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Volkswagen’s ID.4 and ID.5 have been added to the UK Electric Car Grant, which knocks £1,500 off the price of certain variants — bringing the cheapest eligible ID 4/5 to £35,495.

The discount applies to the Pure Essential, Pure Match and Pro Essential versions. Depending on trim you can choose a 168bhp single-motor or a 282bhp twin-motor layout, and either a 52kWh battery (claimed 221 miles) or a 77kWh pack (up to 339 miles).

What the grant means

The ECG applies to EVs priced under £37,000 and judges eligibility on technical and sustainability criteria — including sourcing, production and shipping impacts. Volkswagen now has three models on the scheme (the ID.3 was added earlier), widening customers’ affordable EV options.

There are two levels of the grant. So far only a couple of cars — the Ford Puma Gen-E and the Ford E-Tourneo Courier — have secured the higher £3,750 discount.

Politics and momentum

Newly appointed decarbonisation minister Keir Mather (MP for Selby, 27) has taken responsibility for EV policy and has told Autocar: “We want your next car to be electric.” The government is pointing to strong recent sales as proof the policy works: more than 70,000 EVs were sold in September, of which the government says over 20,000 were ECG-subsidised.

Mather also flagged infrastructure progress: the UK now has 83,000 charge points, with 100,000 more planned — a line he used to argue that switching to electric is getting easier for buyers.

Bottom line

If you’ve been watching the ID family, this makes the ID.4/ID.5 noticeably more tempting for buyers on a budget — especially for those who qualify for the Pure/Pro Essential trims. The grant tightens the gap between mainstream petrol/SUV choices and electric alternatives, and it’s another nudge from government policy to speed EV adoption.

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