Less paperwork, more chargepoints: Government cuts red tape to make it easier, quicker and cheaper to switch to EVs

More drivers will be able to save up to £1,100 a year as the Government cuts red tape to make it easier than ever to install electric vehicle chargepoints.

Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood has confirmed that from today (Thursday 29 May) more drivers and businesses will no longer need to submit a planning application to install public or private EV sockets.

By cutting down on paperwork, more EV owners with a driveway will find it easier, quicker and cheaper to install a private chargepoint and power up their EVs at home. This will unlock savings of up to £1,100 a year compared to running a petrol or diesel car.

With planning changes also applying to workplace and public chargepoints, businesses will be able to install new sockets faster and for less, helping increase the number of public chargepoints so that EV owners can charge more easily, wherever they live and drive.

This comes on top of already significant discounts from Government to help drivers install chargepoints outside their house. Government support currently allows people renting or owning a flat, and those with on-street parking, to receive up to £350 off the cost of installing a home charger.

Getting this transition right and supporting the growth of the electric vehicle market in the UK will enable Britain to tap into a multibillion-pound industry, create high paid jobs for decades to come and deliver on our Plan for Change by putting more money in the pockets of hardworking families.

Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood said:

“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 chargepoints to power from, and less red tape to deal with.

“We continue to make the switch to EVs easier, cheaper and better by investing over £2.3bn to support drivers and back British carmakers through international trade deals - creating jobs, boosting investment and securing our future as part of our Plan for Change.”

The Government continues to be on the side of British carmakers. On top of the recent changes to the ZEV mandate, the crucial trade deals with the US, Indiaand the European Union have given the sector certainty and helped safeguard around 150,000 jobs in the automotive and steel sectors.

It follows 1,000 jobs created after a £1bn investment for a new state-of-the-art gigafactory in Sunderland to further accelerate the transition to electric vehicles, bolster Britain's industrial heartland and boost growth.

Today's changes come as the Government has now helped install 18,600 sockets in workplace carparks in the last year alone. This is firmly placing the UK on the road to become an EV world-leader, with nearly 80,000 public EV chargepoints now available in the UK.

The UK public chargepoint network continues to grow. DfT statistics show that a record of nearly 3,000 public charging devices were added in April alone – with one popping up every 29 minutes.

Lewis Gardiner, Operations Director, Osprey Charging Network.

"This is a hugely welcome and practical change that will make a real difference on the ground.

“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."

For drivers, the benefits of EVs are clear:

• Running an EV can cost as little as 2p per mile.
• EVs are constantly becoming cheaper, with 2 in 5 used EVs now under £20,000, and 29 brand new models priced under £30,000.
• Most new EVs have a range of nearly 300 miles – enough to get from London to Newcastle on one charge.

Patrick Dunne, Sainsbury's Chief Property and Procurement Officer and MD of Smart Charge, said: 

“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.

“We welcome this new streamlined approach to installing charge points, which will help accelerate the nation's adoption of EVs." 

Notes to editors

• Public chargepoint growth is booming across all regions, with the number of charging devices up 30% in the North, 44% in the West Midlands and 43% in the East of England since April 2024 – ensuring drivers are never far from a plug, wherever they live.
• The Government is investing £381m through the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund to install tens of thousands of local chargepoints all over the country, ideal for cheaper, overnight charging for those without a driveway.
• This comes on top of £6bn of private sector investment in the pipeline to install tens of thousand public chargepoints in the next few years.
• The changes have been made possible thanks to MHCLG laying a Statutory Instrument (SI) on 8 May to change permitted development rights, which come into force on 29 May. The updates will provide more flexibility to householders and businesses to install chargepoints (and equipment to support their operation) without the need to submit a planning application.
• This broadens previous permitted development rights which enable chargepoints to be installed without planning permission. The amendments to cut red tape include:
• • Removing the limitation that off-street outlets and upstands for recharging electrical vehicles cannot be installed within 2 metres of a highway
  • Allow off-street electrical upstands up to a height of 2.7 metres where not within the curtilage of a dwellinghouse or block of flats. 
  • Allow for the installation of equipment, and a unit of equipment housing for the storage of said equipment, necessary for the operation of electrical upstands within the ground level of a non-domestic area used for off-street parking. The equipment housing will be subject to some requirements.