Businesses installing EV charge points will be able to claim up to £500 towards the cost of each installation from April 1, 2026, with the Government confirming an uplift to its charging grants.
The Department for Transport (DfT) says the increase, which is up from £350, will cover ‘almost half the cost of a typical charge point installation’ and is intended to make workplace charging more accessible for organisations looking to electrify fleets, support staff charging, or both. The updated grant support will remain available until March 2027, described by the Government as a ‘final year extension’.
While much of the public debate around EVs focuses on the availability of rapid chargers on the strategic road network, workplace charging is increasingly where the economics can tilt in favour of electric – particularly for company vehicles with predictable daily mileage and dwell time.
Keir Mather, Aviation, Maritime and Decarbonisation Minister, noted, “We’re taking action to make EV ownership the affordable choice for everyone – not just those with driveways. Bigger grants mean families, flat owners, renters and small businesses can now install a charger for almost half the usual cost, with home charging costing as little as 2p a mile.
“Combined with our Electric Car Grant which has saved over 55,000 drivers thousands off the price of a new EV whilst boosting sales for carmakers, and record funding for our national public charging network, we’re backing the EV revolution for drivers, businesses, and industry.”
What is changing, and when?
DfT says the updated grants will be introduced from April 1, 2026, which is the same day the Government is planning to make additional grants available to residential EV owners.
For the non-residential market, the headline change is that businesses will be eligible for grants of up to £500 per charge point, rising from the previous £350 discount. The department also said it will simplify the overall landscape of chargepoint support by reducing eight grant types down to five, which it argues will make it easier for organisations to navigate the schemes and understand what support is available.
Alongside the workplace change, DfT also included an update affecting schools, stating that they will be eligible for grants of up to £2,000 per socket, building on 3,700 sockets installed to date.
How this fits into the wider charging push
The Government positioned the grant uplift as part of a broader package aimed at tackling the barriers to EV uptake, including charging access and upfront costs.
Alongside charging grants, ministers again pointed to the £2 billion Electric Car Grant (ECG), which the Government says has helped more than 55,000 drivers with savings of up to £3,750 on eligible models.
DfT also said the UK is continuing to expand its public chargepoint network, describing it as 88,500-strong, and noted that £600 million was announced last year to accelerate charging rollout. The department added that the funding builds on a programme intended to support councils to install 100,000 additional public chargers in the coming years.
Business reaction
Business groups welcomed the change, arguing that workplace and local charging provision remains a deciding factor for many firms considering the switch.
Tina McKenzie, Policy Chair, Federation of Small Businesses, commented, “Many small businesses want to switch to electric vehicles, with half of small businesses (51%) saying that more charging infrastructure would incentivise them to make the switch.
“Small firms want to cut their emissions and reduce their fuel bills and removing or lowering the barriers which currently tip the scales against electric vehicle adoption can only be a good thing – for small businesses, for the economy and for the planet.”
