Reacting to changes announced by the Government this evening to the plug-in car grant scheme, RAC head of roads policy Nicholas Lyes said:

“The reduction of the plug-in car grant is a major blow to anyone hoping to go green with their next vehicle choice and makes little sense when we need to focus our efforts on lowering emissions from vehicles.

“Of particular concern, some popular zero emission capable plug-in hybrid models will lose their plug-in car grant altogether.

“With up-front costs still a huge barrier for those hoping to switch to an electric vehicle, this move from the Government is a big step backwards and is in stark contrast to countries like Norway where generous tax incentives have meant that it has one of the highest ownership levels of ultra-low emission vehicles of anywhere in the world.”