HM Treasury announced at Budget 2026 that the UK government will provide £100 million over two years, starting in spring 2027, to cut charging costs for drivers who use lower-powered public charge points near their homes. The Treasury estimates average savings of around £150 a year for those drivers.
What Was Announced
| Item | Detail from HM Treasury |
|---|---|
| Funding | £100 million over two years from spring 2027 |
| Target | Lower-powered public charge points, typically residential streets |
| Share of current network | Around one third |
| Average saving | About £150 per year per driver |
| Further step | “Tariff porting” taskforce led by industry experts |
| Public charge points cited | Over 124,000 in the UK, up 7.4% year on year |
The Department for Transport will publish more details in due course.
Why the Treasury Acted
An independent review of public charging costs, announced at Budget 2025, found that since 2021 average prices have risen 69% for lower-powered chargers and 94% for higher-powered chargers in real terms. The Treasury notes that around a third of UK households lack off-street parking, so these drivers depend on street charging. The taskforce will explore letting drivers use a cheaper domestic energy tariff at certain public chargers.
The release also repeats that, as of 21 October, planning permission is no longer needed for cross-pavement chargers, and mentions £480 million for the Local EV Infrastructure fund.
What It Means
Where drivers can charge at home, off-street AC charging stays the cheapest route; our EV-ACT3204E 22 kW wallbox (RFID and app, CE) and EV-ACT5006T 48A Level 2 wall charger (ETL/FCC/CE) are examples of home and small-site units. For landlords and local authorities supplying streets or car parks, the EV-AC03201T dual-connector AC station (two Type 2 connectors, OCPP 1.6J, RFID) offers two connectors per unit. See our residential charging range and commercial charging solutions.
Related Reading
- EV Charging News: UK Removes Planning Permission for Cross-Pavement Chargers, Cutting Up to £300
- EV Charging News: UK Public Chargers Reach 121,171 in Latest Government Statistics
- EV Charging News: UK Registers a Record 99,201 Battery-Electric Cars in September
Key Takeaways
- The UK Budget includes £100 million over two years from spring 2027 for lower-powered public chargers.
- HM Treasury estimates savings of about £150 a year per driver.
- A review found real-terms price rises of 69% and 94% since 2021.
- A tariff-porting taskforce will study using home tariffs at public chargers.
