Cars eligible for new government electric grant surge in interest amongst consumers
18th August 2025 – According to the latest data from Autotrader, consumers have been responding positively to the new electric car grant introduced by the Government, as a huge raft of models eligible for the grant have seen a strong rise in interest on the Autotrader platform following the announcement.
Consumer interest in eligible models increase following Government incentive
Several models across different brands confirmed to qualify for the new Government incentive in early August saw consumers rush to Autotrader’s new car platform as they started eyeing up eligible vehicles of interest. Vauxhall’s Mokka Electric received an 18% increase in ad views from the previous week, whilst two models from the Renault line up posted a strong rise also – the Scenic E-tech and Renault 4 saw ad views increase by 47% and 21% respectively.
Manufacturer own discounts drive interest in EV models
Whilst not all manufacturers have models that have qualified for the ECG just yet, some brands are not standing still and have already launched their own new incentives in order to entice consumers. Chinese manufacturer Leapmotor was the first to announce its own grant on its C10 (£3,750 off) and T03 (£1,500 off) models in mid July. As a result, ad views of both the C10 and T03 surged by 62% and 124% (17th July vs 17th August) as the big savings on offer look to have tempted potential car buyers. Another carmaker from the region GWM also announced its own discount of £3,750 on its Ora 03 which saw ad views of the model increase by 15% MoM (17th July vs 17th August).
Performance of new electric cars eligible for the ECG announced on 5th August (Level 2 - £1,500 discount)
Performance of new cars eligible for the ECG announced on 9th August (Level 2 - £1,500 discount)
New car market on Autotrader shows no signs of slowing down
The overall new car market remains buoyant amongst consumers with visits to its new car platform up 7% month-on-month (MoM) in August to date and 15% year-on year (YoY) as buyers actively research ahead of the new plate change period next month.
Retailers are taking advantage of the continued interest amongst prospective buyers by advertising even more of their new car stock in front of the UK’s biggest audience of engaged car buyers. In August so far, the volume of new cars being advertised on Autotrader is currently up 8% compared to the same period last year.
Milestone for Chinese models as Jaecoo 7 crowned the most in demand car in August
A brand name and model unfamiliar for many UK consumers a few years ago, Chinese brand Jaecoo has topped the new car list for the very first time with its Jaecoo 7 becoming the most in demand new car across all fuel types. This is the first time a Chinese brand car has been the most popular new car on the platform. The compact crossover SUV generated a 5.5% share of enquiries in August so far. This was followed by the popular Range Rover Sport and Volkswagen Golf which received a 4.4% and 3.2% share of enquiries respectively.
There was a notable change at the top of the leaderboard for the most popular new brand as Land Rover leapfrogged BMW into first position this month. The iconic British marque generated a 12.1% share of all new car enquiries, whilst BMW received a 9.3% share and Volkswagen an 8.6% share.
MG once again leads the electric pack as it introduces its own EV subsidy
For a second successive month, MG retained its title as the ‘hottest’ new electric brand and electric model with the manufacturer’s affordable S5 model generating a 6.9% share of enquiries. This comes as the manufacturer recently introduced its own ‘grant’ on both the S5 and MG4, which also featured in the top ten. The S5 was closely followed by Skoda’s compact crossover SUV Elroq, which achieved a 6.6% share of enquiries. Not far behind was Renault’s popular 5 E-tech electric which was recently approved for the Government’s EV discount and received a 6.4% share of enquiries.
MG cemented its position at the top of the new electric brand leaderboard generating a 11.4% share of enquiries in August whilst Czech manufacturer Skoda achieved a 9.2% share. The top three was rounded off by Renault which generated a 7.5% share of enquiries this month so far.
New car discounts continue to rise
The average new car discount across all fuel types accelerated with discounts increasing from 9.4% in July to 9.7% in August. The discounts on electric models also increased this month compared to last month (11.2% off RRP) following a slight MoM increase between June and July.
Since the first car models were approved for Government discounts this month, consumers have been flocking to our platform to check out for themselves the various vehicles they could make big savings on. With other manufacturers also introducing their own ‘grants’ to compete with eligible cars, this has had a positive effect on the new electric market - and in particular affordable EVs - as eight out of the ten most in demand new EVs in August so far are priced below the £37,000 grant threshold. Five more models were added to the list over the weekend from Cupra, Peugeot and Volkswagen and with more EVs expected to be announced to qualify for the government incentive over the coming days, now could be a great time for consumers considering an EV to make the switch.”
Most in demand new car electric models on Autotrader in August 2025 ranked by enquiries/leads.
Most in demand new car electric brands1 on Autotrader in August 2025 ranked by enquiries/leads.
Most in demand new car models on Autotrader in August 2025 ranked by enquiries/leads – all fuel types.
Most in demand new car brands on Autotrader in August 2025 ranked by enquiries/leads – all fuel types.
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