If you have been searching for EV charger grants for your business, you have probably seen the figure £350 per socket. That number is out of date. From 1 April 2026 the Workplace Charging Scheme and the landlord grant moved to £500 per socket, several older grants have closed, and a new Depot Charging Scheme has opened for fleets. This guide puts every live 2026 scheme in one place, sorted by business type, with amounts, deadlines and who fills in the form.
2026 business EV charging grants at a glance
| Business type | Scheme | 2026 amount | Cap | Deadline | Who applies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Office / workplace, charity, public body | Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) | 75% of costs, up to £500 per socket | 40 sockets across all sites | Closes 31 March 2027 | Organisation applies online; installer claims the voucher |
| Landlord / residential block / managing agent | EV chargepoint grant for residential landlords | 75% of costs, up to £500 per socket | 200 sockets per year | Closes 31 March 2027 | Landlord or managing agent applies; installer claims |
| Hotel, B&B, small accommodation | WCS (small accommodation businesses eligible) | 75% of costs, up to £500 per socket | 40 sockets | Closes 31 March 2027 | The business applies |
| Van, HGV or coach fleet depot | Depot Charging Scheme | 70% of chargepoint and civil costs | Up to £1 million per organisation | Window 1 closed 30 June 2026; window 2 expected 28 Oct 2026 to 29 Jan 2027 | The fleet operator applies |
| State-funded school or college | WCS for state-funded education | 75% of costs, up to £2,000 per socket | 40 sockets across all sites | Closes 31 March 2027 | Institution applies after an installer site survey |
| Local authority (public on-street charging) | LEVI Fund | Capital and capability allocations to councils | Set per authority | Multi-year programme | Councils only |
| Car park operator / commercial landlord | None dedicated (commercial landlord grant closed) | 100% first-year capital allowance instead | None | Spend by 31 March 2027 | Claimed through your tax return |
Scheme by scheme: what each business type can claim
Offices and workplaces: the Workplace Charging Scheme
The WCS is the main route for businesses, charities and public-sector organisations. For installations completed on or after 1 April 2026 it covers 75% of purchase and installation costs, capped at £500 per socket, for up to 40 sockets across all your sites: a maximum of £20,000 per applicant.
- You need to own the premises or have landlord consent, and have designated off-street parking.
- Businesses must keep the chargers primarily for staff and fleet vehicles; charities and public bodies have no restriction on users.
- Vouchers are valid for 180 days and the scheme closes on 31 March 2027, so apply in 2026.
Our Workplace Charging Scheme 2026 guide walks through the application step by step, and the office EV charger installation page covers hardware for staff car parks.
Landlords, residential blocks and managing agents
The residential landlord chargepoint grant also rose to £500 per socket (75% of costs) on 1 April 2026 and runs to 31 March 2027. It is generous on volume: up to 200 sockets per year. Eligible applicants include private landlords, right-to-manage and residents' management companies, freeholders, managing agents, housing associations, councils and charities managing residential property, provided they are registered at Companies House or for VAT.
Two limits matter: it is for residential property only, and holiday-only accommodation and owner-occupied units are excluded. Separately, the landlord infrastructure grant, which paid towards wiring and civils for whole car parks, closed to installer claims on 26 May 2026, so cable runs and distribution boards for a block now come from the chargepoint grant, tax relief or the landlord's own budget.
Hotels, B&Bs and small accommodation
Hotels do not have their own grant, but the WCS eligibility list explicitly includes small accommodation businesses, so a hotel with off-street parking can claim the same £500 per socket. Guest-facing charging is a commercial decision rather than a grant question; our hotel EV charger installation page shows how operators combine grant-funded sockets with pay-to-charge guest bays.
Van, HGV and coach fleets: the Depot Charging Scheme
This is the biggest change for 2026. The Depot Charging Scheme is a £170 million programme running from 2026 to 2030 for operators of battery-electric vans, HGVs and coaches. Window 1 (25 March to 30 June 2026) funded 70% of chargepoint and civil costs up to £1 million per organisation, with installation required by 31 March 2027. Window 2 is expected to run from 28 October 2026 to 29 January 2027, with an install-by date of 31 March 2028. You must have operated in the UK for at least a year, own or lease a UK depot and have at least one battery-electric vehicle in the fleet or planned; one application can cover several sites. The old staff and fleets grant closed to claims on 26 May 2026, so this is now the only fleet-specific route.
Schools and colleges
State-funded schools and colleges have their own WCS strand at £2,000 per socket (75% of costs, 40 sockets), down from £2,500 for vouchers issued before 1 April 2026. Independent schools use the standard £500 WCS. Applications need an installer's site survey first, and the scheme also closes on 31 March 2027.
Local authorities and the LEVI Fund
The Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund gives English councils capital and capability money for public charging aimed at residents without off-street parking. London borough partnerships were allocated £35.7 million of capital, and from 2026/27 capability funding goes to all 32 London boroughs and the City of London individually. Private businesses cannot apply directly, but landowners with suitable car parks can host council-backed public bays; the car park EV charger installation page explains how.
Car park operators and commercial landlords
There is no dedicated 2026 grant for public or commercial car parks: the commercial landlord chargepoint grant closed to claims on 26 May 2026. Two things still help: the 100% first-year allowance below, and the WCS for any bays used by your own staff or fleet.
Tax relief: 100% first-year allowance to March 2027
Businesses can deduct the full cost of chargepoint equipment from taxable profits in the year of purchase. The Autumn Budget on 26 November 2025 extended this 100% first-year allowance to 31 March 2027 for Corporation Tax and 5 April 2027 for Income Tax. How it interacts with a grant depends on your circumstances, so confirm the treatment with your accountant.
What it costs before and after grants
Independent 2026 cost guides put a 7-22 kW AC workplace point at roughly £1,500 to £4,000 installed and a dual-socket 22 kW unit at £2,500 to £5,000. Auto E's list prices give a useful anchor: our wall-mounted 22 kW single-socket EF AC-WW22M is £1,449 ex VAT and the dual 22 kW EF AC-W22x2M (two Type 2 sockets, 44 kW total) is £1,649. Installation depends on your supply, cable route and groundworks, so we quote after a free site survey. A dual unit attracts two WCS vouchers, which makes paired chargers the most cost-effective way to use the 40-socket cap.
What Auto E handles
- Site survey and load assessment, including whether your supply supports 22 kW without an upgrade.
- UK-designed and manufactured AC stations with a 3-year warranty, plus DC rapid units for depots and car parks; see all business solutions.
- Installation through our authorised partner installer, with the DNO notification (UK Power Networks in London) submitted for you.
- Back-office software for staff access, guest payments and fleet reporting, and repair of chargers of any brand.
Under the 2026 rules the business applies for the grant itself; we supply the quotes and installer details the forms require and time the installation inside the voucher window.
Key takeaways
- The headline rate is now £500 per socket, not £350; ignore any page still quoting the old figure.
- WCS: 40 sockets, 75%, closes 31 March 2027. Landlord grant: 200 sockets per year, same rate and date.
- Fleets: Depot Charging Scheme window 2 expected 28 October 2026 to 29 January 2027, 70% of costs up to £1 million.
- Schools: £2,000 per socket. Councils: LEVI. Car parks: no direct grant, but 100% first-year allowance to 31 March 2027.
Ready to turn a grant into working chargers before the March 2027 deadlines? Call Auto E on +44 20 3393 4113, email [email protected] or book a free site survey and we will match the right scheme, hardware and timeline to your business.