The Government has announced that the plug-in car and van grant will be extended until October 2018, having previously stated it would only remain in its current capacity until April 2018.

Currently, the scheme provides up to £4,500 towards the cost of a new electric or hybrid car and £8,000 towards the cost of a low-emission van.

The Government stated that the Plug-in Grant will be under constant review and confirmed it will continue in some form until at least 2020.

Notably, the government has also announced it is considering further options for reducing emissions for last mile deliveries, to be set out by Cycling and Walking Minister Jesse Norman in a forthcoming call for evidence, including for the first time providing grants and/or other financial incentives to support the use of e-cargo bikes.

The first three months of this year saw 13,327 new electric and plug-in hybrid cars registered, a 16% increase on the same quarter last year, bringing the total on UK roads to 147,431.

Plug-in hybrids have fuelled the growth so far this year, with more than 10,000 hitting the roads, with registrations of battery electric cars experiencing a year on year dip.