Vauxhall Grandland and Renault Scenic prices cut to meet Government EV grant threshold
Vauxhall and Renault have cut prices of their Grandland and Scenic models to drop them below the £37,000 threshold for the UK Government’s recently-announced new electric car grant (ECG).
The Grandland and the Scenic have had their starting prices discounted by £400 and £200 respectively to bring both all-electric SUVs down to £36,995. The ECG is aimed at making EVs in the UK more affordable, by reducing their OTR costs from between £1,500 to £3,750. It will, however, only be available on brand new EVs costing less than £37,000
Yet to be elegible for the grant, these all-electric models will have to provide the Government with scientific evidence of their green credentials relating to the environmental impact of their battery and manufacturing process. The government has yet to announce the manufacturers that meet its criteria.
On the back of the government’s indecision, Chinese manufacturers such as GWM and Leapmotor have announced discounts of between £1,500 and £3,750 on several of their models, meaning that the Leapmotor T03 city can can now be purchased for £14,495, undercutting the Dacia Spring by £500 and making its the cheapest brand new EV on sale in the UK.
The £37,000 figure is vital for brands, as it brings entire model line-ups using the same battery into elegibility for the grant.
This means that given the entry-level Design spec Grandland with its 73kWh battery is already priced from £36,055, the mid-tier GS and flagship Ultimate models with the same battery will qualify for the ECG, despite both being over the £37k threshold.
Similarly, the top-tier Scenic Iconic Esprit Alpine with its £42,195 asking price will also qualify, as its base-spec Techno trim sibling costs less than £37,000, yet both are available with the same 87kWh battery.
In light of the Government’s ECG announcement, EV Powered has compiled a list of sub-£37,000 EVs including the award-winning Renault 5, non-vRS variants of the Skoda Elroq, and the highly-acclaimed Kia EV3. To read the feature in full, click here.
