EV Charger Grant — No Driveway? £500 from April 2026
From 1 April 2026, UK households who park exclusively on-street (no driveway, no garage, no off-street parking) can claim up to £500 per socket toward a home EV chargepoint. This is a brand-new grant, separate from the existing renters/flat-owners scheme. Below: who qualifies, how it works in Kent, and which OZEV-approved Kent installers can do the install.
The three EV charger grants in 2026
| Grant | Who qualifies | Value | Available until |
|---|---|---|---|
| On-Street Parking (NEW from 1 April 2026) | Property owners or renters who park exclusively on the street | Up to £500 per socket (or 75% of cost) | Ongoing |
| Renters & Flat Owners | Renters, flat owners with shared parking | Up to £500 per socket | 31 March 2027 |
| Residential Landlords | Landlords installing for tenants | Up to £500 per socket (max 200 grants/year) | 31 March 2027 |
Important: standard homeowners with their own driveway have not been eligible for OZEV chargepoint grants since 2022. If that's you, your install runs the full £900-£1,500 — but the kit cost has dropped sharply since the grant ended.
What "on-street parking only" means
The grant targets households where there's genuinely no off-street option. Kent areas where this applies a lot:
- Victorian terraces in Folkestone, Margate, Ramsgate, Dover, Tunbridge Wells
- Inner Maidstone and Canterbury terraced streets
- Older Medway towns (Chatham, Gillingham) with no rear access
- Faversham conservation areas where dropped-kerb permission is restricted
If you have any off-street parking — driveway, garage, courtyard, side return — you don't qualify. The grant administrator validates parking type as part of the application.
How the install actually works without a driveway
The hard part isn't the charger — it's getting power from your house meter to your kerbside parking spot. Three approaches:
- Cable channel through the pavement. Council-approved gulley running from your house to a kerbside box. Brands like Gul-e and Kerbo Charge specialise in this — Kent County Council reviews each request individually. Typical add-on cost: £600-£1,200 above the standard install.
- Dropped-kerb conversion of front garden. If you have a front garden you can convert to a parking bay, you'd then technically have off-street parking — but the dropped-kerb application typically takes 8-16 weeks and costs £1,500-£3,500 in addition to the chargepoint. The grant doesn't apply once you have off-street parking.
- Trailing-cable solution with cable cover. The cheapest option — a heavy-duty cable cover deployed only when charging — but Kent County Council and most district councils discourage this on safety grounds (trip hazard, liability). Check your local council's policy before relying on this.
Talk to an OZEV-approved installer first — they'll tell you which of these works for your specific street and whether your council's planning team has approved past similar installs nearby.
Typical Kent install costs (2026)
| Install scenario | Typical cost | After £500 grant |
|---|---|---|
| 7 kW charger, simple driveway install | £900–£1,300 | (no grant — driveways not eligible) |
| 7 kW charger, on-street with cable cover | £900–£1,400 | £400–£900 |
| 7 kW charger, on-street with cable channel | £1,500–£2,500 | £1,000–£2,000 |
| 22 kW charger (3-phase supply needed) | £1,800–£3,500 | £1,300–£3,000 |
| Consumer unit upgrade (often needed) | +£350–£800 | Required if existing CU lacks RCBO capacity |
| Earth-rod installation (TT system) | +£250–£500 | Required where supply earthing is inadequate |
Full breakdown: EV charger installation cost UK 2026.
How to apply (OZEV-approved installer required)
- Choose an OZEV-approved installer. The grant only applies if your installer is on the approved list — check their installer ID before signing.
- Get a no-obligation home survey. Most Kent installers offer free virtual surveys (photos of meter, fuse box, parking spot) before booking a site visit.
- Installer applies for the grant on your behalf. They submit your eligibility evidence (address, parking-type confirmation) and DVLA EV ownership/lease evidence.
- Install is scheduled once grant approval comes back (typically 1-2 weeks).
- Pay the post-grant balance on completion — installer deducts the £500 (or 75% of cost) from your final bill. You don't handle the grant cash directly.
Find an OZEV-approved EV charger installer in Kent
NearbyTraders lists Kent EV charger installers. Click your town to see local installers:
Kent EV charger installers by town
Ashford · Canterbury · Chatham · Dartford · Dover · Faversham · Folkestone · Gillingham · Gravesend · Maidstone · Margate · Ramsgate · Rochester · Sevenoaks · Sittingbourne · Tonbridge · Tunbridge Wells