Government looks to slash red tape to make charging electric vehicles at home easier
Source: gov.uk (2025-10-29)

Reforms will open up affordable home charging to thousands more households

- new proposed planning reforms to cut red tape giving renters and motorists without driveways greater access to cheaper charging at home
- residents could save up to £250 on application fees with wider proposals to help renters and leaseholders install chargers
- more households could run their electric vehicles for as little as 2p per mile – saving families cash and helping more people to make the switch
Electric car owners will find it easier and cheaper to charge their vehicles at home under new plans unveiled today (29 October 2025) by the government, designed to make it fairer for renters and those without a private driveway.

The plans would make it easier for renters and leaseholders to install electric vehicle (EV) chargers by mandating chargepoints in new covered car parks and consulting on removing planning permission currently needed for those without driveways to install discreet cross pavement charging gullies, as the government bolsters its drive to make it easier than ever to plug in wherever you live.

The reforms would give more people access to domestic electricity rates, enabling families to run their EVs for as little as 2p per mile – the equivalent of London to Birmingham for £2.50.

The government has confirmed it will consider cutting red tape for EV drivers without driveways to make it easier to install cross pavement charging solutions, speeding up applications and putting money back in drivers’ pockets by saving them up to £250 in application fees.

The government will also work with Ofgem to ensure public costs are fair and strengthen protections against landowners overcharging tenants for home charging above the market rate.

On top of this, government and Ofgem will work to ensure operators offer high quality connections as well as smooth and rapid connections for public charging, to ensure the network is resilient and supports the ongoing rollout.

The government will shortly launch a consultation on the package, enabling industry to inform how the reforms can best be implemented.

Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, said:

Wherever you park your car, we’re making it fairer, easier, and cheaper to make the switch to electric.

These reforms will improve infrastructure for the EV revolution, increase chargepoints across the country and open up affordable home charging to thousands more households.

It’s good news for drivers and a big boost for the growing British EV industry – cutting costs and supporting jobs to deliver our Plan for Change.

The commitment builds on the launch of the £650 million Electric Car Grant (ECG) (https://www.gov.uk/plug-in-vehicle-grants/cars) earlier this year, which is offering discounts of up to £3,750 off 39 car models. The grant has sparked increased demand in EVs and has helped more than 25,000 drivers to make the switch so far.

The move follows a £25 million scheme announced in July to support local authorities to provide discreet cross-pavement channel charging solutions for residents, so more people without a driveway can charge easily and cheaply at home. The government is also investing £381 million to roll out more than 100,000 local public chargers across England (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/charging-into-the-future-government-set-to-deliver-over-100000-more-ev-chargepoints).

The UK is leading the EV transition after it ranked number 1 in Europe’s EV market in 2024 and sales are up nearly a third so far this year. The government is taking unprecedented action to support people with the move to electric, targeting historically higher upfront costs through the ECG and addressing charging anxiety – with 86,021 chargers available across the UK. This latest package will help give drivers the confidence to make the switch to electric and ensure the infrastructure is there to power their journeys when they do.

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