What dimensions and layout should your EV charging bays have?

Design the whole charging space, including access beside the vehicle, cable reach and the route to payment. TfL's accessibility study used a 4.8 m minimum bay length in its audit criteria [S1]; that is not a universal legal size for every UK EV bay. Have your designer confirm the applicable standards and local requirements. Checked October 2026.

Last checked 17 October 2026

What EV parking bay dimensions should you put on the drawing?

Ask your designer for a scaled plan showing the vehicle rectangle, door-opening space, access zones and equipment footprints. A painted rectangle gives only part of the information needed to decide whether a driver can charge. Use dimensions that can be checked after installation, with the measurement reference clearly marked.

TfL’s accessibility study records the following audit criteria on its bay-dimensions page. It distinguishes on-street width from marked access space assessed off-street [S1]. These are published assessment references, not a substitute for the full standard or your site’s approvals.

The study describes these as accessibility guidance criteria [S1]. Ask the designer to identify which provisions apply to your car park and whether your council, planning permission or contract requires more. Consult the accessible charging guide alongside this page.

How much room do chargers, cabinets and protective equipment need?

Draw every object that occupies space: the charger, base, power cabinet, barriers, signposts and any proposed wheel stops. Mark maintenance access and the route from the parked vehicle to the controls. Ask for equipment dimensions from the selected technical documentation, rather than using a generic block.

National Highways’ readiness checklist includes equipment space and clear entry and exit routes [S3]. Turn that into a review question: can a driver use the charger while another vehicle enters the neighbouring space? Require your designer to demonstrate the answer on the proposed plan.

Avoid calculating capacity by dividing the car park area by a nominal bay size. Circulation, access and equipment all consume area. Compare charger placement options before fixing the number of chargers in a quotation.

Can drivers reach the connector without crossing a pedestrian route?

Show the cable in use, not only stored on the charger. Check front, rear and side charging-port positions using the vehicles you expect. Government design guidance highlights cable reach and trip-hazard prevention [S2]. Ask your designer to demonstrate how the cable behaves when adjacent spaces are occupied.

Kilowatts (kW) describe power; kilowatt-hours (kWh) describe energy. A higher kW rating does not solve a reach problem. Ask for a physical demonstration with the proposed equipment, including cable handling from a seated position and returning the connector after use.

Record any condition requiring a vehicle to face a particular way. Assess whether your traffic layout makes that manoeuvre realistic. Do not approve a drawing that depends on drivers routinely blocking the access aisle while they work out how to connect.

How should wheelchair access fit into the charging layout?

Review the complete journey from arrival to leaving the site. Include the parking space, movement around the vehicle, charger controls, payment point and the route to amenities. Government parking guidance explains that PAS 1899 addresses physical placement and the surrounding environment as well as chargepoint design [S4].

Ask for a review involving people with relevant access needs. Give reviewers the layout and proposed equipment early enough to change the design. Keep the resulting requirements in the installation brief and the acceptance checklist, rather than recording them only in meeting notes.

Do not equate “accessible charger” with a designated disabled parking bay. Ask your access adviser and parking manager to agree the purpose, signs and permissions of each space. Check legal obligations with your solicitor; the guidance references here do not determine every duty at your premises.

How do you test vehicle movements and entry routes before installation?

Use the actual site constraints: walls, kerbs, drainage channels, delivery routes, gates and neighbouring spaces. National Highways asks whether vehicles can move without congestion or reversing risks [S3]. Request a vehicle movement assessment appropriate to your site rather than assuming the existing painted bays prove suitability.

As a practical review step, mark the proposed equipment positions temporarily and walk the route with your site manager. Observe a representative vehicle entering, stopping and leaving under controlled conditions. Have the designer review the findings before treating that exercise as acceptance of the layout.

Compare the consequences for ordinary parking, delivery access and maintenance. Price any relocation of existing furniture or drainage separately. Confirm the planning route with your council before ordering equipment or changing the approved parking arrangement.

What should the installation and handover pack show?

Request dimensioned drawings, equipment footprints, cable reach, access routes and the installer’s setting-out checks. Include a photograph plan so the handover record shows the completed access zones and controls. Ask your designer to verify that installed posts and barriers match the reviewed drawing.

Keep the layout linked to signage and bay markings. Review future duct routes before surfacing work; see ducting for more chargers. Make any unresolved dimension or permission an explicit item to close with the designer or council.

What should you do next?

Collect a parking plan, photographs and the vehicles your site expects, then get matched with an installer that covers your area.

Piggy Pineapple Ltd operates this referral service. We refer enquiries to installer partners and may be paid a fee. Our owner holds shares in at least one partner. Before passing on your details, we name the proposed partner and disclose whether our owner holds shares in it. Read how we work.