The Grants – up to £3,500 for a zero emission car and £8,000 for a plug-in van could be axed at the end of March.
Now, the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association has called on recently appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak to confirm in the Budget on March 11 the long-term continuation of the Plug-in Car and Van Grants as the UK transitions to a zero-emission future.
To safeguard the Grants, which help bridge the price gap between electric vehicles and their petrol or diesel counterparts, the BVRLA has called on stakeholders from across the industry, including fleet managers, to write to their local MP and has set up a campaign page on its website to speed up the process – https://www.bvrla.co.uk/resource/taking-action-on-picg.html.
The Government has said that only new 100% electric and hydrogen cars will be on sale from 2035 – and possibly earlier subject to consultation – as it ends the sale of petrol, diesel, hybrid and plug-in hybrid models, prompting BVRLA chief executive Gerry Keaney to say: “By setting these new decarbonisation targets, the Government is in danger of writing a cheque that the fleet sector cannot cash.
“Businesses are being asked to invest billions of pounds in new electric vehicles and infrastructure over a short timescale. Tax incentives are vital, but so are the Plug-in Grants. They need to be maintained in some form until at least 2025 if we are to deliver the transition that is required.”
The Plug-In Car Grant is calculated to reduces the cost of a typical leased electric vehicle by around 25% or £100 per month.
