Don’t let up on EV incentives, says Vauxhall boss
The Electric Car Grant has garnered plenty of interest, but there’s still a long way to go
Vauxhall has urged the Government not to relax its EV incentives despite the wave of interest created by the Electric Car Grant (ECG) introduced this summer.
The British brand reported its highest-ever EV orders in September off the back of the grant’s introduction and additional retail offers, but Vauxhall managing director Steve Catlin emphasised to Auto Express that the ramping up of EV sales targets – 28 per cent this year, 33 per cent next year, and over half of new-car sales in 2028 on the way to 80 per cent in 2030 – still leaves a lot of work to do.
“We would ask the Government to keep a very open mind as to whether or not the ECG is going to be sufficient to move consumer demand to the levels that we need them to be to hit the target,” he told Auto Express in an exclusive interview. “And I say that because all of our cars are eligible, but they're eligible for the £1,500 level of support. Ultimately, most consumers are buying cars over three or four-year contracts, and when you spread that money over four years, it becomes really helpful, but maybe not as sufficient as we might need.”
While EVs took a record 29.4 per cent share of new-car sales in September, the figure for the year to date in 2025 was still only 22.1 per cent – albeit an increase on the 17.8 per cent for the first nine months of 2024.
“We're only nine weeks away now from one in three cars needing to be electric, and as you can see, the industry is running behind that at the moment,” Catlin continued. “I think we may need to see more support in the marketplace to hit the ambitious targets over the next couple of years.”
Catlin said customer demand is still running well behind the expectation when the targets were set, so the ECG introduction alone won’t be enough. “We absolutely needed some action. And we're really pleased that the Government listened and launched the program,” he continued. “Clearly, this year, we needed the car grant in order to achieve the 28 per cent mix, and we need to move that on again. Vauxhall's in a fortunate position to be launching the new Frontera at the right time to help us achieve that, but I don't know whether the industry is in exactly the same position.”
For the latest on the Electric Car Grant and which vehicles get the discount, see our EV Grant page. Plus our electric car deals page has all the top offers, and our parent site Carwow is running a live hub page for the latest EV discounts.
Catlin called for the government to support development of the charging infrastructure, flagging the difference in VAT between home and public charging that many across the industry have highlighted as a key problem.
“That is something that the government could take action on to support the confidence in EV infrastructure,” Catlin said. “And then I would say that we just need to stay very close, because over the next six months, we'll clearly see whether or not the ECG has been sufficient to move consumer demand to the level that it needs to be.”
Unlike the Ford Puma Gen-e and E-Tourneo Connect, which get the higher £3,750 grant, Vauxhall’s EV range – the Corsa, Mokka, Frontera, Astra and Grandland – all qualify for the lower £1,500 level. However, the larger-battery version of the Frontera coming next year could be the first Vauxhall to be eligible for the full amount.
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