 35%, capped at £150
Motorcycles - up to 35%, capped at £500
Electric Vehicle Home Charge Scheme
This scheme helps EV owners offset up to £350 of their residential charger. However, it is restricted to homeowners who live in flats and people living in rented accommodation (single-use properties and flats).
To claim, you must:
Have off-street parking at your home
Check your car is eligible
Fit an approved charger
Get an approved installer to carry out the work
Workplace Charging Scheme
The WCS is a voucher-based scheme available to businesses and workplaces in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It provides a financial contribution towards the up-front costs of installing charging points.
It works by contributing 75% of the costs of EV charger purchase and installation. It is capped at £350 per charging point and can be used on up to 40 charge points across all sites. The WCS could save businesses up to £14,000 in total.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an EV charger grant?
The Electric Vehicle Home Charge Scheme allows you to offset up to £350 on a home charging point.
Do all EV drivers qualify for a home charger grant?
The scheme covers all drivers who have bought or leased a new or second-hand eligible EV on or after 1st October 2016, as long as they haven’t claimed against a previous government charging point grant.
How many electric vehicle home chargers can I get a grant for?
You can use the EVHS for a maximum of two EVs if all the conditions are met.
Is the EVHS grant available before or after installation?
The installer will claim 75% of the cost on your behalf before the installation takes place.
Looking for affordable repairs and maintenance for your electric vehicle? Whatever you need, FixMyCar can help you find the right garage at the right price.
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Written by Ellie
Ellie is FixMyCar's Content Writer. She has over three years of experience writing about cars and regularly collaborates with automotive experts to provide trustworthy advice for drivers that is easy understand. Her work has been featured in Yahoo! Finance, iNews, The Daily Express and The Sun. She has a BA in English literature and an MA in creative writing from Durham University. Outside of work, Ellie follows F1 and eagerly awaits Ferrari's next era of dominance in the sport. She drives a Suzuki Swift.