The EV charger grant still gives eligible drivers 75% off the cost of buying and installing a home chargepoint socket, up to 500 pounds, after the rate rose from 350 pounds on 1 April 2026 (GOV.UK Find a grant, 2026). For installers, this is no longer a scheme for every homeowner. It now targets renters, flat owners, households with on-street parking and residential landlords, each with its own eligibility route.
This guide is written for installers who need to quote grant-funded work accurately and steer customers through OZEV's rules without a claim falling over. It covers what each grant is worth in 2026, who qualifies, which schemes closed in March 2026, and the exact claim steps you carry out on the customer's behalf. Get one detail wrong, such as installing before approval, and the funding is gone.
Key Takeaways
- The EV chargepoint grant pays 75% of combined hardware and installation cost, capped at 500 pounds per socket since 1 April 2026 (GOV.UK, 2026).
- Homeowners in a standard house no longer qualify. The residential grant is for renters, flat owners and households that rely on on-street parking.
- Residential landlords can claim up to 200 sockets a year at 500 pounds each (GOV.UK, 2026).
- The Workplace Charging Scheme covers up to 40 sockets per applicant at 500 pounds each, claimed against a 180-day voucher (GOV.UK, 2026).
- The EV Infrastructure Grant for staff and fleets and the Commercial Landlord Chargepoint Grant closed on 31 March 2026 (DriveElectric, 2026).
- Every route runs through an OZEV-authorised installer and an approved chargepoint, and nothing can be fitted before OZEV confirms eligibility.
The EV charger grant, explained
The EV charger grant is a set of government schemes run by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) that fund 75% of chargepoint purchase and installation, capped per socket. It is not one grant but a family of them, split by property type and use (GOV.UK, 2026).
The scheme most people mean by "the OZEV grant" is the descendant of the old Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS), which closed to standard homeowners in 2022. What replaced it is narrower. Residential funding now flows only to renters, flat owners and households without a driveway, plus separate routes for landlords and workplaces. Applications moved to the GOV.UK Find a grant service, and each scheme has its own eligibility page and portal.
For installers, the practical point is that you sit inside every claim. The customer applies, OZEV approves, and then you carry out the work and submit the claim with photographs and an invoice showing the grant already deducted. No accreditation, no claim.
How much is the EV charger grant worth in 2026?
Each residential and workplace grant is worth 75% of the combined hardware and installation cost, capped at 500 pounds per socket since 1 April 2026, up from 350 pounds (GOV.UK, 2026). The uplift applies by completion date: work finished on or after 1 April 2026 attracts the 500-pound rate, and earlier installs stay at 350 pounds.
The cap is per socket, so a dual-socket unit can draw two allocations where the scheme allows it. The rates below are confirmed until 31 March 2027 across the live residential and workplace schemes.
- Renters and flat owners. Who it is for: People who rent, or own a flat, with off-street parking. Rate per socket: 75%, up to 500 pounds. Volume cap: 1 grant per person. Live until: 31 Mar 2027.
- Households with on-street parking. Who it is for: Homes with no private driveway, using a cross-pavement solution. Rate per socket: 75%, up to 500 pounds. Volume cap: 1 grant per person. Live until: 31 Mar 2027.
- Residential landlords. Who it is for: Landlords and management companies letting homes. Rate per socket: 75%, up to 500 pounds. Volume cap: 200 sockets per year. Live until: 31 Mar 2027.
- Workplace Charging Scheme. Who it is for: Businesses, charities, public sector. Rate per socket: 75%, up to 500 pounds. Volume cap: 40 sockets per applicant. Live until: 31 Mar 2027.
Note that these figures are current at the time of writing. OZEV can change or end any scheme with an aim of four weeks' notice, so confirm the live rate on the scheme page before you quote.
Who qualifies for the residential EV chargepoint grant?
The residential EV chargepoint grant is for people who rent and live in any residential property, or who own and live in a flat, and who have private off-street parking plus an eligible electric vehicle (GOV.UK, 2026). Someone who owns and lives in a standard house is not eligible.
The vehicle test is broad. Registered keepers of new or used EVs, company car users, lease holders and people with a car on order due within three months all qualify, and the customer must show you proof (Blink Charging, 2026). The property must be in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, and the applicant needs a legal right to a designated off-street space they can always access.
A separate route covers homes with no driveway at all. The on-street parking grant funds the same 75% up to 500 pounds, but only when the customer also installs a permanent cross-pavement solution such as a cable channel, and only with local highways authority consent (GOV.UK, 2024). Temporary cable covers or mats do not count, and exclusive driveway access rules the applicant out.
The EV charger grant for landlords
The residential landlord grant pays landlords and property managers 75% of chargepoint cost, up to 500 pounds per socket, for as many as 200 sockets a year, provided the business is registered at Companies House or with HMRC for VAT (GOV.UK, 2026). The landlord cannot live in the property, and holiday lets are excluded.
Eligible applicants include private landlords, right to manage and residents' management companies, freeholders of multi-unit blocks, social housing providers, charities and property factors in Scotland. Where a group of companies is under common control, the 200-socket annual limit applies to the group as a whole, not to each entity, under the Subsidy Control Act 2022.
This is a strong commercial angle for installers working with letting agents and block managers. One approved application can cover a whole car park, and the landlord funds their own supply upgrades and risk assessments first. In practice the slow part is evidence, since freeholders must supply land registry titles and management companies need appointment records, so brief the client on paperwork before you quote.
