Should you convert a petrol forecourt to EV charging?

Assess a forecourt conversion as a property, power and charging project together. HSE says prescribed petrol-storage changes must be notified to the Petroleum Enforcement Authority at least 28 days before work [S1]. Test charging demand and net income before removing fuel capacity. Compare fully funded, part funded and self funded offers using the same site scope and demand assumptions. Checked October 2026.

Last checked 16 October 2026

Why consider EV charging on a petrol forecourt?

Start with the demand your location can serve. Are drivers stopping on a journey, visiting your shop or looking for a local charging option? Record access, existing vehicle movements and room to wait without blocking the entrance. Petrol transactions alone do not establish future charging sessions.

Compare adding bays while retaining fuel with a complete conversion. Put the trading income displaced by each option alongside charging income. Keep possible shop sales outside the charging calculation until you have measured evidence. Read footfall evidence before adding a retail uplift.

An existing canopy and road frontage do not establish electrical capacity or safe equipment placement. HSE’s Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations guidance requires assessment and control of dangerous substances and ignition risks [S2]. Commission a competent review of the proposed mixed or converted layout. Check your legal duties with your solicitor.

Which funding model fits your conversion?

Use the same equipment, works boundary and demand forecast for every offer.

Ask whether petroleum work, supply upgrades and reinstatement sit inside the funded scope. Clarify lease length, exclusive rights, parking control, tariff control, insurance, contamination liability and exit arrangements. Allocate removal costs if the equipment stops trading. Review these with your solicitor.

A fully funded offer transfers some operating obligations, but its income still depends on the written rent or share terms. Compare host agreements before agreeing the land area.

What could your forecourt earn, and how long until payback?

This is an illustration, not a quote. All inputs are assumptions. The capital range is the published UK installer range for one installed 150 kW DC charger, £45,000–£80,000, checked on 17 October 2026 [S8]. It excludes the grid connection and any petroleum work: a main supply upgrade where the existing supply is inadequate is quoted separately at £40,000–£150,000 [S8]. Replace capital with a survey-based total.

Sales = sessions/day × 40 × 365 × £0.60. Bought energy cost = delivered kWh ÷ 0.90 × £0.20. Operating surplus = sales − bought energy − £6,000. The allowance represents all modelled fixed running costs; actual payment fees, rates, insurance or service costs must replace or add to it.

In this chosen fully funded agreement the provider pays all those costs and the host receives 10% of sales. In the chosen part funded agreement the host receives half the remaining surplus. These are different share bases, not advertised industry terms.

With a main supply upgrade of £40,000–£150,000 added to host capital, mid-use self funded payback becomes (£45,000 + £40,000) ÷ £21,578 = 3.9 years at the lowest combined capital and (£80,000 + £150,000) ÷ £21,578 = 10.7 years at the highest [S8].

For the mid case, sales are £43,800, bought energy is £16,222.22, and surplus is £21,577.78. Part funded income is £10,788.89. ROI = host net income ÷ host capital × 100; payback = host capital ÷ host net income. Results use unrounded values. The identical return ranges arise because the part funded host pays half the capital for half the surplus.

The illustration excludes financing, tax relief, replacement, demand growth, lost fuel margin and shop sales. A payback beyond equipment life is not evidence of capital recovery. Use utilisation measures to test the session forecast.

What power, parking and permission checks come first?

Ask your distribution network operator (DNO), the local electricity network company, to assess the proposed load. For storage or generation, request the applicable connection route; UK Power Networks publishes relevant application resources [S4]. Compare a direct-grid proposal with battery-buffered charging where appropriate.

Commission a layout that covers accessible routes, tanker and delivery movements, waiting vehicles, protection and maintenance access. Ask the council about planning for the whole proposal, including signs, canopy changes and any new substation. A charger’s dimensions alone do not settle the wider development.

HSE lists ceasing use and permanently decommissioning petrol tanks as prescribed material changes, with advance notification to the Petroleum Enforcement Authority [S1]. Agree the petroleum-work scope before scheduling groundworks. This HSE guidance is for Great Britain; obtain Northern Ireland-specific petroleum and safety requirements from the relevant authorities for a site there. Check legal responsibilities with your solicitor.

Public charging also brings operating duties. The Public Charge Point Regulations cover matters including price display, payment and support, subject to scope and exemptions [S3]. Identify the responsible operator and use the public charging checklist.

Which grants, allowances and rates rules should you check?

The Workplace Charging Scheme is not a general public-forecourt conversion fund. Its current workplace grant limit is up to £500 per socket, with funding confirmed to 31 March 2027; ordinary business applicants must meet staff or fleet parking conditions [S5]. No grant is deducted from this illustration.

HMRC describes a 100% first-year allowance for qualifying new, unused chargepoint equipment bought before April 2027 [S6]. That is a deduction from taxable profits, not reimbursement of the purchase price. Check eligibility, timing and the treatment of each cost with your accountant.

England’s charging business-rates relief guidance has specific qualifying property tests [S7]. Confirm the assessment and applicable nation’s rules instead of assuming that adding chargers removes existing rates.

What should you do next?

Collect your supply details, site drawings, trading figures and property agreement for a survey.

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