Employee charging
Vehicles may be parked for most of a working day. Long dwell time usually makes AC charging practical and allows power to be shared across more bays.
Priority: access + fair useWorkplace EV charging · UK 2026
Plan workplace EV charging around the vehicles — not the charger brochure.
The right workplace system balances employee and fleet demand, parking time, electrical capacity and future growth. For many offices, that means several intelligently managed AC sockets rather than simply installing the fastest charger available.
Grant and policy data checked: 31 August 2026
Start with the use case
One workplace can have three very different charging jobs.
Separating employee, fleet and visitor demand before choosing hardware prevents expensive over-specification and avoids under-building the system that actually matters.
Company cars & vans
Fleet charging is operational. Start with daily mileage, return-to-base time and the energy every vehicle needs before its next duty cycle.
Priority: vehicle readinessVisitors & customers
Shorter and less predictable stays may justify higher charging power, clearer signage and different access or payment rules.
Priority: simple user journeyCharger quantity
Work out the daily energy requirement before counting sockets.
A workplace with ten EVs does not automatically need ten chargers. The useful question is how much energy those vehicles need, how long they remain parked, and whether bays can be shared or vehicles rotated.
Simple planning formula
EVs × daily miles × kWh per mile = daily energy demand
Then compare that demand with the energy your proposed sockets can deliver during the available parking window. Allow headroom for charging losses, growth and days when usage is higher than average.
Charger power
7 kW is often enough. 22 kW is useful when the site and vehicles can use it.
Workplace dwell time changes the economics. A car parked for eight hours does not need the same charging speed as a fleet vehicle that has forty minutes before its next shift.
7 kW ACLong dwell
A strong default for many offices.
Lower electrical demand makes it easier to deploy more sockets and use smart load management. It is particularly well matched to staff cars parked for several hours.
- Lower site demand
- Broad EV compatibility
- Good fit for multi-bay rollouts
22 kW ACFaster AC
Useful, but only when the whole chain supports it.
A 22 kW charger normally needs suitable three-phase capacity, and the vehicle itself must accept 22 kW AC to benefit from the higher rating.
- Three-phase supply normally required
- Check vehicle AC limit
- Higher aggregate load
50 kW+ DCShort dwell
For operational turnaround, not ordinary parking.
Rapid charging can make sense for intensive fleet or visitor use, but hardware, civils and connection requirements move the project into a different cost class.
- Higher capital cost
- Connection assessment likely
- Operational rather than convenience charging
Electrical capacity
Smart load management can be more valuable than buying faster chargers.
Without control, eight 7 kW sockets have a 56 kW combined nameplate load and eight 22 kW sockets have a 176 kW nameplate load. A workplace rarely needs every vehicle to draw maximum power for the entire day.
Dynamic load management can allocate available power between active vehicles and reduce the risk of exceeding the site's agreed import capacity. It does not create electricity capacity, but it can help a site use existing capacity more efficiently.
Workplace budgets
Example workplace charging project ranges.
These examples use the same V2 cost model as our calculator and exclude grants so you can see the underlying project range before support is applied.
£2,980–£8,080 ex VAT
Short routes, minimal civils, confirmed existing capacity and basic load management.
£14,940–£37,540 ex VAT
Medium routes, some civils, RFID/load management and electrical capacity not yet confirmed.
£12,440–£32,900 ex VAT
Medium routes, some civil work and 88 kW combined nameplate demand.
Workplace Charging Scheme
Current support is up to £500 per eligible socket.
The WCS supports eligible businesses, charities, public-sector organisations and small accommodation businesses in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
75%maximum share of eligible purchase and installation costs, including VAT
£500maximum grant per eligible socket
40maximum sockets across all sites
Current scheme closes31 March 2027
What the WCS can cover
More than the charger itself can be eligible.
✓
chargepoint unit and hardware
✓
electrical components
✓
civil engineering works
✓
installation labour
✓
site survey work where it leads to a completed installation
✓
VAT incurred by the customer
What it does not fund
Ongoing operation is different.
