The UK’s Plug-in Truck Grant tapered on 1 April 2026 as legislated: the January–March peak caps (£20k/£60k/£80k/£120k by weight class) stepped down to £15,000 (4.25–12t), £37,000 (12–18t), £52,000 (18–26t) and £81,000 (>26t articulated) — still covering up to 40% of the purchase price. From financial year 2026/27, per-customer volume caps apply: 100 trucks per end customer per year.

The taper’s effect on Q1 was visible in the registration data: a pull-forward of orders into the peak window, exactly as designed — the grant was engineered to build the fleet, infrastructure base and used-market pipeline early, then normalise. Fleets that bought in Q1 captured up to £39,000 more per large tractor than April buyers; the window dynamics repeat annually, so FY2026/27 planning should assume similar first-come mechanics.

Even tapered, £81,000 is Europe’s richest national purchase grant (AanZET’s €115,200 ≈ £100k is the only rival) — and it stacks with the Depot Charging Scheme’s 70% infrastructure coverage. The UK remains the demand-side laboratory of European truck electrification, with Swaptopus choosing it for the same reason.