Key points
- Six things make up the cost: hardware, groundworks, cabling, grid supply, back office and signage.
- Groundworks and supply upgrades vary most from site to site, so the distance from your electrical board to the bays matters.
- Under Shared Investment we supply the chargers and you cover installation and groundworks. Under Owned & Managed you buy both.
- Shared Investment lowers the upfront cost but isn't free. The revenue split is agreed for your site at proposal stage.
- A free survey is the only way to get a reliable figure for your site.
The short answer
There is no single price for a commercial charger installation. The charger is a known cost, but the work to get power to it changes with every car park.
That's why we don't publish a price list. We survey the site for free, then quote. If you want to see the earnings side first, try the revenue estimator.
The six parts of the cost
| Part | What it covers | What pushes it up |
|---|---|---|
| Charger hardware | The pedestal, sockets and built-in electronics | Extra options such as a card terminal or load management |
| Groundworks | Digging, ducting, the charger's base, making good | Long runs, hard surfaces, crossing roads or kerbs |
| Cabling and electrical work | Armoured cable, isolators, protection, testing | Distance, cable size, a new distribution board |
| Grid supply | The Northern Powergrid application and any upgrade | Too little spare capacity on your supply |
| Back office and payments | Software, connectivity, payment processing | Card payment, roaming, reporting needs |
| Signs and bays | Signage, bay marking, map listings | Number of bays and local requirements |
1. Charger hardware
This is the most predictable part. Our charger is the Victus 22kW dual pedestal: two Type 2 sockets, built-in metering, RFID and app start, and OCPP 1.6J connectivity. See the charger page for the full specification.
Options add to it. A contactless card terminal is available for sites that need card payment. Dynamic load balancing is optional, and can save money elsewhere by avoiding a supply upgrade.
2. Groundworks and trenching
This is often the biggest variable. The cable has to get from your electrical board to the charger, normally underground.
What drives the cost:
- Distance. A charger beside the building is cheaper than one at the far end of the car park.
- Surface. Grass and gravel are easier to dig than tarmac, block paving or concrete, and cheaper to make good.
- Obstacles. Crossing a road, kerbs, drains or other services adds time and care.
- The base. A floor-standing pedestal needs a solid base at the head of the bays.
- Making good. Reinstating the surface neatly so the car park looks as it did.
Choosing where the charger goes is the easiest way to control cost. At a hotel, that often means bays close to the main building rather than the far corner of the car park.
3. Cabling and electrical work
A 22kW charger needs a three-phase supply and properly sized armoured cable. The longer the run, the heavier the cable may need to be, which costs more.
This part also covers isolation and protection at the board, any new distribution board, and testing and commissioning. The pedestal has a built-in Type A RCD and 6mA DC leakage protection.
4. Grid supply and Northern Powergrid
Every charger connects to your existing supply. The question is whether there's enough spare capacity.
Northern Powergrid is the network operator across the North East. The national application form sets the rules (ENA form). You can "connect and notify" within 28 days only for a single extra device on a sound supply, with demand below 60A per phase. Otherwise you apply first.
If your supply needs upgrading, Northern Powergrid quotes for that work. Standard quote timescales range from 5 working days for a simple low-voltage alteration to 35 working days where high-voltage work is involved (ENWL Notice of Rights). The cost of an upgrade is set by the network operator and depends entirely on the local network.
Load management can often avoid an upgrade by sharing the capacity you already have. Our grid capacity guide explains how to check your supply.
5. Back office, connectivity and payments
The charger needs software to start sessions, take payment, set prices and report usage. It also needs a data connection.
These are mostly running costs rather than installation costs. They include the back-office platform, connectivity, payment processing and support. Public chargers also carry duties under the Public Charge Point Regulations, such as pricing in pence per kWh, a 24/7 helpline and open data.
6. Signage, bay marking and listing
Drivers need to find the charger, and other drivers need to keep out of the bays. That means signs, painted bays and a listing on Zapmap and your booking sites.
These are small costs, but skipping them costs more. A charger nobody can find, or that's always blocked, earns nothing.
Planning and paperwork
Most business chargers in England don't need planning permission. Since 29 May 2025, chargers in non-domestic off-street car parks can be up to 2.7m tall under permitted development (legislation.gov.uk). Our pedestal is about 1.4m.
There are exceptions, including sites within the curtilage of a listed building. We check this at the survey, and you should check the current rules before relying on them.
What published price ranges say
Few sources publish commercial prices, and most are out of date. The most useful we found is Zapmap's workplace charging guide, last updated in May 2024.
It gave £2,500 to £5,000 for a fully installed 22kW double-headed post. A fully installed rapid charger could cost up to £35,000 (Zapmap).
Use those figures with care. They are over two years old and don't show what's included. A long trench or a supply upgrade can take a job well outside that range.
What changes under each package
Both packages use the same charger and the same standard of installation. What changes is who pays for what, and who keeps the return.
| Cost | Shared Investment | Owned & Managed |
|---|---|---|
| Charger hardware | We supply it | You buy it |
| Installation and groundworks | You pay | You pay |
| Back office and payments | We run them | We can run them for a fee |
| Monitoring and maintenance | We handle it | We can handle it for a fee |
| Driver support | We provide it | Agreed after survey |
| The return | Revenue shared, split agreed for your site | You keep the full return |
Shared Investment lowers your upfront cost because you don't buy the chargers. It isn't free: you still pay for installation, and you share the revenue. The revenue split is agreed for your site at proposal stage.
Owned & Managed costs more upfront, but the full return is yours. Exact terms for both are agreed after the survey. The packages page compares them in more detail.
Ways to bring the cost down
- Put the charger near the supply. Shorter trenches cost less.
- Use existing ducts where they run in the right direction.
- Add load management instead of upgrading the supply.
- Combine with other works. If you're resurfacing the car park anyway, lay the ducts at the same time.
- Ask about tax relief if you buy. Chargepoint equipment qualifies for a 100% first-year capital allowance until 31 March 2027 for Corporation Tax, or 5 April 2027 for Income Tax (HMRC). Check with your accountant how it applies to you.
How long it takes
Typically 6 to 12 weeks from survey to switch-on. The grid application is usually what sets the pace.
Get a real figure
A free survey is the quickest way to an honest number. We measure the cable route, check your supply, and set out the cost under both packages so you can compare them side by side.