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HOUSEBRIGHT

EV charger without driveway calculator

Home charging versus public charging, for households with no driveway

This compares the annual cost of relying mainly on public charging with the potential cost of home charging through an approved cross-pavement solution. Every input is an editable example figure, not a UK average. Change them to your own tariff and quotes. Nothing is sent anywhere and nothing is stored.

Last reviewed: September 2026

Inputs (editable example figures)

Example figure. Your own annual mileage is on your MOT history or insurance documents.

Example figure. Check your car's trip computer or published efficiency, and be honest about winter.

Example figure. Use the price at the chargers you would actually use, not the cheapest you can find.

Example figure. The overnight or smart-tariff rate you would charge at, excluding standing charge.

Example figure. You buy more energy than reaches the battery, whichever way you charge.

Example figure. Use a real quote once you have one, including any electrical upgrade.

Example figure. The pavement element is the part most often missing from a cheap quote.

Only enter money you have actually confirmed you qualify for, in writing. If unsure, leave at zero.

How long you expect to run this comparison: think of how long you will keep the car and the house.

Public and home charging are both priced including the same charging losses, so the comparison is like for like. Confirmed support is capped at the gross upfront cost.

Estimated results

Energy needed per year
2,540 kWh
Annual public charging cost
£1,270
Annual home charging cost
£203
Gross upfront cost
£2,500
Net upfront after confirmed support
£2,500
Annual saving, home vs public
£1,067
Simple payback
2.3 years
Difference over 5 years
£2,833 better with home

Over 5 years, on these figures public charging would cost about £6,349 and home charging about £3,516 including the net upfront spend.

Important

This is a simple estimate, not a quote and not financial or technical advice. It assumes you could actually charge at home, which for a no-driveway household depends on permissions that are not yet in force in England. It ignores tariff changes, public charging subscription or membership discounts, connection and availability fees at public chargers, vehicle efficiency variation by season and speed, charger maintenance, the time cost of travelling to chargers, and any change to how often you drive. We publish no typical or average saving, and for some households public charging remains the cheaper route. Check your own tariff, your own quotes and your council's position before committing.

How the calculation works

Energy needed per year is your annual miles divided by the vehicle efficiency in miles per kilowatt hour, then grossed up for charging losses, because you buy more energy than reaches the battery. That bought figure is used for both routes, so public and home charging are compared on identical energy.

Annual public charging cost is bought energy multiplied by the public price. Annual home charging cost is the same energy multiplied by your home or off-peak price. The annual saving is the first minus the second.

Gross upfront cost is the charger and electrical installation plus the cross-pavement channel and highways works. Confirmed support, capped at the gross cost, is subtracted to give the net upfront figure. Simple payback divides that net figure by the annual saving whenever the saving is positive. Each route's total over your chosen period is its annual running cost multiplied by the years, with the home route also carrying the net upfront cost.

No assumed price inflation, no discount rate and no degradation of the charger or channel. Simple payback ignores the time value of money, which flatters long paybacks rather than shortening them.

When this tends to work, and when it tends not to

The comparison is sceptical in both directions. Home charging is not automatically cheaper once the pavement works are paid for.

Stronger case for pursuing home charging

  • High annual mileage, so the per-unit price gap is paid back many times over.
  • A genuinely cheap overnight or smart tariff you are happy to stay on.
  • Expensive local public charging, without a membership that brings it down.
  • A council scheme or quotes that keep the channel and works cost contained.
  • Staying in the property long enough for a multi-year payback to be realistic.

Stronger case for staying with public charging

  • Low mileage, where the annual saving never catches the upfront spend.
  • Reasonably priced public chargers within an easy walk of home.
  • A narrow gap between your public price and your home tariff.
  • Uncertain council permission, or pavement works that price the project out.
  • A likely house move before the payback would complete.

Before you treat the home-charging column as real

For a household without off-street parking, the home-charging half of this comparison is hypothetical until permissions exist. As of September 2026 the new cross-pavement permitted-development right has been confirmed in principle by the government but has not commenced, and councils and highway authorities still control works on the pavement.

Use the result as a test of whether the project is worth pursuing once and where permission is available, not as a green light. If the home route only wins by a small margin on optimistic figures, that is a weak case for pushing through an uncertain permissions process. If it wins clearly on cautious figures, it is a reason to ask your council and get proper quotes.

Where to go next

Cross-pavement rules in England

The current legal position, checked against GOV.UK.

Home EV chargers

Parking, supply, smart charging and tariffs.

Methodology

What our estimates include and exclude.

For the official position on the permitted development changes, see the GOV.UK consultation response. Other tools are on the calculators hub.