The new rule affecting everyone in the UK with a driveway, which could save you £1,100 a year

• Planning rules have been relaxed to help EV drivers
• It says the move could help motorists save up to £1,100 a year
• Grants of up to £350 are also available

EV drivers across the UK could benefit from a major change to planning rules | Photo by Kindel Media: https://www.pexels.com/photo/city-traffic-industry-charging-9799998/

Drivers with electric vehicles no longer need to submit a planning application to install an EV charging point.

The new rule, which only came into force on May 29, also applies to public charging points and those at workplaces.

The Government says that its move to slash paperwork will make it much quicker and cheaper for EV drivers to install a private charging point and power up their cars at home.

The change, it claims, will help more people save up to £1,100 a year by switching from a petrol or diesel car to an electric vehicle.

Businesses will also be able to install new EV charging points faster and cheaper, thanks to the relaxed planning rules, which it is hoped will dramatically increase the number of sockets available to drivers around the country.

There have been reports of planning permission for public charging points taking up to nine months to secure.

How many EV charging points are there?

The Department for Transport says there are now nearly 80,000 public EV charging points available across the UK, with 3,000 added in April this year alone.

The new rule comes on top of existing Government support enabling EV drivers, including those renting a property and with on-street parking only, to get up to £350 off the cost of installing a home charging point.

How much does an EV cost?

The Government says that EVs are getting cheaper all the time, with two in five now priced under £20,000.

It says they cost as little as 2p per mile to run and most new EVs have a range of nearly 300 miles - enough to get you from London to Newcastle on a single charge.

Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood said: “We’re cutting down on paperwork to power up the EV revolution so that drivers, businesses and those looking to make the switch will have more chargepoints to power from and less red tape to deal with.

“We continue to make the switch to EVs easier, cheaper and better by investing over £2.3 billion to support drivers and back British carmakers through international trade deals – creating jobs, boosting investment and securing our future as part of our Plan for Change.”

Lewis Gardiner, operations director at Osprey Charging Network, welcomed the change, saying it which he said would ‘save months of delays, reduce costs and accelerate the delivery of the rapid charging hubs drivers need’.

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