What Are OZEV Grants And Am I Eligible?

The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) offers grants and schemes that encourage and support people in adopting electric vehicles. But these grants are often for a limited time, and come with set terms and conditions for eligibility, so it’s hard to keep track of what’s available today.
Worry not. In this article, we’ll keep track for you. The most well-known grant was the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS), which provided funding towards the installation of an electric vehicle charger at your home. It ended on March 31st 2022. But OZEV still offers a grant for people who are living in flats and rental accommodation. With this grant, you can get 75 per cent off the cost to buy and install an electric vehicle charging socket at your property, up to a maximum of £350. Here’s everything you need to know about OZEV’s eligibility and applications, and other schemes available to you today. Recommended: Charging An Electric Car At Home.

To be eligible for the current OZEV grant, you must own and live in a flat, or rent any residential property – including those under the shared ownership scheme.
You must also own, keep or lease an eligible vehicle (here’s a list of OZEV-approved electric vehicles) and have a private, off-street parking space at your property. To be eligible, you’ll need to have a battery electric vehicle or a plug-in hybrid vehicle with CO2 emissions under 50g/km. For some inspiration, here are our picks for the best hybrid vehicles on sale today. You’ll need to show your installer proof that you own or lease your electric vehicle, or that you’ve ordered an eligible vehicle. You cannot apply for this grant if you’ve already applied for it or one of its predecessors, like the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS) or the Domestic Recharge Scheme.

The grant is only available for domestic properties in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland (the Channel Islands or Isle of Man aren’t eligible).
If you’re getting the grant for a flat: • You must be a resident at the property, though you can be either the owner or renter of the flat. • If you’re renting, you’ll need permission to install from the property’s owner or managing agent. • Properties rented through shared ownership schemes are also eligible. If you’re renting a property: • The entirety of the property must be rented out. • If you live with the landlord or homeowner, you won’t be eligible. • Multiple occupancy properties are allowed, provided you have a rental agreement. Any property will need private, off-street parking to be eligible. This parking space can be separate from the property, provided you can prove you’re legally entitled to the space. The installer will need to survey this parking space to make sure it’s suitable.

An OZEV authorised installer will make the application for you.
You’ll need to choose an OZEV-approved residential charge point and contact an OZEV-approved installer for a quote. Once you’ve accepted a quote that works for you, the installer will submit your contact details to OZEV and send you an email with a link to an online form. Fill this in to confirm you’re eligible and, if everything checks out, the installer can get going. Work needs to be done within 90 days of your application being approved. If this is missed, you can request an extension or ask the installer to submit a new application. When the installation is finished, the installer will claim the grant on your behalf. You can only claim the grant before the installation of your home charger. Your installer should deduct the grant amount from your bill before they apply for the grant, so your invoice must show the total installation cost minus the grant amount. The grant is open now, with funding confirmed until 31 March 2025. Unlike the EVHS, you cannot claim for two charge points if you own a second electric vehicle with this scheme.

In Scotland, electric vehicle owners can apply for another grant from the Energy Saving Trust.
This can provide up to £250 of further funding towards the cost of a home charge point, and there’s an additional £100 available to those in the most remote parts of Scotland. The EST funding is reimbursed after the installation is complete. To apply, you’ll need to submit an application form alongside a quote from your OZEV installer and proof of purchase or lease of an eligible EV. This grant is only available in Scotland. Learn more about Scotland's EST scheme (external link).

If you don’t have off-road parking, you could ask your local authority about the On-street Residential Charging Scheme (ORCS). This is another Government grant, which provides funding for local authorities to use towards finding and installing residential chargers.

To be eligible, local authorities must demonstrate off-road parking is not available to residents – either through maps or photos.
The On-street Residential Charging Scheme is administered by the Energy Saving Trust on behalf of OZEV. Funding is made available to local authorities, with applications considered on a case-by-case basis.

This scheme is designed to support current and anticipated charging needs of residents. To apply, local authorities will have to establish there is a need, or there will be a need in the near future.
So, if you’re getting an electric car, or thinking about it, let your local authority know. The more requests they get for on-street residential chargers in an area, the stronger a case they have for applying to the On-street Residential Charging Scheme. It isn’t quite as simple as that – they’ll need to prove the needs can be met through the charging infrastructure and several other factors, including proving the value for money – but it’s a good start. Learn more about the On-street Residential Charging Scheme on the Gov.uk website (external link).

Businesses, charities and the wider public sector can apply for grants under the Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS).
This scheme contributes up to 75 per cent towards the procurement and installation of charging points, up to a cap of £350 per charging socket. Workplaces can apply for up to 40 charging sockets, to be used by employees and fleets.

The applicant business or charity must be based in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland – the Isle of Man, Channel Islands and crown dependencies are currently ineligible. They’ll also need to be registered with HMRC. The full eligibility criteria are available on the Gov.uk website (external link).

Workplaces will need to provide a Companies House reference, their VAT registration number or a copy of its registration to HMRC.
If a business is not VAT-registered, it will have to provide evidence that it is registered as a company with HMRC. Charities need to upload a certificate of registration to the Charity Commission. Workplaces need to use an online application form (external link). To apply, they will need to provide: • Evidence of eligibility • Details of where the installations will be • Conditions for the use of any workplace charge points • A declaration of the current need for, or intent to encourage the uptake of, eligible electric vehicles • Declaration of any state aid received under “de minimis” (learn more) • Contact details Generally, successful applications will receive a voucher within five working days. This voucher will be valid for six months and must be redeemed with an OZEV-approved installer. Learn more about the Workplace Charging Scheme on the Gov.uk website (external link).

Many of these grants are issued by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV). This is a government body that used to be called the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV). So, if you see both names online and wonder what the difference is – there isn’t one. Same body, just a new name.

A number of schemes have now ended. We’ll keep track of them here, so you can check back whenever you need.

The Plug-in Car Grant (PiCG) was a government grant designed to make low-emission vehicles and electric cars more affordable.
The grant contributed 35 per cent of the car’s purchase price, up to a maximum of £1,500 and was available for fully electric cars with a purchase price of up to £32,000. The grant was given to vehicle dealerships and manufacturers, who knocked the grant amount off the list price, passing that saving on to consumers. This scheme is now closed, after an extension was applied to vehicle orders placed between June 14, 2021 and March 31, 2023 to help car buyers facing supply chain delays.

The Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS) was a Government grant issued by the Office for Zero Emissions Vehicles (OZEV).
The EVHS contributed 75 per cent towards the purchase and installation of a home charging unit for your electric car or plug-in vehicle, up to a maximum of £350 (including VAT). The EVHS ended in March 2022.

Whether the grants would work for you or not, there are plenty of savings to be had on used and new electric cars. Browse deals on electric cars, including electric leasing deals.