The grants of up to £3,750 apply to about a quarter of battery cars on sale in the UK – including models from Citroën, Renault (pictured), Nissan and Vauxhall. Photograph: Benoît Tessier/ReutersBritish electric car sales hit a record high in September as new taxpayer subsidies helped to attract buyers in the most important month for the market. The UK government reintroduced an electric car grant in July after intense lobbying by carmakers who argued that they were struggling to meet targets on electric sales, known as the zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate. New Automotive, a thinktank tracking the mandate, estimated that the true target for battery car sales is below 22%. David Farrar, policy manager at New AutoMotive, said the early evidence from the take-up of the electric car grant – which will help only the first 400,000 buyers – suggested that the scheme might have to close earlier than intended.