Most London homes with off-street parking can have an EV charger installed, including many flats and terraced houses. The key questions are whether you have a safe place to park and mount the charger, whether your electrical supply and consumer unit can cope with the extra load, and whether you need permission from a freeholder or the council.
This guide covers what to expect, the issues that are specific to London properties, and how to get a safe, compliant installation.
Do you have suitable parking?
A home charger needs to be installed where you can reliably park the car: a driveway, garage, carport or allocated space. Charging from a public pavement is a different matter, and we cover that below.
The charger is usually mounted on an external wall or a post close to where the car's charging port will be. Shorter cable runs keep costs down, so a driveway right next to the house is the simplest case. Detached garages and parking bays away from the building need a cable run, which may be clipped to walls, run underground in ducting, or routed through car park structures in blocks of flats.
EV charging for flats
Flats are where London installations most often get complicated, but they are increasingly common. Things to consider:
- Permission. If you are a leaseholder, you will normally need consent from the freeholder or managing agent before running cables through communal areas or fixing to the building. Renters need the landlord's permission.
- Which supply to use. The charger can be fed from your own flat's consumer unit, from a landlord's supply in the car park, or from a dedicated new supply. Each option has different practical and billing implications.
- Cable route. Running a cable from a third-floor flat down to a basement car park needs careful planning, fire stopping where cables pass through compartment walls, and suitable containment.
- Shared solutions. For blocks where several residents want charging, a communal system managed by the building may make more sense than individual units. Landlords and managing agents should talk to us early.
Grants from the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) are available for some flat owners, renters and landlords. Grant amounts and eligibility rules change, so check GOV.UK for the current scheme before you commit. We will tell you if your installation looks likely to qualify.
Terraced houses and on-street parking
Many London terraces have no driveway. If you park on the street, you can't simply trail a cable across the pavement: it is a trip hazard and you could be liable if someone is injured. Running a cable over the highway generally needs permission from the local council as highway authority.
Some London boroughs now allow or are trialling cross-pavement solutions, such as a narrow channel set into the footway with a cover, installed under a licence. The rules, costs and approved products vary from borough to borough, so check your council's website before planning anything. If a scheme is available in your area, we can install the charger and electrical supply on your side of the property boundary to meet the council's requirements.
If you have a front garden, converting part of it to off-street parking may be an option, but this usually needs a dropped kerb and planning or highways approval.
Can your electrics cope?
Supply capacity and load management
A typical home charger draws a significant, sustained load for hours at a time. Many London homes, particularly older properties and flats, have a relatively modest main fuse. Adding a charger on top of an electric shower, oven and heating could overload it.
Most modern chargers support load management: a sensor monitors your home's total demand and turns down the charging rate when you are using a lot of power elsewhere. This often avoids the need for a supply upgrade. In some cases, the network operator, UK Power Networks across London and the South East, needs to be notified of the installation, or may need to upgrade the incoming supply. Your installer should handle the notification.
Consumer unit compatibility
An EV charger needs its own dedicated circuit from the consumer unit, with suitable overcurrent and RCD protection. We check:
- Whether there is a spare way, or room to add one
- That the board is in good condition and has a non-combustible (metal) enclosure if it is being replaced
- The type of RCD protection required by the charger and whether the charger has built-in DC fault detection
- Whether surge protection is in place
If the existing board is old, full or lacks suitable protection, we may recommend an upgrade. Our guide to consumer unit replacement costs explains what is involved.
Earthing
Most London homes have a type of earthing arrangement that needs special consideration when supplying equipment outdoors, such as an EV charger. The installer must design for this, either through the charger's built-in protection or with additional earthing measures. It is one of the main reasons EV installations should only be carried out by a qualified, registered electrician.
Is it worth getting an EICR first?
If your home's wiring is old or you don't know its history, an EICR before installing a charger is a sensible step. It will show up existing faults that might otherwise appear when a high-load circuit is added, and tell you whether the consumer unit and earthing are in good order. Our EICRs start from £79 for a studio flat up to £149 for a four-bed house.
Smart chargers
Chargers sold for home use in Great Britain must have smart functionality, which lets you schedule charging, take advantage of off-peak tariffs and connect to load management. When choosing a charger, think about tethered versus untethered cables, app features, whether you want solar integration, and how it will look on your wall.
What does installation involve?
- Survey. We look at your parking, supply, consumer unit, earthing and cable route, and confirm any permissions needed.
- Quote. You receive a fixed written quote. We don't publish set prices for EV installations because cable runs and electrical upgrades vary so much.
- Installation. A straightforward install with a short cable run is often completed in a day.
- Testing and certification. We test the new circuit, issue an Electrical Installation Certificate and notify building control under Part P, as a new circuit in a home is notifiable work.
- Handover. We set up the charger and app and show you how to use it.
Landlords and businesses
Landlords adding chargers for tenants should factor the new circuit into their electrical safety records, and it will be included in future inspections. For workplaces and commercial car parks, see our commercial electrical services, and talk to us about multi-charger installations with load balancing.
Book your EV charger survey
Polarity Electrics installs home and workplace chargers across London, Hertfordshire, Essex, Surrey, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and beyond, with a 12-month workmanship guarantee and £10M public liability cover. Find out more on our EV charger installation London page, call 0203 908 4790 or book online for a survey and fixed written quote.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get an EV charger installed if I live in a flat?
Often, yes, if you have a dedicated off-street parking space. You will usually need permission from the freeholder or managing agent, and the installer will need to plan a cable route from your supply to the parking space. Government grants are available for some flat owners and renters; check GOV.UK for current eligibility.
Can I run a charging cable across the pavement?
You should not trail a cable across a public pavement without permission, as it can create a trip hazard and you may be liable. Some London councils allow or are trialling cable channel solutions, so check with your borough before making plans.
Is there a grant for home EV chargers?
The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) runs grants aimed at flat owners, renters and landlords, among others. Grant amounts and eligibility change, so check GOV.UK for the current scheme before you book.
Will I need a new consumer unit for an EV charger?
Not always. A charger needs its own dedicated circuit and suitable protection. If your consumer unit has no spare way, is an older plastic board, or lacks suitable protection, an upgrade may be recommended. We check this during the survey.
What is load management?
Load management monitors how much power your home is using and reduces the charging rate when demand is high, so the main fuse is not overloaded. It often allows a charger to be installed without upgrading the incoming supply.