By FREDA LEWIS-STEMPEL, MOTORING REPORTER
Some EV owners will be able to get £500 off a new electric car home charger from 1 April as part of the Government's ongoing efforts to drive people into EVs. But they will need to act fast...
The Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Grant has been boosted by £150 to £500 as of today after additional funding to support the scheme was announced back in February.
Minsters have increased the grant to 'make EV ownership more affordable’. However, millions of Britons are still ineligible for the discount.
The grant is only open to people who live in rented properties, own flats, run businesses or occupy houses without driveways.
This means that EV owners living in detached, semi-detached, or terraced houses with off-street parking will receive no government funding.
The rules alienate some 18 million households in Britain that have driveways, which also account for the vast majority (80 to 95 per cent) of existing UK electric car owners.
And the boosted £500 discount will be motorists' last opportunity for discounts from the government. Labour will axe all funding for home charger installations from the end of March 2027 in a move that's unlikely to encourage motorists to switch to EVs between then and 2030.
The Government's boosted EV home charger grant comes into effect tomorrow, 1 April
The Department for Transport (DfT) says the new £500 grant will 'typically cover nearly half the cost of having an EV charger installed'.
Schools will also be eligible for grants of up to £2,000 per socket, building on 3,700 sockets already installed.
According to analysis by The Solar Co, there's been limited appetite for the scheme among flat occupiers in Britain.
Since the grant's availability in 2022, just 21,754 discounts have been claimed by people who live in flats, according to analysis of Gov.uk data.
The government's figures suggest EV drivers can save up to £1,400 on running costs versus a comparable petrol car when accessing cheaper domestic rates.
And that bigger grants for drivers mean lower installation costs and cheaper charging at home, with people able to power their EV for as little as 2p per mile.
This is equivalent to London to Birmingham for around £3.50.
Transport secretary, Heidi Alexander said: 'We’re making it easier and cheaper than ever to go electric and against the backdrop of fluctuating petrol prices, switching to an EV has never made more sense.
'Bigger grants mean renters, flat‑owners, families and small businesses can install a charger for nearly half the usual cost, with home charging as low as 2p a mile.
'Backed by our Electric Car Grant which has already helping over 85,000 drivers save thousands on a new EV, and record investment in public charging, we’re giving drivers and businesses the confidence to make the switch.'
The Department for Transport (DfT) says the new £500 grant will 'typically cover nearly half the cost of having an EV charger installed'
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Despite the transport minister's promotion to drivers to switch to EVs to avoid intensifying fuel bills, the Labour government has increased running costs primed for those who do choose electric cars.
From April 2028, it will introduce a pay-per-mile tax on EVs of 3p per mile.
The 'eVED' scheme will also hammer plug-in hybrid owners, who will be charged 1.5p a mile on top of having to pay duty on petrol, which accounts for around half of the pump price.
For a 120-mile drive to Birmingham from the capital in EV, this will work out at £3.60, wiping out the £3.50 saving for the same journey when charging at home.
The Electric Car Grant, which subsidises some - though not all - EVs by between £1,500 and £3,750 depending on how greenly they're produced, will is funded up to 2029-30.