Vauxhall said it has revised prices for their new Mokka-e and Vivaro-e to below £35,000 to ensure new buyers still receive the discount. The Mokka-e SE Premium model will now be priced at £33,000 with the range-topping Mokka-e Launch Edition at just under £35,000.
The Vivaro-e has seen its list prices realigned by more than £2,000 with prices starting from £34,995.
Vauxhall has confirmed the new prices will come into immediate effect to ensure road users are not caught out by the new car grant changes.
Paul Wilcox, Managing Director at Vaxchall said their cars will continue to be available to “the greatest number of people”.
He 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.”
READ MORE: Electric car grant updates are ‘extremely concerning’ for drivers
Citroen has reduced the cost of its all new electric e-C4 by £550 to ensure it remains below the £35,000 threshold.
The move was previously priced at £35,495 but will now be available for just £34,995 to ensure new buyers can still receive a discount.
Eurig Druce, Citroen UK’s Managing Director said the firm were “disappointed” at the news and called for “long-term support”.
Mr Druce said: “We were disappointed to hear the news that the support for consumers to make the switch to a low emission vehicle had been reduced.
“For this period of transition to be a success and for electrification targets to be met, both the industry and consumers need clearer long-term guidance and support on how we will get there.
Experts at the Department for Transport claim the new changes will ensure the funding last longer and is available to more drivers.
The DfT said the number of electric car models priced under £35,000 has increased by almost 50 percent since 2019 with half of the models on the market still eligible for the scheme.
The Government said it has provided close to £1.3billion to cars since the scheme was first launched in 2011.
It claims more than 285,000 vehicles have been purchased with discounts over the past decade.
DfT spokesperson, Rachel Maclean said: “We want as many people as possible to be able to make the switch to electric vehicles as we look to reduce our carbon emissions, strive towards our net-zero ambitions and level up right across the UK.
“The increasing choice of new vehicles, growing demand from customers and rapidly rising number of chargepoints mean that, while the level of funding remains as high as ever, given soaring demand, we are refocusing our vehicle grants on the more affordable zero-emission vehicles – where most consumers will be looking and where taxpayers’ money will make more of a difference.
“We will continue to review the grant as the market grows.”