Vauxhall reduces electric vehicle pricing so customers can still use the plug-in car grant

Vauxhall is the latest car manufacturer to announce updated pricing for its electric vehicles after the government changed the rules for its green car incentives.

The Plug-in Car Grant is designed to encourage motorists to buy zero-emission vehicles by providing a discount, but last week the price cap for eligible vehicles was reduced from £50,000 to £35,000, while the discount dropped from £3,000 to £2,500.

This announcement came out of the blue and suddenly made a large number of vehicles ineligible for a discount. In response, Vauxhall has now cut prices on the Mokka-e crossover and the Vivaro-e Life van, while all versions of the Corsa-e supermini already fall under the new guidelines so will not see price reductions.

The Mokka-e SE Premium trim now starts at £33,040 while the top-of-the-range Launch Edition starts at £34,995. As for the Vivaro-e Life, prices have been cut £2,000 so the entry-level Edition model is now £34,995.

Paul Wilcox, managing director at Vauxhall, said: “At Vauxhall, we believe in making sure our vehicles are as accessible as possible to the greatest number of people, and especially so when it comes to zero emissions-in-use motoring, so I am pleased to confirm that all Corsa-e, all Mokka-e and the new Vivaro-e Life Combi are eligible for the Government Plug-in Car Grant.”

The government’s announcement caught the car industry off guard, with Mike Hawes, CEO of industry body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders saying it was ‘the wrong move at the wrong time’ that ‘moves the UK even further behind other markets’.

Various manufacturers have been revising pricing since the news broke, with Citroen reducing prices of the new e-C4 and MG pledging to make up the difference to the old discount until the end of March.