Electric Vehicle Charge Points

Charging at home

Given that private cars are usually parked overnight, most electric car owners rely on home charging to ensure that their EV is ready for use each morning. As well as being convenient, home-based overnight charging also has the advantage of being, in most cases, the cheapest time to recharge.

From the 1st of April 2022, the Government replaced the old Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS), which was open to homeowners, with the EV chargepoint grant. This is aimed squarely at the rental market and can benefit both renters and landlords. 

What grants are available for Electric Vehicles in the UK when it comes to purchasing an EV?

The Plug-in Car Grant or PICG is a scheme where you can get a discount on the price of a brand-new low-emission vehicle. The grant is given to vehicle dealerships and manufacturers who then pass this discount on to customers. So the price of the vehicle is reduced by the grant amount by the dealer. Vehicles that are eligible for the grant have to be included on the Government-approved list (which you can find here).

Mopeds, motorcycles, and vans are included in the PICG, each with a different discount attached and some with limitations on the number of grants available:

• Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles – up to 35% discount, to a maximum of £2,500 for vehicles under £35,000 (only 1000 grants are available between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024)
• Mopeds – up to 35% discount, to a maximum of £150 for vehicles under £10,000
• Motorcycles – up to 35% discount, to a maximum of £500 for vehicles under £10,000
• Small vans – up to 35% discount, to a maximum of £2,500, only 1000 grants per business per year
• Large vans – up to 20% discount, to a maximum of £5,000, only 1000 grants per business per year
• Taxis – up to 20% discount, to a maximum of £7,500
• Small trucks – up to 20% discount, to a maximum of £16,000, limited grant numbers
• Large trucks – up to 20% discount, to a maximum of £25,000, limited grant numbers

For more information on truck grant caps please see Government Plug In Car a.nd Van Grants 

What grants are available for Electric Vehicles in the UK when it comes to charge points?

EV Chargepoint Grant for Flat Owner-occupiers and those living in rented properties (EVCG)

This scheme has replaced the EVHS scheme and is open to homeowners who live in flats and people who live in rental accommodations. To qualify:

• You need to own, lease or have ordered a qualifying vehicle (the eligible vehicle list can be found here.)
• You'll need to have dedicated off-street parking at your property
• You must live in rental accommodation or own a flat

Both the charging point and the installer must be OZEV approved. To receive the grant, the date of installation must not be more than four months ahead of delivery or registration date. More information on how we can help with this grant is available here or you can visit the government website for more specific details about the scheme.

EV Chargepoint Grant for Landlords

A new scheme is available which provides funding to install electric vehicle charge points as a landlord, social housing provider or property factor in their rental and leasehold properties. 

This scheme replaces the old Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS). The scheme is open to:

• landlords of a property that lets the property
• right to manage (RTM) companies
• companies owning the freehold of a leased or rented property
• companies owning a building's common areas. The company may comprise shareholders who are the leaseholders. The company may also manage the building
• property factor listed on the property factor register
• private registered providers of social housing (PRP)
• public authorities, such as government departments and their agencies, the armed forces, local governments, the NHS and emergency services
• charities

Eligibility

To be eligible you must be registered at Companies House. If not, you must be VAT registered with Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC). If you are not registered at either, you will not be eligible for the grant. To access the grant a landlord must first register. They can then appoint an OZEV approved installer who can claim on their behalf. The grant provides funding towards the cost of buying and installing EV chargepoints. Chargepoints may be able to charge one or more vehicles simultaneously, depending on the number of sockets they have.

The grant amount given is per chargepoint socket installed. It provides up to 75% of the cost towards the purchase and installation of a chargepoint socket, limited to £350 per grant.

Landlords can receive up to 200 grants a year for residential properties, and a further 100 for commercial properties. These may be across a number of properties and installations or just for one property.

This grant is also available to local authorities that own social housing. They can apply under the same terms up to a maximum of 200 grants per year.

