Commercial EV chargers for business: costs, grants and installation

Business EV charging: key facts for 2026

Commercial EV chargers: AC or DC rapid?

The first decision is power. GOV.UK's commercial chargepoint minimum technical specification, which every chargepoint must meet to qualify for the Workplace Charging Scheme, sorts commercial EV chargers into these output bands:

Slow AC below 3.5kW isn't permitted under the spec. AC units must use Mode 3 charging with Type 2 sockets; DC units use Mode 4. Two details matter when comparing quotes:

• Rated power assumes the supply can deliver it. The spec says that where local supply limits stop a charger running at full rated output, it is classed by its actual output. A "22kW" post on a constrained supply may really be a 7kW post.
• Twin outlets share power. A multi-outlet unit is classified by the power each outlet gives with all of them running at once.

The rule of thumb is dwell time. Cars parked for a full shift rarely need more than fast AC. Vehicles that turn round in an hour or two need DC.

Staff, fleet, visitor and public charging: who are the chargers for?

Who plugs in decides which chargers you buy, whether you can get the grant and which regulations apply.

The Public Charge Point Regulations 2023 say a workplace charge point isn't a public one. Most of their duties (contactless, reliability, data and helpline) don't apply to a charge point operator that is a micro business, but pricing in pence per kWh must be displayed by everyone. If you're planning a public offer, ask your installer who will act as the charge point operator.

Load management and supply capacity: the hidden cost

The single biggest swing in a commercial EV charging quote is not the charger. It's whether your existing electrical supply can carry the extra load. Ten 7kW chargers running at once need around 70kW on top of everything else the building uses. Ten 22kW posts need far more.

• Dynamic load management shares the available capacity between chargers and backs off when the building needs power. It often means you can install more sockets without a bigger supply. Chargepoints must also comply with the Electric Vehicles (Smart Charge Points) Regulations 2021.
• A DNO upgrade is needed when the site simply doesn't have enough capacity. The distribution network operator quotes for new cables or a substation, and the timescale is set by them, not your installer. Ask for a capacity check before you order chargers.
• Solar and batteries can take some of the load off the grid in the daytime. See below.
• Vehicle-to-grid (V2X). Chargers that can export power need ENA G98 or G99 approval, depending on their size.

What does commercial EV charging cost?

There's no official national price series for commercial EV chargers, so treat any headline "per charger" price with caution. What a business pays is driven by:

• Charger type and number of sockets: AC posts versus DC rapid units, wall-mounted or pedestal, single or twin.
• Groundworks: trenching across tarmac, ducting, bases, bollards and bay marking. Distance from the switchboard often costs more than the charger itself.
• Supply: a new sub-main or distribution board, load management hardware, and any DNO upgrade.
• Software: the back-office platform for access control, payment, driver billing and reporting, usually charged as a monthly fee per charger.
• Maintenance: service contracts after the warranty. Chargepoints funded by the WCS must come with a 3-year on-site warranty on parts and installation.

How the grant and tax cut the bill

The back-office software and maintenance fees are ongoing costs. They aren't eligible for the WCS, so get them written into the quote. For home charger prices, see our EV charger costs guide.

Payment and back-office software

Commercial EV chargers are networked. The software behind them decides how useful the chargers are day to day:

• Access control: restrict bays to staff and fleet cards, or open them to visitors at set times. Businesses using the WCS can let local residents charge outside working hours.
• Tariffs and payment: free for staff, cost-price, or a pence-per-kWh tariff, by app, RFID or contactless.
• Fleet reporting: energy per vehicle, per driver and per cost centre, so you can reimburse home charging fairly.
• Smart scheduling: charge overnight on cheaper rates, or soak up solar in the day.
• Uptime monitoring: remote diagnostics and alerts, which matter if you sell charging to the public.

Ask whether the chargers use an open protocol, so you can change software provider later without replacing hardware.

Pair EV charging with solar panels and carports

EV charging adds a large, predictable daytime load to a business site, which is exactly what makes commercial solar panels pay back faster. Each kWh of solar that goes into a van battery replaces a kWh bought at your full business unit rate.

• Solar carports put the panels over the bays you're already wiring, with charging posts built in. Read solar carports for business.
• Batteries store midday solar for evening fleet charging and can cut peak demand. See commercial battery storage.
• One survey, one connection: designing solar, battery and chargers together means one DNO application and one set of groundworks.

EV charger grant for business: what's open and what's closed

The only government EV charger grant open to businesses in 2026 is the Workplace Charging Scheme: up to £500 per socket, 75% of costs, 40 sockets, until 31 March 2027. You need a voucher before any work starts, an OZEV-authorised installer, and chargers from the approved commercial model list. State-funded schools can get up to £2,000 per socket.

The EV infrastructure grant for staff and fleets and the commercial landlord chargepoint grant both closed to applications on 31 March 2026. The residential landlord infrastructure grant closed too. Landlords with residential car parks can still use the residential landlord chargepoint grant: see EV grants for landlords.

For every other funding route, from tax allowances to regional loans, see business energy grants.

From enquiry to switch-on

1. Tell us about the site: vehicles, parking, who'll charge and your supply.
2. Survey: supply capacity, cable routes, groundworks and bay layout.
3. Design and quote: charger types, load management, software, grant deduction and any DNO work.
4. Apply for the WCS voucher before anything is installed. Vouchers last 180 days.
5. Install and commission: to BS 7671 and the IET Code of Practice, with an Electrical Installation Certificate.
6. Go live: set up access, tariffs and reporting, and the installer claims the grant.

What to ask commercial EV installers

• Are you OZEV-authorised for commercial chargepoints, and is every model on the approved list?
• What's my maximum import capacity, and how many sockets fit with load management?
• Is a DNO application needed, and who handles it?
• What are the software, data and maintenance fees per charger per year, and what's the contract length?
• Will you duct extra bays now so we can add chargers later without more groundworks?
• If the public can use them, who acts as the charge point operator under the 2023 Regulations?

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