The UK government has announced measures to reduce the cost difference between charging an electric car at home and using the public network. A new Department for Transport working group will test whether drivers can apply their household energy tariffs at local, lower-power public charging points, which make up around a third of the country’s network.
The plans follow an independent report commissioned by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles. It found that current charging costs exclude around a third of drivers from the shift to electric vehicles. Drivers without private parking often rely on public chargers and pay more for the same electricity—a disparity the government calls the “driveway divide.” The report identifies making household tariffs portable to public chargers as the best long-term response.
The Treasury has also allocated £100 million over two years, starting in spring 2027, to bring public charging prices closer to household rates. The support is intended to reduce costs at slower AC chargers, not rapid DC chargers. How the funding will reach drivers has not yet been specified.
Forecasts suggest the measures could save a driver around £150 a year if they travel about 12,900 kilometres and average roughly 5.3 kilometres per kWh. Zapmap’s latest figures put the average price at public AC chargers at 54 pence per kWh, compared with Ofgem’s 26-pence reference price cap and off-peak household offers as low as 7 pence per kWh.
Drivers without private parking can already apply for a grant of up to £500 to install a home charger, subject to conditions. The installation must prevent a cable crossing the pavement from creating a trip hazard, and the charger does not reserve the adjacent parking space. The Department for Transport has also recently removed the requirement to seek planning permission for cable channels that cross the pavement.
Sources: Pplware.