There are several restrictions over grant eligibility but the government's critics say the taxpayer should not be footing the bill in the first place.

The grants to lower the cost of EVs will be funded through a £650m scheme, and will be available for three years. There are around 1.3 million electric cars on Britain's roads but currently only around 82,000 public charging points. At the weekend, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the government would invest £63m to fund EV charging points.

EXCLUSIVE: Motorists will be able to secure thousands of pounds off top electric cars under the new grant scheme with these 52 cars identified as offering possible deductions.