► Only car to get the full government grant
► Cheaper to buy than the petrol equivalent
► Chinese EVs don’t qualify yet
The Ford Puma Gen-E is the only new car to officially qualify for the UK Government’s full £3,750 Electric Car Grant (ECG). Twenty-seven other EVs – including the Renault 4 E-Techand Peugeot e-2008 – feature on the list, but they’re only eligible for the smaller £1,500 discount.
The Puma Gen-E is the electric version of Britain’s best-selling car for the past two years. With the grant applied, it now starts at £26,245, undercutting the petrol model on running costs and finance alike.
Throw in Ford’s Power Promise of a free wall charger worth £899 and up to 10,000 miles of free home charging credits and we’re becoming more inclined to recommend it. If you’ve been sitting on the fence about going electric, this could well tip the balance.
The government grant rewards cars that reach strict sustainability criteria. Manufacturers apply, the government assesses, and if successful, models are awarded a place in Band 1 (£3,750) or Band 2 (£1,500) depending on how well the carmaker meets sustainability standards.
Why did the Puma Gen-E bag the full grant?
The Puma Gen-E drivetrain is assembled in Halewood in the good old UK, but the batteries and the car itself is built in Craiova, Romania. However, even with this combination of UK and European assembly, Ford has still managed to tick enough sustainability boxes to earn the full £3,750 grant.
It’s the same story for the E-Tourneo Courier van, which also benefits from the Band 1 full saving.
Ford insiders indicated to us that Band 1 status likely came down to the way the Gen-E and E-Tourneo Courier are put together – with the batteries, drivetrain and vehicle assembly all carried out using 100 per cent renewable energy.
But surely there are other manufacturers that make the cut?
We thought that the new Sunderland-built Nissan Leaf would be the first to qualify but it’s not on sale yet. We predict it’ll bag the full saving when it arrives later in 2025.
The Renault 4 E-Tech and 5 E-Tech are built and assembled in northern France but only managed to get the Band 2 £1,500 grant.
And the Chinese EV makers?
None have qualified yet. The scheme heavily penalises manufacturers for using carbon-intensive electricity generation, effectively barring Chinese-built EVs. In response, GWM UK and Leapmotor taken matters into their own hands, by slashing prices. In some cases, cutting the full £3,750 off the sticker price.
So is it just 28 cars on the list, or are more on the way?
We reckon more will be added. Additional EVs will get assessed over the coming months, but for now, it’s only the Puma Gen-E and E-Tourneo Courier earning the full £3,750 discount.