Seven commercial vehicles get discount of up to £8,000

The UK government has revealed the initial seven electric vans that will qualify for its Plug-in Van Grant (PiVG).

It was announced last month that vans would be added to the existing Plug-in Car Grant scheme, which was restricted to passenger cars. Now its official – a discount of up to £8,000 off the price of the van is on offer for the following electric vans:

The government expects other manufacturers to get on board – in order to qualify for the scheme vans must emit less than 75g/km of CO2, have a range of least 60 miles on a single charge and be capable of reaching speeds of more than 50mph. The rule for plug-in hybrid vans state that they must be capable of travelling at least ten miles in pure-electric mode. And crucially, the vans must meet European safety standards.

Business Minister Mark Prisk, with a surprising amount of insight into the fact that EVs have had a historical tendency to look a bit odd, said: “Now there are seven different models eligible for that support van buyers should be able to choose one they find easy on the eye as well as on the wallet.”

Private as well as business consumers can take advantage of the Grant, which is intended to increase the take-up of zero-emission vehicles that will help the government meet national carbon reduction targets. As with EV passenger cars, the purchase price of electric vans tend to be considerably more than their conventional siblings.

In addition to 100% exemption from the London Congestion charge, the government says that pure-electric vans can cost £100 less in fuel for every thousand miles driven compared to a diesel equivalent.

And if you do decide to go electric, there are no pesky forms to fill in – the dealership you buy from is responsible for doing all the paperwork, with the amount of your grant automatically deducted from the price of the van at point of purchase.