Britain has expanded eligibility for its highest-level electric vehicle purchase incentive, adding four new battery-electric models to the top tier of its Electric Car Grant (ECG) scheme as part of a broader effort to accelerate EV adoption through the end of the decade.
The Renault 4, Alpine A290, Mini Countryman EV and the 52 kWh Renault 5 have been added to Band One of the scheme, making them eligible for the maximum £3,750 subsidy. Their inclusion lowers entry-level prices to £23,455 for the Renault 4, £23,945 for the 52 kWh Renault 5, £25,350 for the Mini Countryman EV and £30,245 for the Alpine A290.
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The newly approved models now join the Nissan Leaf, Ford Puma Gen-E, Ford E-Tourneo Courier and Citroën ë-C5 Aircross at the top tier of the programme. A further 35 electric vehicles remain eligible for the lower £1,500 incentive under Band Two.
The 40 kWh entry-level version of the Renault 5 remains excluded from the higher band, as it does not meet the emissions-linked criteria required for the full grant, the government said. More than 40 models now qualify for some level of support under the ECG, though the majority fall under the lower subsidy bracket.
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The current scheme was announced in July with an overall funding envelope of £650 million. Under its rules, “vehicles with a listing price of less than £37,000 could be eligible for as much as £3,750 in subsidies,” according to the government’s original outline. The price cap was later tightened in August, with a new upper threshold of £42,000 applied as the number of eligible vehicles increased.
The expansion follows confirmation in the recent budget that an additional £1.5 billion in funding has been allocated to the grant, with the programme’s end date extended from 2028 to 2030. The government has also set aside £200 million to expand public charging infrastructure to improve nationwide coverage and reliability.
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The updated incentives come ahead of the planned introduction of a national pay-per-mile tax system for electric vehicles from 2028, marking a shift in how zero-emission vehicles will be integrated into the UK’s long-term taxation framework.
