The government grant for home EV chargers still exists in 2026 — but it’s changed, and it’s no longer for everyone. If you own a flat, rent your home, or are a landlord, there’s money on the table that a lot of people don’t realise they can claim. Here’s who qualifies now, what changed on 1 April 2026, and how to actually get it.

What the grant is now worth

As of 1 April 2026, the maximum grant rose from £350 to £500 per socket towards the cost of installing a home chargepoint. Funding for the scheme is currently confirmed through to 31 March 2027, so it’s a real, live benefit — not a closed historical scheme.

The catch is eligibility. The grant (originally the OZEV grant, now officially the EV Chargepoint Grant) was narrowed back in 2022 and remains narrow today.

Who qualifies in 2026

You can claim if you fall into one of these groups and have private off-street or allocated parking:

• Renters living in any residential property (with the landlord’s permission)
• Flat owner-occupiers — you own and live in a flat
• Residential landlords, who can claim towards chargepoints for their rental properties (and there’s separate infrastructure grant support for larger schemes)

You’ll also need to own, lease, or have use of an eligible electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle.

Who no longer qualifies

This is the part that trips people up. Owner-occupiers of houses — detached, semi-detached, terraced — were removed from the scheme in 2022 and cannot claim the home grant. If you own and live in a standard house, the grant isn’t available to you, and any installer telling you otherwise is mistaken.

That doesn’t mean a charger isn’t worth it for you — just that you’ll be paying the full installed cost rather than a subsidised one.

How to claim — it’s the installer’s job

One genuinely good thing about this scheme: you don’t apply to the government yourself. The system is designed so an OZEV-authorised installer applies on your behalf and deducts the grant from your bill. In practice that means:

1. You choose an authorised installer (check they’re approved before booking).
2. They confirm your eligibility and the property’s parking situation.
3. They apply for the grant and take the £500 off your invoice — you pay the reduced amount.

So your single most important step is picking an installer who is OZEV-authorised and will handle the paperwork properly. If they’re not authorised, you simply can’t get the grant through them.

What the grant doesn’t cover

The grant is a contribution, not the full cost. A typical home charger install runs well beyond £500, and your final price still depends on:

• The distance from your consumer unit to the parking spot (longer cable runs and trenching cost more)
• Whether your fuse board has spare capacity or needs upgrading
• The charger model you choose (tethered vs untethered, smart features)
• Any groundworks for flats or shared parking

For a full breakdown of what you’ll actually pay after the grant, see our EV charger installation cost guide.

Is it worth claiming?

If you’re eligible, absolutely — £500 off is a meaningful chunk of a home charger install, and the application costs you nothing because the installer does it. The main thing is to act while funding lasts (confirmed to March 2027) and to make sure the firm you use is authorised, otherwise the saving evaporates.

A note for landlords

If you own rental property, this is worth a closer look. The chargepoint grant for landlords, plus the separate infrastructure grant, can make EV-ready parking a genuine selling point for tenants — and EV charging is increasingly something renters look for. As with the residential grant, an authorised installer handles the claim.

Getting it done properly

A home charger is a permanent addition to your electrical installation, so it needs to be installed to BS 7671 by a competent, registered electrician — grant or no grant. GFL Electrical fit EV chargers across East London to the current wiring regulations. If you’d like to know whether you qualify for the grant and what your install would cost after it, see our EV charger installation service or call us on 020 3774 5604.