EV Charger Grants for Flats & Renters 2026

How much is the EV chargepoint grant in 2026?

Since 1 April 2026, the grant for the three household schemes covers up to £500 per socket, an increase from the previous £350 cap. The funding for these schemes runs until 31 March 2027, so anyone applying between now and then can claim at the current rate, subject to normal eligibility checks.

The grant is applied for and administered by an OZEV-approved installer as part of the quote, not something you claim back yourself after paying full price. This is worth knowing before you compare quotes: a lower "grant-inclusive" headline price only means something if the installer is actually authorised to process the grant.

It also helps to understand why the rate moved at all. The scheme has been revised more than once since it first covered only homes with off-street parking, and each revision has generally widened who counts rather than narrowed it. The 2026 change did two things at once: it raised the per-socket amount and confirmed that flats, rented homes, and on-street parking all sit inside the same funding pool rather than being treated as edge cases.

Which three household schemes does this cover?

The £500 rate applies across three separate household routes, each aimed at a different situation where a driveway charger was never an option before.

Why does a driveway usually get treated differently?

Grant schemes were originally built around the simplest case: a homeowner with a private driveway or garage, running a cable straight from the house to a car parked a few metres away. Flats, rentals, and on-street parking all break that simple picture in different ways, whether that is shared ownership of the parking area, a landlord who needs to agree to permanent work, or a charger that has to serve a car parked on a public street rather than private land.

The 2026 rules exist precisely because those situations kept being underserved by a scheme designed around the easiest case. Knowing which of the three categories your situation falls into is the main thing that determines how straightforward your application will be.

Is the £500 rate universal?

No, and this is where a lot of adverts blur the detail. The £500 figure is specific to the three household schemes above. The Workplace Charging Scheme also moved to £500 per socket, but it runs on its own separate terms for businesses installing chargepoints for staff or fleet vehicles. State-funded education institutions are on a different scheme again, with grants of up to £2,000 per socket.

If you are a homeowner, renter, or landlord asking about a domestic chargepoint, the £500 household rate is the one that applies to you. Always check which scheme a quote is actually referencing before assuming the number carries across.

How do you actually claim it?

You do not submit the grant application yourself. An OZEV-approved installer, Viking among them, checks your eligibility, handles the paperwork with the scheme administrator, and builds the grant straight into your quote as a deduction rather than a separate refund you chase later.

In practice that means: the installer confirms your property and parking situation qualifies under one of the three household schemes, submits the claim alongside the installation booking, and you pay the net price after the grant is applied. There is no separate form for you to fill in or a reimbursement to wait on.

If you rent rather than own, the same process applies, but your landlord needs to be part of the conversation from the start. A landlord who agrees in principle to a chargepoint still needs to confirm that in writing before an installer can proceed, since permanent electrical work at a rented property is not something a tenant can authorise alone.

What does a charger typically cost after the grant?

Costs vary with the property, the cable run, and whether any additional groundworks are needed for an on-street installation, so treat any figure as an estimate rather than a fixed price. As a general shape: a straightforward flat or rented-home installation with a nearby parking space tends to sit toward the lower end of typical domestic chargepoint pricing once the £500 grant is deducted, while on-street installations that need cross-pavement work or additional groundworks usually cost more before the grant is applied.

The only way to get an accurate figure for your own property is a proper site assessment, since parking layout and cable distance are the two things that move the price most.