How do you choose an EV charger installer for your business?

Choose an installer whose competence and proposal match your site's electrical, parking and operating needs. Check grant authorisation separately: the Workplace Charging Scheme offers eligible installations up to £500 per socket, with the scheme extended until 31 March 2027 [S2]. Request a survey, an itemised scope, commissioning evidence and written support terms. Checked October 2026.

Last checked 17 October 2026

Who can install EV chargers at your business?

Appoint people with competence for the work your project requires. HSE says the required level depends on the task’s complexity and identifies training, relevant experience and reassessment as evidence [S1]. Ask who will design, install, inspect and commission your system, including work assigned to subcontractors.

Request experience relevant to your premises. Give the bidder your intended user group, parking arrangement and operating hours. Ask how it will manage a live business site, deliveries and any planned interruption to your electricity supply. Keep these answers with the technical proposal rather than relying on a general statement about experience.

Define the equipment in your brief. Kilowatts (kW) measure power and kilowatt-hours (kWh) measure energy. Ask for the proposed charger rating and the operating assumptions behind it. Use the site survey guide to prepare the discussion.

How do you check whether an EV charger installer is approved?

Check the approval relevant to the claim being made. For grant work, use the official OZEV authorisation information and installer list. OZEV means the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles. Its guidance separates authorised installers from installer representatives that subcontract work [S3]. Ask which legal entity will contract with you and which will carry out the installation.

Request registration details, the applicable scope and current insurance evidence. Confirm the information with the issuing organisation where possible. If a salesperson supplies a badge without identifying the registered business, ask for the underlying record before treating it as evidence.

Reviews can help you identify questions for references, but do not use them as a substitute for competence checks. Ask a previous commercial customer about survey accuracy, disruption, handover and fault handling. Seek permission before contacting references or requesting their project records. Do not assume a domestic installation review establishes experience with your electrical or site requirements.

What should a commercial installation survey cover?

Ask the survey to connect your operating needs with the physical design. UK Power Networks describes a business connection process in which the installer helps identify preparation work before the network assesses and quotes the connection [S4]. Request evidence for any claim that no network work is required.

A distribution network operator (DNO) manages the local electricity network. Ask who contacts it, what is submitted and how the response affects your programme. The DNO guide helps identify the right organisation.

Use this proposed survey checklist when comparing bidders:

• Existing electrical installation and records available for assessment.
• Proposed charger positions, cable routes and civil works.
• Parking access, pedestrian routes and space for equipment maintenance.
• User groups, payment method and opening hours.
• Property permissions and questions for the council.
• Responsibilities for network correspondence and later expansion.

Ask the installer to distinguish observed conditions from assumptions and unresolved matters. For permissions, request a written list of who will obtain each consent. Have your solicitor check property and land-rights questions; confirm the planning position with the relevant council.

How can you compare EV charger installation quotes fairly?

Give bidders the same brief and ask them to price the same operating requirement. Request an itemised scope with inclusions, exclusions and dependencies. An attractive equipment price is difficult to assess without the cable route, network position and ongoing service.

For fully funded, part funded and self funded offers, ask who pays each item. Request a separate business case if the proposal includes income claims. It should show yearly host income for fully funded terms and net income, return on investment and payback for part funded and self funded terms, with assumptions visible.

Ask about parking loss, lease duration, redevelopment, reinstatement, insurance and business rates in the contract discussion. These are questions to resolve for your site, rather than costs that can be assumed away. Use the quote comparison guide and have your solicitor review the resulting agreement.

How should grants and tax relief appear in the proposal?

Updated installer guidance states that Workplace Charging Scheme support rose to up to £500 per socket for installations completed from 1 April 2026, and that the scheme runs until 31 March 2027 [S2]. Ask the installer to document eligibility, approved equipment and the claim process before deducting support from its quote. Do not assume every public charging project qualifies.

HMRC describes a 100% first-year allowance for qualifying chargepoint expenditure, extended to 31 March 2027 for Corporation Tax and 5 April 2027 for Income Tax [S6]. This is a tax allowance, whose effect depends on your position. Check with your accountant. Keep it separate from a cash grant and the installer’s invoice.

What should you do next?

Agree the evidence required before handover: installation records, operating instructions, a payment test where relevant and a clear fault contact. For public charging, identify who performs the operator duties under the public charging regulations [S5]. Review the maintenance guide before accepting ongoing support terms.

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