Do the smart charge point regulations apply to your workplace?

The smart charge point rules cover relevant private workplace equipment sold for use in Great Britain. They took effect on 30 June 2022, with security requirements following later [S1]. Public chargers and rapid chargers are excluded from this regime. Ask the seller for a written scope assessment and compliance documents before ordering. Checked October 2026.

Last checked 16 October 2026

Which smart charge point regulations apply to your business?

Start with the equipment’s intended users, installation location and sale arrangements. The Electric Vehicles (Smart Charge Points) Regulations cover relevant private domestic and workplace charging equipment in Great Britain [S1]. They are a product regime, rather than a complete checklist for designing and running your car park.

Ask the seller to state the regime it has assessed and why the offered equipment falls within or outside it. Keep that answer with the quotation. If your workplace mixes staff, fleet and customer parking, provide an access plan showing who can use each outlet and when. Ask your solicitor to review an uncertain classification before you rely on an exemption.

Do not settle for a general assertion that equipment is compliant. Identify the exact model and software being supplied, the documents accompanying it and who resolves a discrepancy at handover. Include the same requirements in fully funded, part funded and self funded proposals so your comparisons use the same equipment standard.

Are workplace and public charge points covered by the same rules?

No. The smart product regulations exclude public chargepoints and define an excluded rapid chargepoint as one transferring at least 50 kilowatts (kW), a measure of power [S2]. Public chargepoints have a separate regulatory framework [S3]. A business address or privately owned car park does not, by itself, answer the scope question.

The scope distinctions above follow the separate regulations [S2], [S3]; the checks are suggested procurement steps. Read public versus private chargepoints and the public compliance checklist before setting your access policy.

What smart charging features should you see demonstrated?

OPSS lists communications, response to control signals, a user interface, electricity supplier interoperability, measurement and continued charging after a communications loss among the requirements [S1]. Ask for a live handover demonstration, then save a short operating procedure that your duty manager can follow.

For your acceptance checklist, request demonstrations of:

• