The UK Government’s recent introduction of an electric car grant has led to a marked increase in consumer interest in eligible electric vehicles (EVs), as per data released by UK automotive marketplace Autotrader.

The marketplace has observed an uptick in ad views for various models that qualify for the new incentive.

Autotrader’s data indicates that the Vauxhall Mokka Electric saw an 18% rise in ad views following the announcement of the Government incentive, while Renault’s Scenic E-tech and Renault 4 experienced increases of 47% and 21% respectively.

Chinese carmaker Leapmotor announced a grant on its C10 (£3,750 off) and T03 (£1,500 off) models, resulting in ad views jumping by 62% and 124% respectively. 

Similarly, GWM’s £3,750 discount on its Ora 03 model led to a 15% increase in ad views month-on-month.

The overall new car market on Autotrader remains strong, with visits to the new car platform up by 7% month-on-month and 15% year-on-year.

Retailers are responding to this demand by listing a greater number of new cars, with an 8% increase in advertised stock compared to the same period in the previous year.

The Jaecoo 7 from Chinese manufacturer Jaecoo has become the most in-demand new car across all fuel types on Autotrader for the first time, claiming a 5.5% share of enquiries. The Range Rover Sport and Volkswagen Golf followed with 4.4% and 3.2% shares of enquiries, respectively.

Land Rover has emerged as the “most popular” new car brand this month, securing a 12.1% share of all new car enquiries on Autotrader, with BMW and Volkswagen trailing at 9.3% and 8.6% shares respectively.

MG has maintained its lead as the most sought-after new electric brand, with its S5 model achieving a 6.9% share of enquiries.

This follows MG’s introduction of its own subsidy for the S5 and MG4 models. Skoda’s Elroq and Renault’s 5 E-tech electric, both approved for the Government’s EV discount, also featured prominently in enquiries.

The average discount on new cars has seen an increase, with a rise from 9.4% in July to 9.7% in August.

Discounts on electric models have also seen a month-on-month increase, indicating a growing trend towards offering competitive pricing in the EV sector.

Autotrader commercial director Ian Plummer said: “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.”