EV charger grants for businesses in 2026: a simple UK guide
Updated: 4 days ago
The short answer: eligible UK organisations can receive help with workplace chargepoint installation, but not every business, parking space or cost qualifies. The Workplace Charging Scheme now has a £500-per-socket ceiling. A grant is a contribution towards eligible costs, not a promise of a free installation.
Checked 16 October 2026. This guide explains the main national workplace routes. Rules and funding can change; check the linked official application guidance before ordering equipment or starting work.
What is the Workplace Charging Scheme?
The Workplace Charging Scheme, or WCS, supports eligible businesses, charities and public sector organisations. It covers up to 75% of eligible purchase and installation costs, including VAT, with a maximum of £500 per socket and 40 sockets across an applicant’s sites. The current scheme runs until 31 March 2027. A socket means a charging outlet; a unit with two outlets may therefore involve two sockets, subject to the scheme’s rules.
What could that mean in pounds?
Here is an illustrative calculation, not an installation quote. If four sockets each have £1,000 of eligible costs, 75% would be £750 per socket. The £500 ceiling reduces that to a potential £2,000 total grant. Against £4,000 of eligible costs, the remaining amount would be £2,000. Ineligible costs and any additional work remain extra. Approval, eligibility and the final claim still matter.
Does my car park qualify?
Start with the parking and its users. You need suitable dedicated off-road parking and ownership or the necessary landowner consent. Ordinary business applications generally concern staff or fleet use. Different provisions apply to eligible public authorities, charities and small accommodation businesses. Customer-only parking is not a blanket route to funding. Mandatory installations, including some building-regulation or planning requirements, are excluded. Ask the authorised installer to check your exact site and application.
Apply before installation
Arrange the site assessment and check the authorised installer and eligible chargepoint model. Apply for the voucher before installation; do not assume a retrospective claim will work. The installer checks the voucher, carries out the eligible work, deducts the grant from the invoice and claims it. Work and the claim must be completed within the voucher’s 180-day validity. Check the voucher dates and the scheme’s closing arrangements with the installer.
Schools have a separate route
Eligible state-funded education institutions can apply for 75% of purchase and installation costs, capped at £2,000 per socket under the current rules. The normal allocation is 40 sockets including previous WCS applications; academy trusts have institution-specific provisions. Independent schools use the ordinary WCS route. The education scheme also runs until 31 March 2027. Do not use the older £2,500 figure for a new application: that relates to qualifying applications submitted before 1 April 2026.
Which older grants have closed?
New customer applications closed on 31 March 2026 for the staff-and-fleets infrastructure grant, the commercial-landlord chargepoint grant and the residential-landlord infrastructure grant. Do not confuse the last of these with the separate residential-landlord chargepoint grant, which continues under its own conditions. A workplace, a rented home and an apartment car park need different eligibility checks.
What should a London business do next?
Write down your site postcode, who controls the parking, who will charge, how many vehicles need charging and how long they stay. Ask for a quotation that separates equipment, electrical work, groundworks, software and maintenance. Grant support does not remove electricity bills or ongoing operating costs. Compare the total project, not just the headline discount.
Logic Charge provides UK charging information and accepts London installation enquiries. We do not award grants or guarantee an installer, funding or a final installation price.
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