Fiat is offering drivers £3,000 to buy an electric 500

Fiat is offering a £3,000 grant for customers buying one of its electric cars. The discount will only apply to Fiat 500e and 500s Convertible models.

Though EV sales increased in the wake of the rising petrol and diesel prices back in 2022, the sales of electric vehicles are notably slowing down. The creator of the electric Fiat 500 is clearly trying to shift more of the things.

It’s been a year since the UK government’s Plug-In Car Grant (PICG) scheme came to an end. Initially it started as a £5,000 discount, but was cut to only £1,500 by the time it was phased out in 2022. During that time, the incentive supported the sale of almost 500,000 electric vehicles.

The PICG continues to operate in 21 other European countries. Fiat tells us it’s written to the UK government inviting them to join the scheme or reintroduce its own. It wants support in encouraging drivers to make the switch away from fossil-fuelled vehicles to electrified options.

Other car brands don’t offer any formal discount on models, though there is latitude for dealers to negotiate on price as they see fit. Some sweeteners include installation of a home charge point, saving customers roughly £1,000.

Damien Dally, MD of Fiat UK, said: “There’s no doubt the government’s Plug-in Car Grant successfully kickstarted the UK’s electric car revolution – it supported the sale of nearly half a million electric cars.

“We also appreciate it refocusing funding towards one of the main barriers to the electric vehicle transition, public charging.

“However, with the cost-of-living crisis and rising cost of electric vehicles, coupled with our net zero climate targets, we believe more needs to be done to incentivise individuals to be able to afford to make the switch.

“That’s why we’ve taken it upon ourselves to launch the Fiat E-Grant."