Quick answer: The OZEV grant for households with on-street parking pays 75% of the cost of a home charger socket, up to £500, when you also install a permanent cross-pavement solution such as a cable channel. You need consent from your local highways authority first, and funding is confirmed until 31 March 2027. Not every council allows these installations.
Charging at home is usually the cheapest way to run an electric car, but millions of homes have no driveway. A cross-pavement solution lets you run a charging cable safely from your house to a car parked on the street. The government offers a grant towards the charger, as long as the cross-pavement part is done properly.
What a cross-pavement solution is
The government’s guidance for local authorities describes two main types:
- Cable channels in the pavement, often called gullies. A narrow channel set into the pavement holds the charging cable while the car charges, and you remove the cable afterwards. The guidance says these are the most common solution at present.
- Permanent under-pavement cables, where a cable runs under the pavement and connects to the car through a removable bollard, a lance or another connector.
Temporary options, such as cable covers or mats laid on top of the pavement, do not qualify for the grant.
Who qualifies
According to the scheme’s Find a grant page, you can apply if you:
- own or rent the home you live in
- will install a permanent cross-pavement solution alongside the charger
- do not have private and exclusive off-street parking, such as a driveway, garage or residential car park
- have adequate on-street parking that is generally available outside or near your home
- have permission from your local highways authority for the cross-pavement solution, and declare that you will get any planning permission needed
- own or are responsible for an eligible vehicle on the OZEV-approved list, or have one on order
- have not already had the charger installed
The property can be in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. The Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are excluded.
You cannot apply if you have already claimed the renters and flat owners grant (or its predecessors) for your home, if you are moving, or if you want to replace or move an existing charger.
Council consent comes first
The grant page is frank that the market is still developing and that not all local authorities and devolved administrations currently approve these installations. The government guidance says the decision to allow a cross-pavement solution on the public highway rests with the local authority.
Two different permissions may be involved:
- Highways consent for the cross-pavement solution. Your grant application must include evidence of it. You must not install anything on the public road network yourself.
- Planning permission, if your local planning authority requires it, for the charger and the cross-pavement solution.
In parts of England with two tiers of local government, the county council is usually the highways authority and the district council handles planning, so you may be dealing with two councils.
You will also need any third-party permissions, such as from a landlord or freeholder, or the owner of a private road.
A parking space is not guaranteed
The grant does not give you ownership of, or priority over, the space outside your home. The Find a grant page says you may not always have access to the funded charger because you cannot reserve the parking space. The government guidance suggests these solutions work best where a resident can park outside their home at least once a week.
How much you get
The grant pays 75% of the cost to buy and install a socket, up to £500. Your installer deducts it from your invoice and claims it from OZEV. The cost of the cross-pavement solution itself, and any council fees, are separate, and we have not found official typical figures for them. Ask your council and installer for written quotes.
Step by step
- Check your council’s policy on cross-pavement charging. Some have schemes or approved suppliers; some do not allow it yet.
- Get third-party permissions if you rent or live on a private road.
- Get a quote from an OZEV-approved installer for the charger.
- Apply for highways consent for the cross-pavement solution, following your council’s process.
- Apply for the grant using the “Start new application” button on the Find a grant page, with your highways consent as evidence.
- Wait for OZEV to confirm you are eligible. Do not install anything before this.
- Install the charger and cross-pavement solution. Your installer then claims the grant with photos and an invoice showing the grant deducted.
Deadline and changes
Funding is confirmed until 31 March 2027. The government reserves the right to end or change the grant. If it does, it says it will aim to give four weeks’ notice and will honour claims made before any announcement, subject to the criteria. Because council consent can take time, start early.
Alternatives if your council says no
- Public charging. Zapmap’s price index put the average pay-as-you-go price at 54p per kWh for standard chargers and 79p per kWh for rapid and ultra-rapid chargers in September 2026. That is well above typical home rates.
- Charging at work. Employers can get up to £500 per socket through the Workplace Charging Scheme, also funded until 31 March 2027, so it is worth asking.
- Ask your council about local plans. The government guidance encourages councils to think about how cross-pavement solutions fit their local charging strategies.
Frequently asked questions
Can I just run a cable across the pavement with a mat over it?
Not for this grant, and possibly not at all without your council’s agreement. The grant excludes temporary solutions such as cable covers or mats, and installation on the public highway needs highways authority consent.
I have a driveway but prefer to park on the street. Can I apply?
No. You are not eligible if you have private and exclusive access to off-street parking.
Who owns the cross-pavement channel?
It depends on your council. The government guidance describes models where the council owns and maintains the equipment, and others where the resident or supplier does. Your council will confirm the arrangement before installation.
Sources
- Electric vehicle chargepoint grant for households with on-street parking, Find a grant
- Cross-pavement solutions for charging electric vehicles, Office for Zero Emission Vehicles, GOV.UK
- Changes to electric vehicle chargepoint grant schemes from 1 April 2026, OZEV, GOV.UK
- Electric vehicle chargepoint grants, OZEV, GOV.UK
- Zapmap Price Index, Zapmap, updated 7 October 2026
Last checked: 19 October 2026
Image credit: Acabashi via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped.
