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Plug-in Motorcycle Grant
The plug-in motorcycle grant (PiMG) was launched in 2016 to help bridge the price gap between the cost of zero emission motorcycles and petrol motorcycles.We regularly update the list of eligible vehicles and review grant levels to ensure that they are appropriate for the market. The plug-in motorcycle grant will continue until at least financial year ending 2023.
Note: approved party refers to manufacturers, sole UK authorised representatives of the manufacturers or the sole UK authorised representative of one of the manufacturer’s approved commercial trade or brand names.
How the scheme operates
The approved party must apply to the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) to have their vehicles included as part of the scheme.During the application, OZEV will have the motorcycle or scooter assessed to ensure they meet the minimum technical criteria for the scheme.The criteria cover certain technical, performance and consumer assurance requirements and are intended to provide a minimum level of assurance and service to consumers.The grant will be available to customers at the point of purchase directly from the dealer or manufacturer’s representative. Consumers will not have to go through a grant application process themselves.The grant will only be payable by OZEV to the approved party. This is subject to a submission of a grant claim by a franchised dealer meeting with all of the conditions of the scheme.
Eligible vehicles
The plug-in motorcycle grant (PiMG) only applies to motorcycles
at first (new) registration
that meet all of the eligibility criteria for the scheme
that has been approved by OZEV
It does not apply to converted or modified vehicles.We reserve the right to alter eligibility criteria for any reason. For example, if new safety requirements, regulations or standards come into force, the eligibility criteria will be bought in line with those regulations or standards.New variants of a vehicle that is already eligible for the grant are not automatically eligible. A variant of a vehicle that requires an extension to type approval documentation will need to be approved separately. Manufacturers 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.
Definition of price for application of the cap
To be eligible for the PiMG, motorcycles must be priced below £10,000 RRP. The definition of price includes:
VAT, including VAT reclaimable by a business
vehicle manufacturer or dealer’s mandatory extras including delivery charges or administration fees
the battery cost (including where the battery is leased)
any non-standard option fitted by the manufacturer or dealer affecting the capacity of the battery, drive train configuration or maximum net power
The definition of price excludes:
any non-standard option fitted by the manufacturer or dealer that does not affect the capacity of the battery, drive train configuration or maximum net power
modifications such as ‘police packs’, ambulance or fire engine modifications
modifications for disabled users
warranty/insurance and service packages
first registration fee and cost of first licence
discounts (including rebates)
Where a vehicle model has a price range that straddles the cap, only those variants or trim levels priced below the cap will be eligible for the grant. Variants or trim levels of eligible vehicles priced above the cap are not eligible for the grant.
Motorcycles
Some motorcycles can be sold at a 35% discount. The seller will include the discount in the purchase price.
If you work for a vehicle dealership or manufacturer, you can apply for a grant using the online portal.
The maximum discount available on some motorcycles is £500.To be eligible for a grant, the vehicle must:
have no CO2 emissions
be able to travel at least 50km (31 miles) between charges
have a recommended retail price of less than £10,000, including VAT and delivery fees.
The eligible vehicles are:
Artisan ES1-Pro
Artisan EV0 Monster
Artisan EV4000
Artisan JS2A
Askoll eS3
Askoll eSpro 70
Askoll NGS3
Cake Kalk Ink&
Caofen F80 (L3)
E-Max VS-1
Eccity 125
Eccity 125+
EcoNeco Revival
Ecooter E1R
Ecooter E2
Evoke Urban Classic
Evoke Urban S
Horwin CR6
Horwin CR6 Pro
Horwin EK3
Horwin SK3
Kollter RS1
Lexmoto LX06
Lexmoto LX08
MAEVING RM1
NIU NQi GT Pro Cargo
NIU NQi GTS
NIU NQi GTS Cargo
NIU NQi GTS Pro
NIU NQi GTS Sport
Piaggio One
Rieju NUUK
SEAT MO e-Scooter
Silence S01
Sunra Miku Super
Sunra Robo-S
Surron Storm Bee
THELMOCO Farsta 6000
THELMOCO Ultra
Torrot Muvi
Vespa Elettrica
Vmoto 100
Vmoto 120
Vmoto Super Soco CPX
Vmoto Super Soco TC Max
Voge ER10 Euro 5
Yadea G5S
Zride Puma
Zride Tiger X
The plug-in motorcycle grant (PiMG) was launched in 2016 to help bridge the price gap between the cost of zero emission motorcycles and petrol motorcycles.
