Key points
- Hotel and customer car parks count as public, even when only customers can use them.
- New public chargers of 8kW and above must accept contactless card payment.
- The maximum price must be shown in pence per kWh, with any fixed fees included.
- Operators that are micro businesses are exempt from everything except the pricing rule.
- Whether a charger kept for staying hotel guests counts as public isn't settled, so check.
What the regulations are
The Public Charge Point Regulations 2023 set minimum standards for chargers the public can use. They cover payment, pricing, reliability, data and help for drivers. They apply across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland (legislation.gov.uk).
The government's guidance on the regulations explains how they work in practice. Most of it is written for charge point operators. This page is for the hotel, pub, venue or car park owner hosting the charger.
The most important question for a host is who the operator is. That decides who carries most of the duties, and it ties into which of our two packages suits you.
Who counts as the operator
The regulations define a charge point operator as "the owner of a charge point or any person operating a charge point on behalf of the owner". The guidance adds that the operator is the one "controlling the functioning of the charge point".
It also gives an example of someone who isn't the operator: a person who owns the charger but isn't responsible for its management, operation and maintenance.
In plain terms:
- If you own the charger and run it yourself, you're the operator.
- If a company runs it for you, handling payments, monitoring and maintenance, that company is usually the operator.
- If it's unclear, write it down. Your agreement should say who holds the operator role and who does what.
When you work with us, the agreement sets out who holds that role at your site and which duties come with it.
Does it apply to your site?
A charger is public when it is "intended for use primarily by members of the general public". The regulations say this includes chargers in a public car park "whether or not that car park is available only to persons intending to purchase specific goods or services". Chargers only open at certain hours still count.
The guidance names hotel and supermarket car parks as examples. Some chargers are left out:
- workplace chargers that the public can't use at any time
- car parks kept only for a company's staff or fleet
- chargers restricted to one car brand or one occupation
- chargers for the occupiers of, or visitors to, residential premises
| Site | Likely to be public? |
|---|---|
| Hotel car park also used by bar and restaurant customers | Yes. The guidance names hotel car parks. |
| Pub or restaurant car park for customers only | Yes. Customer-only car parks still count. |
| Retail park, farm shop or garden centre | Yes. |
| Office car park for staff only | No. That's a workplace charger. |
| Fleet depot used only by company vehicles | No. |
| Hotel charger kept strictly for staying guests | Not settled. Check before you rely on either answer. |
The guest-only grey area
The guidance names hotel car parks but says nothing about chargers limited to staying guests. The exclusion for "visitors to residential premises" exists, but the regulations don't say whether a hotel falls under it.
Good to know: If your car park is open to diners, drinkers or wedding guests, treat the charger as public.
If you genuinely restrict it to staying guests, take advice or ask the Office for Product Safety and Standards before deciding it's out of scope.
Private chargers outside these rules may fall under the separate Smart Charge Points Regulations 2021, which cover chargers sold for home or workplace use.
What the rules require
Contactless payment
New public chargers of 8kW and above must let drivers pay by contactless card. The driver mustn't need an account or app with the operator first. Existing chargers of 50kW and above are also covered.
Free-to-use chargers are out of scope. If you start charging for a free one later, the contactless rule then applies.
Our dual 22kW charger is well above the 8kW line. A contactless card terminal is available for sites that need it.
Pricing in pence per kWh
The maximum price must be shown clearly in pence per kWh, either on the charger or through another device such as an app. Drivers can't be charged more than the maximum shown before they start.
Any fixed fees, such as connection or transaction fees, must be included in that p/kWh figure. Parking fees charged separately by a third party are excluded. Prices can change during a session, as long as they stay at or below the maximum shown.
This is the one rule that applies to every operator, including micro businesses. The guidance doesn't mention overstay fees, so our idle fees guide covers how to show those clearly.
Open data
Operators must publish data about their public chargers free of charge, in a machine-readable format using the OCPI 2.2.1 standard. When a charger's status changes, the data must update within 30 seconds.
This is what lets apps show drivers whether your charger is free right now. Our guide to getting listed on Zapmap and booking sites explains how that helps you.
A 24/7 helpline
Drivers must have a free, staffed phone helpline available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Voicemail doesn't count. The number should be easy to find on or near the charger.
Roaming
Operators must connect to at least one third-party roaming provider, so drivers can pay through apps and cards from other networks. Offering only Apple Pay or Google Pay doesn't meet this. The requirement has applied since 24 November 2025.
Reliability
Rapid chargers of 50kW and above must be working 99% of the time, averaged across the operator's rapid network over a year. This doesn't apply to 22kW AC chargers like ours. Operators report on it each year.
The micro-business exemption
The guidance says the contactless, roaming, reliability, reporting, helpline and data rules don't apply to an operator that is a micro business. The pricing rule applies to everyone.
A micro business has a staff headcount of fewer than 10 and also meets a turnover or balance sheet test (Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015, s.33).
The test applies to the operator, not the site. A small guest house running its own charger may be exempt from most of the rules. If a larger company operates the charger for you, its status is what counts.
Penalties
The Office for Product Safety and Standards enforces the regulations. The guidance lists civil penalties of up to £10,000 per breach, applied per charge point. Obstructing an investigation can cost up to £250,000.
What it means for you in practice
Before your charger goes live, work through these:
- Decide who can use it and when. Guests only, customers, or anyone.
- Agree in writing who the operator is.
- Check the maximum price is shown in p/kWh, with any fees built in.
- Make sure the helpline number is on the charger and in the app.
- Confirm contactless payment where it's required.
- Check the charger's data is being published, and that it shows up correctly on the maps drivers use.
The rules are kept under review. Check the current guidance before you rely on any of this.
Next step
If you're unsure whether your site counts as public, mention it when you book a free site survey. You can also compare who handles what under our Shared Investment and Owned & Managed packages.