Volkswagen announced the pricing and specs of the new electric up!, the undisputed star of its booth at Tokyo Motor Show. The car is yet to be approved by OLEV for the 5 grand government grant for low and zero emission cars. But after that it can be yours for £19,250.

Obviously without the grant you are looking at £24,250 which is very dear indeed for a car like the up! However, as electric cars go Volkswagen e-up! is a good’un. Its meaty electric motor develops 60 kW / 82 PS and 210 Nm of torque, and a battery pack that provides a range of up to 93 miles in optimum conditions. Charging the car from a 230-Volt, 2.3 kW household socket takes six hours.

The car has three driving modes. As well as a standard driving mode, the e-up! has two economy profiles: ‘Eco’ and ‘Eco+’. In the first one you lose a bit of performance – which is already pretty shabby (0 to 60 in 12.4 seconds and top speed 80 mph) – and in the second, you lose the air con as well as the car disables it automatically.

Volkswagen e-up! comes to the UK with only one high-specification trim level. Standard features include heated front seats, cruise control and the Maps and More navigation system, heated windscreen, DAB digital radio with six-speaker Sound Pack, City Emergency Braking system, rear parking sensors and an electronic climate control system.