In 2011, the UK Government introduced the plug-in car grant (PICG) to reduce the price gap between ultra-low emission vehicles and equivalent petrol and diesel models.
PICGs were given to vehicle dealerships and manufacturers. More than 400,000 claims for the scheme were made – and almost £1.5 billion of funding was allocated before the scheme was withdrawn in June 2022. When the PICG scheme ended, the Government shifted its focus towards improving electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure.
As of February 2024, there are no consumer EV incentives for the UK market. However, there are other EV grants available; these are primarily focused on increasing charging point availability for residents, business owners and local authorities.
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What electric car grants can you get in the UK?
In this guide, we will list the EV grants that are currently available in the UK. We’ll explain the criteria, who is eligible - and what funding is available for each grant.
Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Grant (for renters and flat owners)
- The Government’s EV Chargepoint Grant offers financial help towards the installation of EV smart charge points at domestic and residential properties.
- This grant replaced the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS), which was retired in April 2022.
- The EV Chargepoint Grant is only available to renters, flat owners and landlords. There are different application processes for this scheme, depending on whether you are the landlord, tenant and the property type (e.g. whether it’s a flat).
- Under this scheme, you can claim up to £350 or 75% of the cost towards buying and installing an EV Chargepoint (whichever amount is lower).
- Since the EVHS was discontinued, there are no EV charging grants available to people who own a house.
Electric Vehicle Chargepoint and Infrastructure Grants for landlords
There are two EV chargepoint grants available to landlords:
The Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Grant (for landlords)
- Some landlords are entitled to claim £350 or 75% off the cost of buying and installing an EV chargepoint, whichever amount is lower.
- Each financial year, landlords can claim up to 200 grants for residential properties or up to 100 grants for commercial properties. These grants can be used for work across several properties – or for one property.
Learn more on the gov.uk website.
The EV Infrastructure Grant
- An EV Infrastructure Grant gives landlords money towards the cost of wider building and installation work to facilitate the installation of multiple EV chargepoint sockets.
- Work may be carried out for EV sockets you wish to install now – and in the future (e.g. the grant could cover the cost of wiring and posts).
- Landlords can claim up to £30,000 or 75% off the cost of the work. The amount of funding available is dependent on how many parking spaces the work covers.
- Landlords can claim as many as 30 EV infrastructure grants per financial year. However, each grant must be used for a different property.
- This grant is also available to businesses with 249 employees or less that are registered at Companies House or VAT registered with HMRC.
Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS)
- The UK Government launched the Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) to encourage business owners to install EV charging points for the use of employees and visitors at their premises.
- This is a voucher-based scheme that allows businesses to claim a grant for part of the installation costs for workplace charging points. The grant can cover up to 75% of the cost of up to 40 sockets (across all a business’ sites) - up to a maximum of £350 per socket.
Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) fund
The Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) fund is in place to support local authorities in delivering charging infrastructure. The LEVI fund aims to:
- Deliver faster deployment of local (primarily low power) on-street charging infrastructure across England.
- Expedite the commercialisation of and investment in charging infrastructure at a local level.
This fund includes:
- Capital funding to support chargepoint delivery.
- Capability funding to make sure local authorities have the staff and capability to effectively plan and deliver charging infrastructure.
On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS)
- The On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS) is designed to help local authorities provide public EV charging facilities for residents without access to off-street parking.
- The scheme is administered by the Energy Saving Trust, Cenex and PA Consulting on behalf of the UK Government.
- ORCS grants are only available to local authorities or relevant authorities.
- Grants are capped at £200,000 – and a maximum of £7,500 can be provided per chargepoint.
- Funding is available for up to 50% of eligible capital costs – but it is anticipated that many projects will require less funding.
- The deadline for applications is 1st March 2024, or when all available funding has been exhausted.
Domestic Chargepoint Funding Grant (Scotland Only)
The Domestic Chargepoint Fund allowed people living in Scotland to claim up to £400 towards the cost of purchasing and installing home EV chargepoints. Eligible residents included:
- Those living in small towns, rural areas or Islands of Scotland, who owned or leased an EV (including through work).
- Used EV owners living in Scotland who bought an EV through the Used Electric Vehicle Loan scheme.
This fund is now closed. However, if you would like to be notified if and when the fund restarts next year, you can register your interest on the Energy Saving Trust website.
Low Emission Zone Support Fund (Scotland Only)
- The Low Emission Zone Support Fund was available to households within a 20km radius of the Scottish Low Emission Zones (LEZs).
- The LEZs in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen discourage older, high-polluting vehicles from travelling within their areas of operation.
- The LEZ support fund provided up to £2,000 per household, sole trader or micro business towards scrapping a vehicle that falls below the minimum LEZ emissions standards – and up to £1,000 towards sustainable travel options.
- The LEZ Support Fund is no longer accepting applications for the 2023/24 financial year. Previous applications will continue to be processed – and funding will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. (Subject to availability).
Used Electric Vehicle Loans (Scotland Only)
Between 2021 and 2023, the Energy Saving Trust offered interest-free five-year loans to those looking to purchase used EVs in Scotland. The loans, funded by Transport Scotland, were capped depending on the EV type:
- Electric mopeds and motorcycles costing £5,000 or less are eligible for a £5,000 loan.
- Electric cars and vans costing £30,000 or less are eligible for a £30,000 loan.
- The maximum loan amounts included VAT.
- Requests for hydrogen vehicles were considered on a case-by-case basis.
These loans were only available to Scottish residents who:
- Held a valid driving licence.
- Did not own a fully electric vehicle.
- Had ordered a fully electric vehicle to become an EV owner – or were planning to do so.
- Had not received any other Scottish Government grant or loan support towards the purchase of a used EV.
Whilst the Used Electric Vehicle Loan fund is no longer accepting applications, residents can register their interest via the Energy Saving Trust website and get notified if the loan fund reopens next year.
Am I eligible for an EV charger?
If you are a landlord, or you rent or own a flat, you may be eligible for EV chargepoint funding.
However, there is currently no funding available for homeowners living in bungalows, detached, semi-detached or terraced houses.
Are businesses eligible for an EV charger?
If your business has 249 employees or less and is registered at Companies House (or VAT registered with HMRC), you may be eligible for an EV infrastructure grant.
Why did the government introduce electric car grants?
The Government initially introduced the plug-in car grant (PICG) because the large battery packs that powered EVs were very expensive – and therefore, EVs cost at least several thousand pounds more than equivalent combustion engine models.
The grants offered to manufacturers and retailers allowed both to lower their prices, which in turn helped to make EVs a more financially attractive option for automotive consumers.