Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many applications for the plug-in car and plug-in taxi grants have been received in each month since the start of those schemes; and how many of those applications have been approved.

The Plug in Car Grant has supported over 350,000 vehicle applications since it was launched in December 2010. The following tables list the number of vehicles that have been approved. The Plug in Car Grant eligibility criteria and the amount of the grant has changed over time and the impact of those changes is reflected in uptake figures. Key changes are listed below:

• In March 2016, minimum electric range and CO2 emission requirements were introduced and the grant rate for plug in hybrids reduced to significantly below rates for zero emission cars.
• In October 2018, a further change was made to raise the minimum electric range to 70 miles to focus the grant on the cleanest vehicles. This excluded all available plug-in hybrids from eligibility for the grant.
• In March 2020, the Department announced changes to the Plug in Car Grant rate and introduced a £35,000 price cap on grant eligibility, to focus the grant on where it is most likely to have an impact.

There are several reasons why orders placed may not eventually be approved. The main reason is order cancellations. Order numbers since April 2021 have not been included as they are commercially sensitive for Government until the financial year has been completed.

It is important to note that orders are allowed 9 or 12 months to complete – the point at which the car is registered and delivered to the customer and the grant subsequently paid. For this reason the number of approved car placed in the November to March 2021 period is likely to increase.

The Plug-in Taxi Grant was introduced in January 2018 and the numbers of vehicles which have received funding from the scheme are as follows.