The Workplace Charging Scheme for business sites
The Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) gives businesses, charities and public sector bodies 75% off chargepoint purchase and installation including VAT, capped at 500 pounds per socket and 40 sockets across all an applicant's sites (GOV.UK, 2026). The site needs dedicated off-street parking for staff or fleet use, and public sector and charity applicants can also open the chargepoints to visitors (EDF, 2026).
WCS runs on a voucher. A successful applicant receives a code within five working days, and it stays valid for 180 days, during which the chargepoints must be installed and the grant claimed. Applicants can return for more vouchers until their cumulative total reaches 40 sockets. Businesses are also bound by a minimal financial assistance cap of 315,000 pounds over three financial years.
Home-based sole traders can use WCS only where the home address is registered with Companies House or on a business rates bill, and only with a chargepoint eligible for both residential and commercial use. A residential-only model will have the claim declined, so check the authorised model list before ordering hardware.
Which EV charger grants closed in 2026?
Two business schemes closed permanently at 11:59pm on 31 March 2026: the EV Infrastructure Grant for staff and fleets, and the Commercial Landlord Chargepoint Grant (DriveElectric, 2026). Installers had until 26 May 2026 to complete and claim any work already in the pipeline.
The infrastructure grant had funded the groundwork behind multiple sockets, such as cabling, groundworks and distribution boards, at up to 30,000 pounds per site. Its closure means larger commercial jobs no longer have a wiring subsidy behind them, which changes how you scope and price fleet depots and mixed-use car parks.
The state-funded education route also changed, with its rate cut from 2,500 pounds to 2,000 pounds per socket from 1 April 2026 (GOV.UK, 2026). The residential landlord grant, by contrast, was extended for a final year to March 2027, so residential portfolio work still has funding where commercial work has lost it.
The installer's claim process, step by step
Installers claim the grant on the customer's behalf after OZEV approves the application, deducting the grant from the invoice and submitting evidence to OZEV directly (GOV.UK, 2026). You must be OZEV-authorised and fit a chargepoint from the approved model list, or the claim is rejected.
The sequence is fixed. The customer secures any third-party permissions, gets your quote, and applies through Find a grant. OZEV emails both parties to confirm eligibility, and only then can you install. After the work, you submit chargepoint details, photographs of the installation and an invoice showing the total cost minus the grant. OZEV then pays the grant amount to you.
The single most common way installers lose money here is starting work before the confirmation email lands. A chargepoint fitted before OZEV approves is ineligible, with no route to backdate. OZEV also audits a sample of installs, sometimes before payment, so keep photographs and records for every grant job in case a site visit is requested.
Why do EV charger grant applications get rejected?
Most rejections come from a handful of eligibility failures rather than paperwork slips. The chargepoint being installed before OZEV confirms eligibility is the biggest one, followed by using a non-authorised installer or an ineligible chargepoint model (GOV.UK, 2026).
Property type trips up many residential applicants. Owning and living in a house, being a lodger where the landlord also lives, or already having claimed under EVHS or the Domestic Recharge Scheme all rule someone out. Missing third-party permission from a freeholder or managing agent is a frequent flat-owner stumble, because that consent must be in place before applying, not after.
There is also a hard exclusion for mandatory installs. If Part S building regulations, or the equivalent Scottish rules, already required the chargepoint, no grant is available. Screen for this at survey stage, particularly on new builds and major renovations, so you do not quote funding that cannot exist.
Frequently asked questions
Is the EV charger grant still available for homeowners in 2026?
Not for standard homeowners. Someone who owns and lives in a house cannot claim the residential grant. Funding is limited to renters, people who own and live in a flat, and households with on-street parking who fit a permanent cross-pavement solution. Landlords and workplaces have their own separate schemes.
How much is the OZEV grant worth now?
Each live residential and workplace grant covers 75% of combined chargepoint and installation cost, capped at 500 pounds per socket since 1 April 2026. That is up from the previous 350-pound cap. The rate is confirmed until 31 March 2027, though OZEV can change it with around four weeks' notice.
Can landlords get an EV charger grant?
Yes. The residential landlord grant pays 75% up to 500 pounds per socket for up to 200 sockets a year, provided the applicant is registered at Companies House or for VAT and does not live in the property. Groups under common control share one 200-socket annual limit rather than one each.
Do I have to use an approved installer for the grant?
Yes. Every OZEV grant requires an authorised installer and a chargepoint from the approved model list. The customer cannot claim the money directly. The installer deducts the grant from the invoice and submits the claim to OZEV with photographs and the invoice after the work is finished and approved.
What happened to the EV infrastructure grant?
The EV Infrastructure Grant for staff and fleets and the Commercial Landlord Chargepoint Grant both closed on 31 March 2026, with a final claim deadline of 26 May 2026. Larger commercial projects no longer have a cabling and groundworks subsidy, though the residential landlord grant continues to March 2027.
Quoting grant work without losing the margin
The grant schemes reward installers who screen eligibility before quoting and who never let a customer install ahead of approval. Build the OZEV steps into your survey and quote template so the funding is confirmed before hardware is ordered, and keep photographic evidence on every job for audit. Tools such as Reonic's installer platform can help you standardise those quote and compliance steps across a team so grant jobs stay profitable rather than becoming admin.
For related reading, see our guides on EV charger installation cost in the UK, EV charger installation regulations, EV charger planning permission in England, EV charger load management, and how to become an EV charger installer.
