With the government’s Electric Car Grant getting more car buyers into electric vehicles, car makers whose models aren’t eligible for the official discount are under growing pressure to keep their EVs affordable.
Last week Fiat was offering big bucks off its EV range, and this week new Chinese brand Skywell has gone even further with a huge £9,250 off its BE11 all-electric SUV – taking the starting price down to £27,740. On top of that, Skywell is offering another £500 towards insurance if you book a test drive online.
Following the announcement of a £5,000 price drop for the BE11, Skywell has now confirmed that its £3,750 ‘EV Switch Incentive’ – introduced last year in response to the government’s Electric Car Grant which the BE11 isn’t eligible for – will still be available until 31 March. Plus, if you book your test drive online, there’s another £500 to take off the purchase price, while Skywell will also add a £500 voucher to be used against insurance through Adrian Flux.
It’s fair to say that the Skywell wasn’t well received at its launch last year – it sold a paltry 31 cars throughout the whole of 2025. So, as well as the price cut, Skywell has added a raft of kit to the BE11 to boost its appeal. Features such as adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping systems, blind-spot detection and rear cross-traffic alert are now standard, replacing a simpler setup on earlier cars. The company claims thousands of miles of UK road testing have gone into tuning these systems for local driving conditions, from motorways to narrower rural routes.
Inside, Skywell has focused on comfort and perceived quality. Heated and ventilated front seats are now fitted, trimmed in perforated black leather-style upholstery with Alcantara sections, and the driver’s seat gains electric lumbar adjustment, memory settings and an easy-entry function that slides the seat back when you get in or out.
Two versions of the BE11 are available, a Standard Range model with a 72kWh battery and a claimed maximum range of 248 miles, and a Long Range model with an 86kWh battery and a claimed 303 mile range. Charging speeds aren’t great, though, with a ‘fast’ DC charge at only 80kW.
It was Fiat, though, which fired the starting gun on 2026 discounts, announcing substantial reductions across its electric lineup. None of Fiat’s current electric models get official government grants, so the brand has opted to cut list prices directly, replacing its own Fiat E-Grant with across-the-board reductions that are available immediately.
The headline figure is a £4,040 drop on the Fiat 500e, which now starts at £20,995. The larger Fiat 600e SUV sees a £3,285 cut, bringing its entry price down to £26,750. Performance-focused electric models from Abarth are also included, with reductions of between £1,890 and £2,990 – depending on model and trim.
These price cuts come as Fiat is preparing for the UK arrival of the new electric Grande Panda later this year, followed by the launch of a new 500 Hybrid in summer 2026. By aligning electric and hybrid pricing more closely, Fiat appears keen to remove one of the biggest psychological barriers to EV adoption: the upfront cost.
For buyers, the numbers are now easier to digest. The Fiat 500e sits firmly in city-car territory on price, while the 600e is pitched directly against a raft of small SUV alternatives.
Fiat UK marketing director Victoria Hatfield said: “Fiat is passionately committed to making electrified driving more accessible to customers, and with this new pricing structure for our fully electric lineup of vehicles we are starting the new year by making this transition more affordable and straightforward for drivers.
“There are no complications with Fiat if you want a great value electric vehicle. With our transparent pricing policies, drivers can simply choose from our range of award-winning models to enjoy Italian style and affordable electric motoring.”
The Fiat 500e remains a compact urban car first and foremost, with a choice of 24kWh or 42kWh batteries and a maximum claimed range of up to 199 miles. With most daily journeys adding up to around 25 miles, that range should still be fine for many. But longer journeys will require planning, especially when compared with newer electric cars offering faster charging and longer ranges.
The Fiat 600e addresses some of those concerns, offering over 250 miles of claimed range and a more family-friendly five-door layout. Its performance is respectable rather than headline-grabbing, but it fits neatly into the growing class of compact electric SUVs aimed at everyday use rather than outright efficiency or speed.
Abarth’s electric models take a different approach. The Abarth 500e adds sharper acceleration and a more aggressive character – plus a synthesised, exhaust-like soundtrack – to the standard car, while the range-topping Abarth 600e is firmly positioned as a hot hatch alternative, with serious power and chassis upgrades developed alongside Stellantis Motorsport engineers.
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