Guidance

Plug-in van and truck grant: eligibility and applications

Updated 24 November 2023

Government is going further and faster to decarbonise transport by phasing out the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans and, from 2035, all new cars and vans must be zero emissions at the tailpipe.

Between 2030 and 2035, any new cars and vans sold that emit from the tailpipe must have significant zero emission capability.

The plug-in van grant (PIVG) was launched in 2012 to help bridge the price gap between the cost of ultra-low emission vans and diesel vans. It was extended to trucks, also referred to as heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) in 2016.

We regularly review grant levels and update the list of eligible vehicles for the PIVG and plug-in truck grant (PITrG).

Both the level of grant and the criteria for each category is liable to change at the discretion of the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV).

The PIVG and PITrG will continue until at least the financial year 2024 to 2025.

Note: ‘approved party’ refers to the manufacturer or third party approved by the manufacturer to market the vehicle under a separate commercial trade or brand name.

How the scheme operates

Manufacturers or third parties approved by the manufacturer to market the vehicle under a separate commercial trade or brand name must apply to OZEV to have their vehicles included as part of the scheme.

The Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) checks applications on behalf of OZEV.

Following application, VCA will assess vehicles to ensure they meet the minimum technical criteria for the scheme.

The grant is available to customers at the point of purchase directly from the dealer or manufacturer’s representative. Consumers do not have to go through a grant application process themselves.

The grant will only be payable by OZEV to the manufacturer or third party approved by the manufacturer to market the vehicle under a separate commercial trade or brand name. This is subject to a submission of a grant claim by an authorised portal user meeting with all the conditions of the scheme.

Eligible vehicles

To be eligible for the grant, the completed vans or trucks (chassis and bodywork) need to meet the criteria.

We reserve the right to alter these criteria if, for example, during the course of the grant scheme new safety requirements or European regulations or standards come into force.

New variants of a vehicle that is already eligible for the grant are not automatically eligible. A variant of a vehicle that requires new type approval documentation will need to be approved separately.

Manufacturers (or third party approved by the manufacturer to market the vehicle under a separate commercial trade or brand name) should apply for these new variants to be approved under the grant scheme.

If you are unsure whether a new variant of a vehicle needs to be approved, contact pluginapprovals@vca.gov.uk.

Claiming the grant

The PIVG or PITrG can only be claimed for by new vans and trucks at first registration.

Pre-registration conversions are eligible to be submitted for the scheme. Post-registration conversions are not.

Annual caps on total large and small truck grants and grants available per end customer (not lease company) currently apply.

Manufacturer agreement

The relationship between OZEV and the manufacturer is described in the OZEV vehicle incentive scheme manufacturers agreement (the manufacturers agreement).

This document is only issued to the approved party once a vehicle has been approved by VCA on behalf of OZEV as eligible under the scheme.

The grant is only payable once the approved party has agreed to the terms and the document is returned signed.

Details of the eligible vehicle will be published on the eligible vehicles list. This will occur once a vehicle has been formally approved on to the scheme and a signed copy of the manufacturers agreement has been received by OZEV.

The manufacturer and its selected dealerships will then be given access to an online portal, through which they can register claims for eligible vehicles.

Claims will be paid to the approved party on a monthly basis.

Customers will receive the PIVG or PITrG deduction from the price of the vehicle at the point of sale by the dealership. There is no paperwork for customers to complete in order to benefit from the grant.

Both private consumers and businesses can benefit from the PIVG or PITrG when purchasing an eligible vehicle and registering it to a UK address^{[footnote 1]}.

Making a vehicle application

Those wishing to apply for a vehicle to become eligible for the scheme should contact pluginapprovals@vca.gov.uk for a scheme number.

The detailed guidance on how to complete the application form should be followed.

VCA will supply details of the document submission process. Supporting evidence should be in English.

Any questions regarding the application process should be sent to pluginapprovals@vca.gov.uk or plugingrants@dft.gov.uk.

The assessment process

Applications will be processed as soon as possible after they are received, and aim to decide within 2 months from the time all documents are received.

This depends on the complexity of the application and whether further technical information is required.

We recommend applicants engage as early as possible with both OZEV (for general enquiries) and VCA to allow time for the application to be processed, as follows:

1. Applicant emails completed Form A: scheme number application to PlugInApprovals@vca.gov.uk. VCA issues an application specific scheme number, which must be used in all communication regarding the application.

