The electric vehicle chargepoint grant is worth 75% of the cost of buying and installing a socket, up to a maximum of £500. The rate rose from £350 to £500 per socket on 1 April 2026. It is not open to every household: an owner-occupier of a house with a driveway cannot claim it.
Who is eligible?
Eligibility for the EV chargepoint grant turns on your property type, not on your income. GOV.UK currently lists five separate schemes, and these are the ones that matter for a home installation:
- Flat owners and renters: yes, with private off-street parking. Up to £500, one socket per resident.
- Households with only on-street parking: yes, through the cross-pavement grant, which covers an approved charging gully so the cable runs under the pavement rather than across it. Up to £500.
- Residential landlords: yes. Up to £500 per socket, to a maximum of 200 sockets across their properties.
- Owner-occupiers of a house with off-street parking: no. This is the group most often caught out. The original scheme for single-unit homeowners closed in 2022 and has not returned.
You also need an electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle, or a lease or order for one, and a chargepoint model that qualifies under the scheme.
What the grant is worth
The grant covers 75% of the combined cost of the chargepoint and its installation, capped at £500 per socket. It is not a flat £500: on a cheap installation you get 75% of a smaller number. Your installer applies on your behalf and deducts the grant from the invoice, so you never handle the claim yourself.
What you would actually pay
Two worked examples, using typical 2026 installed prices and assuming you are in one of the eligible groups above:
- Wallbox Pulsar Plus: £649 unit plus £350 installation is £999. 75% of that is £749, so the grant is capped at £500 and you pay £499.
- Pod Point Solo 3: £799 unit plus £400 installation is £1,199. 75% is £899, again above the cap, so you pay £699.
On any installation costing more than about £667, the £500 cap is what binds rather than the 75% share. Most home installations sit well above that, so in practice most eligible households get the full £500.
Which chargers qualify
The grant applies only to chargepoint models approved under the scheme, and all of them must be smart chargers, meaning they can shift charging to off-peak hours in response to a grid signal. That requirement costs you nothing and is what makes cheap overnight EV tariffs usable. Models commonly fitted under the scheme include the Wallbox Pulsar Plus, Pod Point Solo 3, Easee One, myenergi Zappi and Ohme Home Pro. Your installer confirms the specific model qualifies as part of the application, so check it with them rather than assuming.
How to claim
- Check which scheme you fall under on GOV.UK’s chargepoint grants guidance, which lists all five schemes and what each is worth.
- Choose an approved installer. Only installers authorised under the scheme can apply, and the application is theirs to make, not yours.
- Get a written quote with the grant shown separately, so you can see the gross price, the grant and the balance.
- Have the work done. A standard installation takes a day or less.
- The installer claims. You pay the balance on the invoice and the scheme pays them the rest.
Before you get charger quotes
What to send installers, what actually moves the price, and how to compare what comes back.