The government will hopefully pass legislation this summer removing planning permission for pavement charging gullies. It’s a small change that could reshape who benefits from cheap electric motoring.
The gap is stark for drivers with driveways, and those without. Homeowners with driveways pay as little as 7p per kilowatt-hour on off-peak tariffs. A 60kWh battery costs them around £4.20 to fill. Public rapid charging averages 76p per kilowatt-hour. The same top-up runs past £45. Some of that gap is tax: 5% VAT at home, 20% in public.
The new rules let motorists run a cable from inside their home through a narrow channel cut into the pavement. No application, no waiting, no council bureaucracy
Roughly half of UK councils already permit cross-pavement charging. The paperwork has put people off. Automatic approval removes the friction.
The timing tracks the wider energy picture. Middle East conflict has disrupted Gulf fuel supplies, pushing up bills and pump prices.
Ministers have folded the charging reform into a broader fossil fuel insulation package. Easier heat pump installation is coming, plus a plug-in solar route through the Warm Homes Plan.
Demand is already moving. March saw a record 86,120 battery EVs registered, a 24.2% market share. That’s still short of the 33% mandate target.
Octopus Energy reported EV leases jumped more than 85% between February and March. Heat pump orders doubled. Solar orders rose nearly 80%.
For the first time, the average new battery electric car in the UK is cheaper than its petrol equivalent, according to Autotrader.
The gully reform builds on May 2025 changes that stripped planning requirements from most standalone chargepoints. A consultation late last year shaped the summer legislation.
Industry groups welcomed the move but flagged unfinished business. VAT equalisation remains the big ask. A tribunal ruling in favour of the lower rate is being appealed by the government.
Gully access won’t help everyone. Flats, homes set back from the kerb, and properties on busy roads remain awkward cases.
Grants for renters and landlords have been extended to March 2027 and raised to £500 per socket from this month. April 2025 brought £63 million for wider charging infrastructure.
The 2030 phase-out date for new petrol and diesel cars stands. Summer legislation turns a long-running complaint into a practical fix.
