HYUNDAI has dropped the prices of its electric cars after the government changed the eligibility threshold of its plug-in grant, writes William Scholes.
This had been set at£50,000, with the government offering a £3,000 grant to EVs under that price.
But in a surprise change in March, the threshold was lowered to £35k and the grant cut to £2,500.
This sparked a series of price adjustments to EVs, especially those in the £30k-£40k price bracket which are best-placed to meet the new criteria.
Hyundai's price change comes soon after an updated version of the Kona electric went on sale.
Exterior changes are focused on making the little SUV even more aerodynamically efficient, so the electric car gets a blanked-off grille and new, narrower-looking headlamps.
There are also air inlets in front of the wheel arch claddings, which are now painted the same colour as the body.
Inside there is a 10.25-inch digital dashboard and another 10.25-inch screen, this time in the middle of the car for the infotainment system.
Two powertrain options remain available with the Kona Electric.
A 39.2kWh battery is paired with a 134bhp motor and offers a range of up to 189 miles.
Step up to the 64kWh battery model and you get a 201bhp motor and a useful range of up to 300 miles.
A full charge when using a 7.2kW home charger will take six hours, according to Hyundai.
The car is offered in three trim levels - SE Connect, Premium and Ultimate - and all are well kitted out, with rear parking sensors and camera, keyless entry and adaptive cruise control among the standard equipment.
Premium gains full LED headlights, heated front seats and a range of safety assistance systems such as rear cross-traffic collision avoidance assist and a blind-spot monitoring system.
The Ultimate model comes only with the 64kWh battery and gets an electric tilt and slide sunroof as well as a highway drive assist function.
SE Connect is offered with the smaller battery and costs £27,950 after the government's £2,500 plug-in car grant has been applied.
Premium specification can be had with either battery - the 39kWh car costs £29,300 after the grant and the 64kWh £32,550. That makes the big-battery Kona the longest-range EV eligible for the grant. The Ultimate 64kWh costs £37,200, so misses out on the grant.
Meanwhile, Hyundai has also dropped the price of the full-electric versions of the Ioniq to keep it under the £35k grant threshold; an Ioniq Premium is £32,995 and the Premium SE £34,995.
