Don’t delay on your ULEV orders

If you’re considering adding electric powered vehicles to your fleet then you have until the end of February to qualify for the £5,000 grant.

From March 2016 the current low emission vehicles grant of £5,000 is being replaced by a three tier category model. The new scheme will see all Ultra-Low Emission Vehicles (ULEV) placed into three categories, depending on the level of Co2 they produce and battery range:

• Category 1 vehicles with a range of 70 zero emission miles or more will receive up to £4,500
• Category 2 vehicles with a range between 10 and 69 miles will receive up to £2,500
• Category 3 has a maximum Co2 emissions of up to 75g/km and a minimum range of 20 zero emissions miles. These vehicles also receive a maximum grant of £2,500

Most of the vehicles that will qualify for the for the maximum £4,500 grant will be pure electric vehicles like the Nissan Leaf whereas, most plug-in hybrids like the Audi A3 e-tron will fall into the £2,500 catchment.

Categories 2 and 3 will also come with a price cap. Vehicles that cost £60,000 or more will no longer be eligible for the grant.

Orders of ULEVs are likely to increase as March soon approaches so if you are considering swapping to a greener mode of transport then you don’t have long to get your orders in before the deadline.

Important Information

The deadline is for grant applications, not vehicle orders. It’s important to remember to submit any paperwork at the same time the order is processed. As long as the grant application has been submitted and the order is placed before the 1st March then the grant can still be issued with lead times up to eight months.

To make living with an electric vehicle more manageable, the Government provides a grant for EV home charge points. This is also due to fall from £700 to £500 as of March. The majority of installation companies are likely to pass this £200 increase on to the consumer however high demand is pushing lead times to over three weeks. Unlike the vehicle orders, the home charge point does need to be installed in order to qualify for the grant. We strongly recommend that you place the order before mid-February to avoid disappointment.

More information on the changes to the government grant, including a full list of cars that currently qualify for a grant, can be found here

The new and approved scheme will remain until 2017 or until the review trigger point of 40,000 Category 1 and a combined 45,000 of category 2 and 3 vehicles sold is met.

Orders made before the 1 March 2016 will still receive the full £5,000 grant. If you would like to speak to one of our advisers about ordering a ULEV then please don’t hesitate to call us on 01159 466 466 or email us at [email protected]