Find out all the essential information on EV home chargers and the EV charger grants that are available to help you.

Over the past year we’ve seen significant changes to the grants available for drivers looking to switch to an electric vehicle (EV) so to help you we’ve broken down the current grants available now.

Electric Vehicle Grants

Grants to support with the purchase of an electric vehicle ran for several years but ended earlier this year in order to allow the government to use the funds for investing in other areas of building EV infrastructure.

These changes came in from mid-June and so if you’ve been looking for a new electric vehicle for a while you may have noticed an increase in prices since you first started looking. All of our prices on the Mercedes EQ range are regularly updated and are the best prices we can currently achieve.

EV Home Charger Grant

There have also been changes to the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS) this year with the eligibility criteria being amended in March. These changes were made in order to better help those living in leasehold flats and rented accommodation with the aim of removing one of the barriers to them taking on an EV.

The grant currently offers up to £350 off the cost of purchasing and installing a home charger.

Who’s Eligible for EV Charger Grant?

The changes in eligibility mean that homeowners who own a house or bungalow will no longer be eligible for the grant and will need to pay for their EV Charger themselves.

Homeowners who live in a flat and drivers in rental properties are eligible for the grant. For rental properties, the grant will be given to the landlord in order and they can apply for support at up to 200 properties for a maximum of £70,000.

To be eligible for the grant there will need to be off-road parking for the property and the work will need to be completed by an Office of Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) approved installer.

How Much Does an EV Charger Cost?

The exact cost of a home charger will depend on a number of factors, including the brand of charger you want, the type of connector you need and the speed of charging you want. Additionally, the existing infrastructure in the property and any changes needed to this will impact the installation cost.

A charger can cost between £300 and £1,500 depending on what you need, with most opting for an option around the £850 mark. This does not include the installation cost but most installers will do an inspection in order to confirm what work is needed and provide you with a quote based on the work needed.

How to Get the EV Charger Grant?

You do not need to apply for the grant yourself, in fact you’re not able to. Instead the OZEV approved installer will apply for it on your behalf and the grant will be deducted from the cost that you pay them.

You may need to provide evidence to prove your eligibility to the installer, who may pass it onto the OZEV as part of the application. This could include:

• Your name
• Your address
• Your contact details
• The EV’s make, model and registration
• You MPAN number or electricity supply number
• Your order confirmation if leasing / taking out a finance agreement for the vehicle
• A letter stating use of the vehicle if it is a company car

If you have any questions about leasing a new electric Mercedes and how the home charge grant might work for you then please get in touch.