Renault has welcomed Alistair Darling’s Pre-Budget Report in relation to the exemption of company car tax for electric vehicles from April 2010 for five years.

The French brand is 18 months away from introducing a full range of electric vehicles that will benefit from the exemption.

Roland Bouchara, Renault UK managing director, said: “Electric vehicles are already exempt from vehicle excise duty (VED), so this excellent news will undoubtedly assist in encouraging the British public and business community to adopt zero-emission (ZE) transport.

“We’re convinced that our ‘Z.E.’ range will capture everyone’s imagination, so this latest financial incentive adds even greater weight to the case for electric transport, alongside its obvious environmental and running cost benefits.”

Bouchara believes Darling's support for electric vehicles will result in a quicker implementation of an electric vehicle charging infrastructure throughout the UK.

Renault’s push into the zero-emission electric vehicle arena begins in Europe in 2011, with the launch of the first three models from an initial four-model Z.E. family, designed to be an affordable entry into electric vehicles.

The first of the electric trio will be a four-door Fluence saloon, followed by a Kangoo van and then a city vehicle based on the two-seat Twizy concept. A supermini will be added in early 2012.