GREEN motoring is becoming more affordable as car companies launch new models and variants which will still qualify for the government's recently reduced plug-in car grant.

Latest to join the ‘budget' electric car charge are Volkswagen with new City and Style variants of the ID.3, both of which come with the company's new lower-powered Pure Performance battery-electric pack.

After the government grant of £2,500 is deducted, the City and Style models cost £28,370 and £32,470, respectively.

The City model is now the lowest-priced version of the ID.3 and comes with a generous standard spec including a 10-inch navigation infotainment system, heated front seats and a heated steering wheel, rain-sensing wipers, an auto-dimming rear mirror, front and rear parking sensors and a suite of driver assistance features including adaptive cruise control with front assist as well as a driver alert system, lane assist; forward collision warning and extended and proactive pedestrian protection.

The more expensive ID.3 Style comes with 18-inch alloy wheels, IQ.Light LED matrix headlights, animation for the LED taillights, 30-colour interior ambient lighting, tinted windows and an illuminated light band between the headlights and Volkswagen logo. Other standard fit kit includes two-zone climate control, a variable boot floor, rear-view camera, keyless entry system and illumination for the door handles.

Both versions are fitted with the new and lighter 45kWh, 150PS Pure Performance powertrain which offers a smaller range of up to 217 miles in the City version with little sacrifice in performance. With a muscular 310 Nm of torque it will cover the 0- 60 mph sprint in less than 8.9 seconds, and matches the 99 mph top speed of the rest of the ID.3 range.

Up to 137 miles of range can be regained from a 100 kW rapid charger in 30 minutes, while a 7.2 kW home charger takes around seven and a half hours to charge from 5% to 100%. Charging 5% to 80% from a DC, CCS charge point takes 31 minutes.