Installing an EV Charger? New Rules Could Save You Up to £1,100 a Year. 

If you’d told me just a few days ago that some people still needed planning permission to install an EV charger at home, I probably would’ve laughed. It sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? Like one more unnecessary hoop to jump through when you’re just trying to do the right thing.

Well, that’s officially over.

As of May 29, 2025, the government has scrapped that rule. Now, if you want to install a home EV charger, you don’t need planning permission. It’s all part of a bigger push to make switching to electric easier and it could save drivers up to £1,100 a year. Not bad.

It’s not just good news for homeowners with driveways, either. People with on-street parking (who usually didn’t need permission anyway) will also benefit from the simpler, clearer rules.

Lilian Greenwood, the Future of Roads Minister, put it best: “We’re cutting down on paperwork to power up the EV revolution so that drivers, businesses and those looking to make the switch will have more charge points to power from and less red tape to deal with.”

The UK’s already invested over £2.3 billion to support drivers and boost British carmakers and this is another big step in the right direction for those looking to add an EV Charger.

Until now, if your home was within two metres of a public road, you needed planning permission to install a charge point. That rule made it tricky for people in cities or tight spaces. But that restriction’s been lifted, opening the door (literally) for way more homes to get EV chargers without the admin headache. That said, in some rare cases, local planning rules might still apply – so it’s worth checking just in case.

It also means businesses can get moving faster. Some EV hub projects were stalled for months just waiting on approvals. That bottleneck? Gone.

Whether you’re in a city flat or out in the countryside, this is great news. The UK is already installing a new public EV charger every 39 minutes and with these changes, that pace is only going to pick up.

Last year, over 18,000 workplace chargepoints were rolled out with government help. Expect that number to rocket.

Lewis Gardiner from Osprey Charging Network summed it up perfectly: “Removing the need for planning permission for essential electrical infrastructure like substations across the majority of sites will save months of delays, reduce costs and accelerate the delivery of the rapid charging hubs drivers need. It’s the result of months of collaboration between industry and government and we’re proud to have played a key role in making it happen.”

And Patrick Dunne from Smart Charge made a solid point EV charging needs to be simple, reliable and accessible. That’s exactly what this rule change helps with.

“Everyone at Smart Charge knows how important it is to make EV charging simple, reliable and accessible – both to make transport cleaner and to ensure we’re meeting the everyday needs of drivers throughout the UK.”

Still on the fence about switching to electric? All you have to do is just look at the numbers:

• Charging can cost as little as 2p per mile
• 2 in 5 used EVs are now under £20,000
• And 29 new models are priced under £30,000
• Most new EVs give you nearly 300 miles of range—that’s a trip from London to Newcastle on one charge

Less red tape. Lower running costs. Cleaner transport.

Owning an EV is coming easier and simpler to do, you can see it with updates like this, and it can only continue to get better.

Honestly, what’s not to love? Let me know your thoughts.

Andy Martin

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