£300 rule England homes cuts charger installation costs
Has removed the planning-permission requirement for cross-pavement electric-vehicle chargers, allowing eligible drivers without driveways to save up to £300 on…
England’s £300 rule England homes change took effect on October 21, removing the need for planning permission to install cross-pavement electric-vehicle chargers. The Government said the move could save drivers without driveways up to £300 on installation and make home charging available for as little as 2p per mile.
The rule applies to chargers that run beneath pavements from a home to a parked car. Drivers will still need approval for the pavement crossing, Scott Gallacher, director at Rowley Turton, said in comments reported by the Daily Express.
Planning permission removed, crossing approval remains
The change is intended to make home charging cheaper and simpler for people who park on the street rather than on private off-street space. Previously, planning permission added a step to installing a cross-pavement charger, according to the Daily Express report.
Gallacher welcomed the removal of what he called unnecessary bureaucracy, but cautioned against treating the saving as a major shift for all motorists. “This change specifically helps those without off-street parking and they'll still need approval for the pavement crossing,” he said.
He also questioned how many drivers had paid £300 for planning permission. In his view, the change offers a one-off saving to a relatively small group, while the cost of buying an electric vehicle remains a larger hurdle.
That distinction matters for households weighing whether home charging is practical. The new rule reduces one installation cost; it does not remove the need to secure approval for work across the pavement or address the purchase price of a car.
Advisers question the cost-of-living claim
Harry Goodliffe, director at HTG Mortgages, said the saving helps people who can already afford an electric car and have a suitable kerb outside their home. He questioned describing the measure as a cost-of-living fix, arguing that the installation discount has limited value to people who cannot afford the vehicle.
Goodliffe also pointed to the Electric Car Grant, which the Daily Express said had helped more than 190,000 drivers save up to £3,750 off a new electric vehicle. The report said September 2026 saw nearly 100,000 electric cars sold in a single month, with sales up 36% in a year. It attributed the increase in part to the grant.
Steven Greenall, a mortgage and protection adviser at Protect & Lend, welcomed wider access to home chargers but raised a practical concern about installation on public pavements. “But how is navigating pavements going to work if pavements are dug up every time a home wishes to lay cables to the roadside?” he said.
Nouran Moustafa, practice principal and independent financial adviser at Roxton Wealth, said easier home charging could help address an imbalance: drivers with driveways often have better access to cheaper charging. She cautioned that saving on installation alone should not determine whether someone buys an electric car.
Moustafa said a household’s decision also depends on the vehicle’s purchase price, depreciation, insurance, mileage, charging access and available electricity tariff. For some drivers who cover high mileage and have reliable home charging, she said, an electric vehicle can make financial sense; replacing a working petrol car for someone who drives little may cost more than the savings.
The Government’s change removes the planning-permission requirement, but the pavement crossing still needs approval. That remaining step is central to whether drivers without driveways can install a charger at home.
Source: express.co.uk
