RENAULT has become the first car manufacturer to offer a free domestic charging point to buyers of a new fully electric car.

People who buy or have pre-ordered the new electric model the ZOE will get a free Single Wall-box, supplied and installed by Renault's electric vehicle charging partner British Gas.

The offer makes the most of the recently announced 75 per cent support on domestic Wall-box installations as part of the government's £37m grant funding to increase take-up of electric vehicles.

It means the offer will save a typical customer up to £500 and make the ZOE, which hits showrooms in early June, more affordable and easy to run.

Customers already save up to £5,000 on the price of their electric car from the government's Plug-In Grant, in ZOE's case bringing the car's price to between £13,650 to £14,750, depending on trim level.

That's the equivalent of a diesel supermini and becomes another incentive to make the switch to electric.

Renault believes that around 90 per cent of charging will take place at home, with ZOE's battery able to be charged from completely flat to fully charged in three and a half hours with the 32amp box.

An added ‘green' bonus is that the box also allows customers to see how much energy the car is using and the comparable emissions savings they are making via an online app.

ZOE can also be fast charged to 80 per cent of its capacity in 30 minutes using public Rapid-Charger power sources.

The Single Wall-box can be installed at any UK residential address with a GPRS signal and has an attached lead, meaning that drivers don't have to delve into the boot at night to find the cable to plug in.

Also included in the package is free access to the public charging network across the UK.

ZOE has a real-world range of around 90 miles in temperate conditions or 60 in cold weather.