2. VCA sets up a manufacturer account on its file transfer system.

3. Applicant submits completed application form and supporting evidence to VCA via its file transfer system. Fill in Form B for complete and completed vehicles or Form C for incomplete vehicles.

4. VCA confirms the application has been received and is complete or requests further documentation.

5. VCA assesses the validity of type approval certificates and warranty documentation presented as evidence and responds in one of the following ways:

• decides that the application has passed
• decides that the application has failed
• requests further information from the applicant
• requests advice from independent technical experts before coming to a decision. This is likely to be on evidence relating to completed vehicle range, battery or fuel cell degradation and/or crash safety but may be on another aspect of the application

6. If the vehicle passes the assessment process, VCA will issue a report to OZEV who will then send an offer letter to the applicant setting out the terms of acceptance.

7. If the vehicle fails, OZEV will send a letter to the applicant explaining the reasons why and recommending steps which the approved party might wish to take before resubmitting an application.

8. Once the vehicle is approved and a signed copy of the manufacturer’s agreement has been received, OZEV will add the vehicle make and model to the official list of vehicles eligible for a grant. At this point, the model is eligible under the grant scheme.

9. OZEV will request that DVLA add the vehicle model to the portal where grant claims are placed and set up first-time applicants on the Department for Transport (DfT) finance systems.

10. If the vehicle is approved for the grant as an incomplete vehicle, complete Form D: final stage completed vehicle form for multi-stage build vans and truck and email it to pluginapprovals@vca.gov.uk. This confirms that the completed vehicle meets the requirements when the dealer adds registration details to the grant portal, allowing the grant to be paid.

You can email any questions on the process to plugingrants@dft.gov.uk.

For queries on new applications and technical enquiries on open applications, email pluginapprovals@vca.gov.uk.

Application forms

There are 4 application forms:

Form A: scheme number application

• submitted by all manufacturers to prior to submitting an application
• email to PlugInApprovals@vca.gov.uk
• will receive a scheme number and log in details to the file transfer system

Form B: plug-in van and truck grants complete and completed vehicle application cover sheet

• only completed by the applicants of complete or completed vehicles (where no incomplete application has been made)
• must be accompanied by supporting documentation
• submitted by uploading to file transfer system

Form C: plug-in van and truck grants incomplete vehicle application cover sheet

• submitted by manufactures of incomplete vehicles, instead of Form B
• must be accompanied by supporting documentation
• submitted by uploading to file transfer system

Form D: final stage completed vehicle form for multi-stage build vans and truck

• only required if manufacturer has previously submitted Form C – if the vehicle is completed and the incomplete vehicle has grant approval
• submitted by manufacturers of incomplete vehicles
• email to PlugInApprovals@vca.gov.uk

Costs

Cases where independent technical expertise is needed to assess applications are likely to be rare. In such cases, however, there may be a cost to the applicant.

Independent technical advice is most likely to be required for the following criteria:

• completed vehicle range
• battery or fuel cell degradation

Review of decision

Applicants have a right to seek a review of the VCA decision.

Further details would be provided to the applicant in the letter advising that the application had been unsuccessful.

If significant further work is required to validate the submitted evidence, the applicant may be asked to meet those costs.

OZEV will let the applicant know if this applies to enable the applicant to decide whether they wish to meet the costs or to withdraw the application.

Applicants are encouraged to contact OZEV with any specific questions.

Testing guidance

N2 vehicles designated as heavy duty and N3 vehicles, for which a Regulation (EC) No 595/2009 has been issued, will require testing to establish that the vehicle meets the range eligibility criteria.

To request a copy of the Zemo Partnership HGV or refuse collection vehicle (RCV) test procedure, contact plugingrants@dft.gov.uk.

Incomplete vehicle types that may be used for both HGV and RCV completed vehicles must submit test reports for both HGV and RCV test procedures.

N1 vehicles and N2 vehicles designated as light duty, for which a Regulation (EC) No 715/2007 has been issued, may present this approval as their evidence.

N1, N2 and N3 categories and the light duty/heavy duty differentiation are defined under EU Directive (EC) 2007/46/EC.

1. Where registered is defined as being registered in accordance with section 21 of the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 and licensed for use on UK roads, or registered according to the terms of the Diplomatic Privileges Act 1964 and licensed for use on UK roads. ↩