The Ford Puma Gen-E and Ford e-Tourneo Courier have become the first models to receive the full £3750 on the UK government’s new Electric Car Grant scheme.
The pair are now priced at £26,245 and £28,440 respectively. Notably in the case of the Gen-E, its starting price has dipped £345 under that of its Puma Hybrid sibling.
Both cars have received the discount because they have met the government’s strict sustainability criteria, which covers both the manufacturing of the car and the marque as a whole.
While Westminster has still yet to reveal its benchmarks for the top banding, Ford told Autocar the emissions generated at its Romanian plant during battery production and vehicle assembly met the criteria.
It also scored higher because the energy used there is completely renewable and it has set a goal of becoming fully carbon-neutral by 2050, Ford said.
“We welcome the government’s decision to accelerate the transition to electric mobility and are proud that Ford’s commitment to sustainability has been recognised with the full EV grant,” said Ford UK MD Lisa Brankin.
She added that it makes the switch to electric “simpler” and “more affordable” for customers.
Alongside the Ford models, the Peugeot e-308, e-408, DS 3 E-Tense and DS No4 E-Tense were all granted discounts of £1500 – the lower of the two bands.
They join 22 other models that already received the same discount since the grant was introduced in July.
The new discounts, especially the first from the top band, have been welcomed by industry heads, including AA president Edmund King.
He said: “Drivers frequently tell us that the up-front costs of new EVs are a stumbling block to making the switch to electric. It is great to see some of these more substantial £3750 discounts coming online, because for some drivers this might just bridge the financial gap to make these cars affordable. As more cars qualify for the biggest savings, more drivers will be tempted to go electric.”
Transport secretary Heidi Alexander said: “Our measures are driving competition in the UK EV market, boosting economic growth and supporting jobs and skills as part of our plan for change.”
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What the government should do is give the £3750 to everyone who went out and bought a diesel vehicle that was not fit for purpose later in its life and were forced to sell it.
Most people that brought a diesel in the first place will find that no amount of money will compensate them for their own stupidity.
Allocating different grant values without saying what criteria they're using to set those values. It stinks of ignornace or corruption. Or both. How more complicated a scheme can they come up with? If the goal is to promote EV then they only need one simple rule.
God knows how they came up with this rubbish policy, but it reminds me of a 1970's Labour governments where large groups of people would be locked into a committee room with fags, beer and sandwitches and not let out until they came to an agreement.
It's beyond comprehension why the UK taxpayer should be providing over double the subsidy it gives to other to other manufacturers, for a car that doesn't contribute to UK manufacturing.
Allocating different grant values without saying what criteria they're using to set those values. It stinks of ignornace or corruption. Or both. How more complicated a scheme can they come up with? If the goal is to promote EV then they only need one simple rule.
God knows how they came up with this rubbish policy, but it reminds me of a 1970's Labour governments where large groups of people would be locked into a committee room with fags, beer and sandwitches and not let out until they came to an agreement.
It's beyond comprehension why the UK taxpayer should be providing over double the subsidy it gives to other to other manufacturers, for a car that doesn't contribute to UK manufacturing.