×
electricity consumed by the chargers
×
ongoing back-office data provision
×
ongoing maintenance / communication costs
×
general administration and project reporting
×
extra land required for the installation
×
warranty extensions beyond the required period
Employee charging
Free workplace charging can qualify for a tax exemption.
HMRC says no taxable benefit arises for qualifying employer-provided workplace charging, covering the electricity, charging facilities and connected services.
The conditions include that charging facilities are at or near the workplace and available to employees generally, or to employees generally at that workplace. The exemption does not apply in the same way to reimbursing an employee's personal charging expenditure away from the workplace.
This is a tax-summary signpost, not tax advice. Employers should check the current HMRC rules for their exact arrangement.
Installation brief
What to give an installer before asking for a quote.
The better the brief, the more comparable the quotations. A workplace tender should describe the vehicles, parking operation and future plan rather than simply say “quote for eight chargers”.
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Vehicle demand — current EVs, expected growth and average daily mileage.
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Parking pattern — arrival/departure times, dwell time and whether vehicles can rotate bays.
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Site drawings — proposed bays, electrical intake and likely cable routes.
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Access policy — employees, fleet, visitors, RFID and any billing requirement.
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Electrical data — supply capacity, maximum demand and any previous load study.
✓
Growth plan — infrastructure for the next phase, not only today's sockets.
Workplace EV charging FAQ
Common questions before installation.
How much does workplace EV charging cost to install?
For straightforward commercial AC installations, the starting point is usually a low-thousands-per-charger project. The total workplace budget depends much more heavily on socket quantity, cable routes, civils, electrical capacity and control software. Use our cost calculator for an indicative project range.
How many EV chargers does a workplace need?
Do not automatically match one charger to every EV. Estimate daily vehicle energy demand, compare it with parking time and available charger output, then decide whether bays can be shared or vehicles rotated. Allow capacity for growth.
Is 7 kW or 22 kW better for workplace charging?
7 kW often suits staff cars parked for most of a workday and makes larger deployments easier on site capacity. 22 kW can be useful for shorter dwell times, but requires suitable three-phase capacity and vehicles that can accept the higher AC rate.
What is the Workplace Charging Scheme worth in 2026?
The current scheme can fund up to 75% of eligible purchase and installation costs including VAT, capped at £500 per socket and 40 sockets across all sites. It is scheduled to close on 31 March 2027.
Does the business apply before or after the chargers are installed?
Apply before installation. A successful applicant receives a voucher code, which is passed to an OZEV-authorised installer. The installation and claim must be completed within 180 days of the voucher being issued.
Can an employer offer free EV charging to staff?
Yes. HMRC provides an exemption from taxable benefit treatment for qualifying employer-provided workplace charging. Conditions apply, including where the facilities are located and how generally they are made available to employees.
Sources & methodology
Workplace guidance based on current UK primary sources.
We use government scheme guidance for grant eligibility and process, official DfT statistics for WCS adoption and HMRC guidance for the workplace charging tax exemption. Cost examples are generated from the same V2 commercial cost model used elsewhere on this site.
- GOV.UK — Workplace Charging Scheme guidance for installersCurrent grant process, 180-day voucher period, eligible expenditure and installation requirements.
- GOV.UK Find a Grant — Workplace Charging SchemeCurrent £500-per-socket rate, 40-socket limit, organisation eligibility and closing date.
- Department for Transport — EV charging grant statistics, July 202672,388 WCS-funded sockets since launch; 8,047 installed in the latest 12 months.
- HMRC — Workplace charging facilities tax exemptionCurrent conditions for employer-provided charging at or near the workplace.
Independent planning information: CommercialEVCharger.co.uk does not install chargepoints or provide tax advice. Confirm eligibility with GOV.UK and obtain a site-specific electrical design and quotation before committing to a project.
Next step
Model your workplace installation cost.
Set socket quantity, charger power, cable routes, civils, electrical capacity, access requirements and potential WCS support.