Volkswagen ID.4 and ID.5 get the £1,500 Electric Car Grant – Does it MATTER?

The Volkswagen ID.4 and ID.5 are the latest EVs to qualify for the Electric Car Grant, but it’s tiny compared to Dealer discounts.

Back in June, the UK Government announced an Electric Car Grant (ECG) of up to £3,750 to encourage buyers into EVs, but it’s a bit of a Dog’s Dinner.

So far, 38 EVs have been declared eligible for the ECG, but almost all of them received the lower rate of £1,500, with just the Ford Puma Gen-E and Ford E-Tourneo Courier having received the £3.75k grant. So much for the ‘Headline’ £3,750.

True, the SMMT claims that September’s strong EV sales of 72k were partly driven by the grant, but the grant isn’t being directed where it would be most effective.

Instead of Fleet and Dealer registrations qualifying, the grant should be limited to private buyers and paid directly to them after their new EV is registered, especially as ‘Business’ buyers already get big tax breaks on EVs and account for some 80% of EV registrations.

Now we get a couple more EVs qualifying for the ECG – but only the £1,500 level – with a few iterations of the VW ID.4 and ID.5 joining the ID.3, dropping the entry-level price to £35,495. The qualifying models are:

ID.4 Pure Essential 52 kWh 170 PS one-speed automatic five-door
ID.4 Pure Match 52 kWh 170 PS one-speed automatic five-door
ID.4 Pro Essential 77 kWh 286 PS one-speed automatic five-door

ID.5 Pure Match 52 kWh 170 PS one-speed automatic five-door
ID.5 Pro Essential 77 kWh 286 PS one-speed automatic five-door

It all makes for headlines with ‘Bargain’ prices, but have a quick look on AutoTrader and you’ll find brand new ID.4 and ID.5 with over £10k discount.