£5,000 grants for electric cars start January 2011

The Department for Transport will from January 2011 provide grants worth £5,000 against the cost of a fully electric or plug-in hybrid car.

In order to qualify for the grant, the amount claimed must not represent more than 25 per cent of the cost of the car. Furthermore, the vehicle must have a range of at least 70 miles, a minimum top speed of 60mph, and meet European safety standards.

London, Milton Keynes and the North East will receive funding for 11,000 charging points in car parks at railway stations and supermarkets. Many of these will enable rapid charging, although not all will be installed before 2013.

Similar electric car grants already exist in America and China.

A spokesperson for the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) said: “The grant is intended to coincide with the launch of mass-produced electric cars like the Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi iMiev – currently the choice of electric vehicle is very limited.”

Which electric cars will be eligible for the £5,000 grant?

When the scheme first launches, only two cars – the Tesla Roadster and Mitsubishi iMiev – will qualify for the £5,000. However, many more models are promised in 2011. The following electric vehicles are currently undergoing testing on British roads.

Some the electric cars on offer	Speed	Range	Charge time	Looks
Mini E	95mph	150 miles	12 hours
Lightning	130mph	180 miles	4.5 hours
Peugeot eExpert(available to buy now)	70mph	100miles	tbc
Smart E Drive	60mph	50-70miles	8hours
Ford Focus EV	tbc	80miles	tbc