Will £3500 grant be scrapped in March?

[beansnchips]

Electric car grant to be scrapped within months | News | The Times

"Grants to help buy electric cars could be scrapped in the next two months despite government plans to bring forward a ban on new petrol and diesel vehicles.

The £3,500 subsidy scheme for buyers of plug-in cars expires at the end of March and motor industry leaders fear that it will be ditched in favour of other measures.

Ministers have already said the long-term future of the grant will be “inviable in terms of costs to the taxpayer” as registration rates grow.

A cross-government strategy published 18 months ago said there would be a “managed exit from the grant in due course”, with public money spent instead on other incentives including support for more roadside chargers and industry funding to build more electric vehicles in the UK."​

 

[CMc1]

Personally I think it’ll be replaced by another incentive. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps is an EV owner and seems quiet proactive with his approach to EVs. (Green plates consultation, doubling charge point funding and bringing forward ICE ban for example).

See what this years Budget brings, next month.

 

[Avendit]

Scrapping it in march would not be a managed exit. Announcing it's going in X months time would be. If Tesla keeps up with the sell rate they have the grant will have to go eventually.

 

[hmy7k]

With the reduction in BIK on Ev's from April, it won't be necessary there will be more demand than availability from company car drivers which make up the bulk of new car sales.

 

[MaDProFF]

I think there will be some incentives, no idea what though, might be VAT, like some other countries, but we all know they have to make the fuel short fall up somehow and pay for some incentive to sort out the charging infrastructure.
I cannot see the government though peeing of loads of potential new car buyers buying EV's in the short term they need to meet targets.

 

[Roy W.]

My guess (Crystal Ball is on the blink) would be a further reduction in March, perhaps to £2500, then £1500 in 2021, and grant gone in 2022.

 

[rEV gadget]

With the reduction in BIK on Ev's from April, it won't be necessary there will be more demand than availability from company car drivers which make up the bulk of new car sales.

Effectively barring non company car drivers from any incentive would be a bad move. There are more people who own cars than company car drivers. Why should they have to pay for for a car than someone who gets it through work?

 

[hmy7k]

Effectively barring non company car drivers from any incentive would be a bad move. There are more people who own cars than company car drivers. Why should they have to pay for for a car than someone who gets it through work?

Company car drivers come April will get both the £3500 grant and the low BIK so the bias is there already.
Removing the £3500 from both won't create any additional distortion. Removing it from just company car drivers is an option though.

From an environmental point of view getting company car drivers into EV's is probably more beneficial as I suspect they cover more miles.

 

[Joelly]

FWIW, I think most NEW car registrations are company cars.

 

[Arran]

With this, would it be a good shout to wait until the new Budget to see what’s changes will come in after the end of March? Thoughts?

 

[Reddom]

With this, would it be a good shout to wait until the new Budget to see what’s changes will come in after the end of March? Thoughts?

You can always cancel. Last time they reduced the picg olev honoured it for anyone who had ordered before the announcement, your car didn’t need to be delivered just a confirmed order.

details of the process last time Changes to the Plug-in Car Grant

 

[Arran]

You can always cancel. Last time they reduced the picg olev honoured it for anyone who had ordered before the announcement, your car didn’t need to be delivered just a confirmed order.

It seems that it won't be going ~ Sajid Javid says grants for electric cars won't be scrapped as row over hybrid ban rages

I was hoping for an interest-free loan to come in for Personal and Business, similar to what Scotland has. And/or a change to the Luxury Car Tax as it's frustrating that the cheapest Model 3 is now above the £40k limit.

 

[Daverh]

The government could use the £3500 to install a new charger for every EV sold in a given borough

 

[Roy W.]

With this, would it be a good shout to wait until the new Budget to see what’s changes will come in after the end of March? Thoughts?

Personally, if I were ordering, I’d place my order before the budget. I can’t see the treatment of EVs improving, only getting worse.

 

[Durzel]

Personally, if I were ordering, I’d place my order before the budget. I can’t see the treatment of EVs improving, only getting worse.

That’s what I’m planning to do. There’s realistically at least 2 months wait after ordering which is enough time to see what happens with the budget, and also to cover any price reductions by Tesla may replace or exceed the grant amount.

 

[Jez_GB]

That’s what I’m planning to do. There’s realistically at least 2 months wait after ordering which is enough time to see what happens with the budget, and also to cover any price reductions by Tesla may replace or exceed the grant amount.

If you've not already got one @Durzel, don't forget to ask for a referral code when ordering Yeah, I know.... I'm shameless

 

[Arran]

That’s what I’m planning to do. There’s realistically at least 2 months wait after ordering which is enough time to see what happens with the budget, and also to cover any price reductions by Tesla may replace or exceed the grant amount.

Sounds like a plan.
I might just be very optimistic. But if Tesla shifted pricing back down, before any financing or payment is arranged, would this be reflected in my order. I'm just trying to get my head around the Deposit system they use.

 

[Durzel]

If you've not already got one @Durzel, don't forget to ask for a referral code when ordering Yeah, I know.... I'm shameless

Will do.