Claiming the grant
Once a motorcycle has been formally approved on to the scheme and a signed copy of the manufacturers agreement has been received by OZEV, details of the eligible vehicle will be published on Low-emission vehicles eligible for a plug-in grant.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 manufacturer on a monthly basis.
From the customer’s point of view, the grant is deducted from the base price of the vehicle at the point of sale by the dealership, so there is no paperwork for them to complete to benefit from the grant.Both private consumers and businesses can benefit from the plug-in motorcycle grant when purchasing a qualifying ultra-low emission vehicle and registering it to a UK address.
Making a vehicle application
The approved party wishing to apply for a vehicle to become eligible for the scheme should contact PlugInApprovals@vca.gov.uk.Detailed guidance on how to complete the application form and the supporting evidence required is given in How to complete the PiMG application form.Supporting evidence should be in English.Email any questions regarding the application process to PlugInApprovals@vca.gov.uk and plugingrants@dft.gov.uk.
The assessment process
The VCA and OZEV will aim to process applications as quickly as possible.Applications will undergo an initial review and response within 3 working days of receipt. We would hope to make a final decision within 2 months. This depends on the complexity of the application and whether further technical information is required.The assessment process is as follows:
The applicant submits completed form A: plug-in motorcycle grant scheme number application to the VCA PlugInApprovals@vca.gov.uk for a PiMG scheme number.
VCA issues PiMG scheme number and sets up the manufacturer’s account on the VCA’s file transfer system.
If the applicant is a new sole representative, applicant submits the sole representative evidence (inc. sole representative agreement, certificate of conformity and whole vehicle type approval document) to PlugInApprovals@vca.gov.uk for review.
OZEV/VCA confirms acceptance of the sole representative evidence.
Applicant submits a completed form B: plug-in motorcycle grant application cover sheet, with the necessary supporting evidence, to VCA via the file transfer system.
VCA confirms the application documents have been received and all those required are present. Alternatively, it will request any missing documents.
The VCA engineer assesses the validity of the documentation presented as evidence. VCA either:
decides that the application has passed
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 and/or battery or fuel cell degradation but may be on another aspect of the application
decides that the application has failed
If the vehicle passes the assessment process, VCA will issue a report to OZEV, which will then send an offer letter to the applicant setting out the terms of acceptance.
If the vehicle fails, OZEV will send a letter to the applicant explaining the reasons why. It will recommend steps the approved party might wish to take before resubmitting an application.
Once the vehicle is approved and a signed copy of the manufacturers agreement has been received, OZEV will add the vehicle make and model to the official list, making that model eligible under the grant scheme.
OZEV will request that DVLA adds the vehicle model to the portal where grant claims are placed. It will also set up first-time applicants on the DfT finance systems.Any questions on the process should be sent to PlugInApprovals@vca.gov.uk.OZEV, or its representatives, will conduct a series of checks on any party that applies for the assessment of a vehicle under the PiMG scheme.These checks could include credit and fraudulent activity checks as well as checks on customer experiences.As a result of these checks, OZEV has the right to deny or suspend authorisation of an applicant to the PiMG scheme.
Sole representative agreement requirements
The sole representative agreement between the applicant and the manufacturer must:
be signed and dated by both parties
give dates in force
list vehicle type and commercial name
say ‘sole representative’
be on headed paper with the manufacturer name and address. This must be consistent with the information on the whole vehicle type approval (WVTA) unless details are of parent company or group
If manufacturer details do not match those on the WVTA, then suitable evidence of the relationship between the two entities must also be provided.
Additional 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 when assessing evidence of battery or fuel cell degradation.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 those costs or to withdraw the application.
