Drivers to get up to £5,000 to buy an electric car : Hippyshopper

Motorists are being a bit slow on the uptake over electric cars, and the government has figured out that the incentive needed to get more drivers to ditch the fossil fuel is a sum of around £5,000.

The idea behind the £250m scheme is to get us all out of the habit of seeing electric cars as 'abnormal'; an aim that's becoming more realistic now that designers are cottoning on to the fact that electric cars will sell better if they look more like this than, say, this.

Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon said: "What we've got to get people used to is the idea that electric cars will become quite normal, quite usual," said Hoon. "That it won't be exceptional and, without being unkind to existing electric vehicles, they won't be slightly odd, they will be cars that conform to appropriate safety standards and we can use on an everyday basis."

As part of his plan, 200 electric cars will be available across the country for the public to try out. So watch out for them in a city centre near you!