The Short Answer
If you park on the street right outside your house, you can probably still charge at home: a cross-pavement channel set into the pavement carries the cable safely to the car, and a government grant pays 75% up to £500 towards the charger until 31 March 2027. You need your council's permission first, and not every council allows them yet. A channel costs from about £1,199 fitted, on top of the charger. What you must never do is trail a cable across the pavement without consent: that's illegal under the Highways Act 1980. If you don't park outside your own house, your best options are council on-street chargers, charging at work, and slower public chargers rather than rapid ones.
No driveway? Your charging options
How could you charge at home?
Grants, council rules and prices checked 12 October 2026. Two questions.
Where do you park?
Your Options, Best First
| Option | Who it suits | Rough cost |
|---|---|---|
| Home charger with a cross-pavement channel | You park right outside your own house and your council allows channels | About £2,198 (charger from £999, channel from £1,199 inc VAT), less up to £500 grant |
| Home charger on your own allocated space | Flats and blocks with a space you own or have the right to use | Charger from £999, less up to £500 grant |
| Council on-street chargers | Anyone, where the council has installed them | No install cost; pay per kWh |
| Workplace charging | If your employer has chargers | Often free or cheap |
| Public chargers | Everyone | Slow and fast chargers are far cheaper than rapid ones |
Cross-Pavement Channels: How They Work
A cross-pavement channel is a narrow slot cut into the pavement and fitted with a cover, so the charging cable runs from a charger on your house wall, under the walking surface, to the kerb. When it isn't in use the cover sits flush, so there's nothing to trip on. Products include Kerbo Charge, which publishes a price of from £999 plus VAT fully installed for the channel. In one council trial reported by the BBC this autumn, residents also paid a £75 council fee.
The order matters:
- Check your council allows them. Your highway authority (the county, unitary or metropolitan council; Transport for London or National Highways on their roads) decides. Search its website for "cross-pavement charging"; many run approved schemes or pilots, and some don't allow them at all yet.
- Get permission before anything is installed. The on-street grant can't be backdated, and the channel must be a permanent, approved solution. Cable covers or mats laid on top of the pavement don't count.
- Get the charger and channel quoted together, by an installer who knows your council's process.
The Grant for Homes Without a Driveway
The government's chargepoint grant for households with on-street parking pays 75% of the cost, up to £500, towards a home charger installed with a cross-pavement solution. You can own or rent your home. It closes on 31 March 2027, alongside the grant for renters and flat owners with their own space. Our EV charger grant guide has the eligibility rules in full.
Flats With Their Own Parking Space
If your flat comes with a space you own or have the legal right to use, and it's clearly defined and always accessible, you can have a home charger and claim the renter and flat-owner grant (75% up to £500). You'll need the freeholder's permission, and often the managing agent's. The cable route from your flat's supply to the space is usually the expensive part, so get a survey before you commit. In a block with shared parking, the better route is chargers for everyone: landlords can claim up to £500 a socket through the residential landlord grant, also until 31 March 2027.
Council On-Street Chargers
Councils in England are installing on-street chargers, many on lamp posts or small kerbside posts, for exactly this problem. The government's £381 million Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) fund pays for them, mostly slower chargers designed for overnight charging near people's homes. Ask your council what's planned near you; some take requests from residents. They cost more per kWh than charging at home on an EV tariff, but much less than rapid chargers.
What Charging Costs Without a Home Charger
The gap is large. Charging at home overnight on an EV tariff is the cheapest way to run an electric car, and relying on public rapid chargers can cost more per mile than petrol. Our charging cost guide works it out for your mileage, and the installation cost guide covers what the home charger itself will cost.
What Not to Do
- Don't run a cable across the pavement, even with a cover. Without highway authority consent it's illegal under the Highways Act 1980, you can be fined, and you'd be liable if someone tripped.
- Don't use an extension lead out of a window. A car draws a high current for hours, which ordinary extension leads aren't built for.
- Don't pay for a channel before the council says yes. The grant can't be backdated and an unapproved channel may have to come out.
