Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on individual purchasers of electric vehicles who had initiated the purchase of a vehicle but who had not yet completed the legal process before their recent announcement that electric vehicle purchase grants will cease forthwith.

Due to the success of the Plug-in Car Grant and maturity of the plug-in car market, we now need to target our incentives where they have the most impact and deliver the greatest value for money to the taxpayer. The Plug in Car Grant has had significant impacts on building the early electric car market, which is now maturing. Although still important, price is no longer the paramount barrier to adoption of electric cars.

To ensure fairness for customers and dealers, we will honour any orders placed in the two working days prior to the grant change announcements to cover any instances where cars may have been sold but grant applications not yet made on the Government portal. As long as the vehicle was ordered before the grant ended and the dealer correctly submitted the claim for the vehicle to the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles before the grant ended, it will be honoured. The vehicle must be delivered within 12 months of when the claim was submitted to qualify for the grant.

The Plug-in Car Grant was just one way in which government provided support for zero emission vehicles. Generous tax incentives remain in place, including zero road tax, and favourable company car tax rates, which can save drivers over £2,000 a year.