EV Infrastructure Grant for Landlords

This grant provides landlords with money for building and installation costs when installing multiple charging point sockets for parking spaces, including the wiring and posts associated with each point.

The grant provides up to £30,000 or 75% off the cost of works. As many as 30 infrastructure grants can be claimed each year as long as each is for a different property.

There are additional criteria for landlords to be eligible for these grants:

• The grant must be for a property with multiple homes (HMOs)
• At least one charge point socket needs to be installed
• The work must cover at least 5 parking spaces.

Landlords can apply for this grant by filling in the EV Chargepoint Grant for Landlords registration form.

On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS)

Local authorities can take advantage of an additional grant that is provided to increase the availability of Electric Vehicle Plug-in chargers for residents that don't have off-street parking.

It offers funds for up to 60% of the costs of installing on-street EV Charge Points up to a value of £7,500. (it also includes parking bays). Local authorities apply for this grant through the Energy Saving Trust who are running the scheme on behalf of OZEV.

EV Chargepoint Grant for Residential Car Parks

The government has put in place help for businesses and organisations who rent, lease or manage residential properties and install electric vehicle (EV) charging points in their car parks.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) administers the grant on behalf of the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV).

You can claim up to £30,000 or 75% of the installation cost and can only claim one grant per building. If more charge points are needed in addition to those provided by this grant, then the EV chargepoint grant for landlords can be used.

Businesses can get up to:

• £500 per passive parking space

• £350 per active parking space

You can receive up to 30 grants per financial year. The financial year runs from 6 April to 5 April the next year.

What grants are available for Electric Vehicles in the UK when it comes to businesses?

The Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) is a government scheme for electric vehicles offered by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV). The WCS is open to businesses, charities and public sector organisations that meet the eligibility criteria (see below).

Businesses can reduce the cost of Workplace chargepoints by up to £14,000 with the government WCS grant. It's a voucher-based grant designed to help with the up-front costs of buying and fitting charge points at a workplace. Businesses of all shapes and sizes can be eligible for £350 funding per charging socket at their workplace car park. Along with this financial incentive there are also generous tax incentives for company car drivers using an EV vehicle. These can mean savings of more than £2,000 a year to businesses and individuals. Full details of the benefits of an electric fleet can be found on our blog.

New grants for schools, colleges, nurseries and academies

February 2024 saw the announcement that state-funded schools and education institutions with dedicated off-street parking will see an increase in the grants available under a new grant covered by the WCS. The new grant will provide up to 75% of the cost to buy and install charge-points, up to £2,500 per socket, up from the previous £350. This will be capped at 40 sockets across all sites. The idea is to boost the charge point facilities for staff and visitors and could ultimately help schools to generate revenue by making the charge points available to the public.

How does it work?

• The WCS reduces the purchase and installation cost of a new workplace charging station (single socket) by 75% (capped at £350 per socket).
• A single business can claim for up to a maximum of 40 chargepoints (e.g. 40 single socket or 20 double socket chargepoints).
• You can only claim the WCS for new chargepoints which will be installed after the date the voucher is issued.

Eligibility checklist

• Can be claimed by any business, charity or public authority (back claiming is not possible)
• You must have off street parking and be able to outline a business need for electric vehicle chargepoints, or an intent to encourage uptake among their staff and/or fleet
• Your chargepoints must be installed by an OZEV-approved installer.
• We'll help you apply for a digital voucher. The voucher will be valid for four months (120 days) from the date of issue.

The grant is capped at £350 per socket, up to 40 sockets.

What do I need to do?

• Complete an online application.
• Successful applicants are issued with a unique identification voucher code by email, which can then be given to any OZEV-authorised WCS installer.
• Once the chargepoint(s) have been installed, the authorised installer can claim the grant from OZEV on the applicant's behalf. The chargepoint installation must be completed and the voucher claimed within 6 months of the voucher's issue date.
• The voucher code is valid for 120 days from the date of issue.
• If you apply for less than 40 sockets, you can submit additional applications in the future until you reach that limit.