Plug-in Car Grant Slash: Our Thoughts?
We’re weighing in on the government decision to slash plug-in car grant and reduce car scheme eligibility. The UK government recently made a controversial decision. This move would reduce grant and eligibility incentives for electric vehicle purchase schemes. Is it the right move? We’re responding to the recent government proposal of slashing PiCG (plug-in car grant) by £500 and limiting car scheme availability to electric cars up to a value of £35,000.
Fleet Evolution’s managing director, Andrew Leech, says it’s the car manufacturers who ultimately need to make the call on reducing sale costs for electric vehicles in line with current prices for diesel and petrol vehicles. The current government target for a reduction in Co2 emissions is 68% by 2030. The argument seems to rest on finding the sweet spot between the affordability of electric car subsidies for the taxpayer as electric car sales rise, and manufacturers setting retail prices that remain enticing to the consumer.
What does MD Andy think of the Plug-in Car Grant Slash?
“I think on the whole it’s the right thing to do. There’s loads of affordable electric cars that sit well below the £35,000 price mark, such as the MG5! These cars are very capable of covering 200 miles on a single charge; that’s more than enough for a week’s typical motoring, let alone a day!
“The typical employee covers just 27 miles a day. At the moment, there are over 40 electric car models sitting below £35,000! On top of that, a couple of manufacturers are thinking of lowering their prices to qualify for the revised grant.
“In a time of cost-saving, you do have to question the sanity of the taxpayer. Subsidising Tesla’s and Polestar’s? The pure maths makes these cars stand up anyway!
“However, we would have preferred the government to reintroduce increases in petrol and diesel cars to bring the argument into sharp focus.
“The true issue is one for the manufacturers. Electric cars are as simple to produce as petrol and diesel cars, so why should electric vehicles attract a premium price that typically makes them 30% more expensive than petrol or diesel cars?
“The removal of the grant will reward those who pioneer fair pricing and penalise those who either overprice or underdevelop electric cars, and that is something we would welcome.”
Want to have a conversation about the plug-in car grant slash? Get in touch with the man himself, Andy, below!
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