Last month the UK Government announced a new incentive to support the uptake of electric vehicles (BEVs). The £650 million package is another episode in the grant based encouragement to go electric.

The Grant has two bands. £3,750 will be given for the most sustainably produced cars and £1,500 for cars that meet some environmental criteria. This, according to the government is in recognition of the need to address embedded carbon emissions across a vehicle’s lifetime, as well as tailpipe emissions. Vehicles that do not meet minimum sustainability standards will not be eligible for a grant.

As well as supporting buyers, the incentive also helps manufacturers to increase sales and meet their ZEV mandate targets for this year. This is a requirement that 28% of new car sales in 2025 and 16% of vans must be zero emissions.

The response from manufacturers has been slow, possibly waiting on the finer details to emerge. But now a few have committed to a £1,500 in-house grant for selected vehicles within their model ranges.

Volvo Car UK announces grant to support UK customers to purchase an EX30.

placeholder image — Volvo Car UK announces grant to support UK customers to purchase an EX30.

Volkswagen has introduced its own £1,500 grant ahead of the government confirming eligibility for its grant. It is offered on the company’s ID.3 and ID.4 cars. However, the company points out that customers cannot receive both the Volkswagen UK ‘Grant Guarantee’ and the Government Electric Car Grant.

Skoda, a partner within the VAG group is also offering a similar ‘Grant Guarantee’ on selected Elroq and Enyaq models. The offer lasts throughout the month of August for delivery after the UK registration plate changes on the 1st September.

And, staying with company policy, CUPRA is offering the same incentive on its ‘Born’ model, again for August purchase.

Volvo is also self-funding a £1,500 grant on its compact EX30. The company has confirmed that it is currently engaged with the government to check eligibility, and this self-funded grant reflects its commitment to delivering electric driving. The EX30 is built using recycled materials and has the lowest CO₂ footprint of any Volvo to date.

Expanding market choice, Suzuki has announced its first all-electric, the new e Vitara, and has confirmed pricing. The 49kWh battery model costs £29,999 and a 61kWh capacity version is also available. The new additions will be available in the company’s ‘Motion’ and ‘Ultra’ specifications as well as an all-wheel drive ALLGRIP-e variant. The 61kWh versions begin at £32,999 with the ALLGRIP in top ‘Ultra’ specification costing £37,799.

Mazda has also just confirmed that its new all-electric Mazda6e will arrive here in the first half of 2026. It will come with a choice of 68.8kWh or 80kWh battery options. The 68.8kWh version offers a range of up to 300 miles and with 200kW DC charging it charges from 10 to 80% in just 22 minutes, with a range of 145miles taking just 15 minutes. The electric motor delivers 258ps for a 0-62mph time of 7.6 seconds.

For customers opting for the longer range model, the 80kWh version offers a range of up to 345miles and with 244ps reaches 62mph in 7.8secs. Both versions produce the same 320Nm of torque with a rear-wheel drive layout. The longer range 80kWh Mazda6e will charge from 10 to 80 per cent in 45 minutes and like the smaller battery version supports DC rapid charging.