Nine cars have been revealed to be eligible for the Government’s plug-in car grant in the UK which entitles motorists up to £5,000 when buying any qualifying low carbon car with CO2 exhaust emissions less than 75g/km.

The scheme officially starts on January 1, 2011 and the following cars will qualify (prices shown with £5,000 subsidy and 20% VAT included):

Mitsubishi i-MiEV  - January 2011 £23,690
Smart Fortwo electric drive - January 2011  pricing TBA
Peugeot Ion - January 2011 £415 per month lease contract
Nissan Leaf  - March 2011 £23,350
Tata Vista - March 2011 pricing TBA
Citroen CZero - Early 2011 £415 per month lease contract
Vauxhall Ampera - Early 2012  £28,995
Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid - Early 2012 pricing TBA
Chevrolet Volt - Early 2012 pricing TBA

The Government will continue to receive applications from vehicle manufacturers for more cars to be eligible for the Plug-In Car Grant and another round of eligible vehicles will be announced next year.

The announcement also detailed the five successful areas that bid for Plugged-In Places funding. The Midlands, Greater Manchester, East of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland will share £20 million to further the development of the ultra-low carbon infrastructure, installing 4,000 more charging points in the coming years.

These new zones join round one winners London, Milton Keynes and North East England that will install over 11,000 charging posts across the three regions by 2013.

Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said: "Government action to support affordable vehicles and more local charging points means we are on the threshold of an exciting green revolution. 2011 could be remembered as the year the electric car took off.”

People wanting to take advantage of the grant in purchasing a electric vehicle are advised to contact the eligible vehicle dealerships from January 2011. 

The level of the Plug-In-Car Grant has been agreed until March 31, 2012.

The level will be reviewed in January 2012. After taking into consideration a number of factors such as the costs of vehicles and the development of the early market, the level will then be set for subsequent years. £43m has been made available up to the end of March 2012. The final budget beyond 2011/12 will be confirmed at the spending review.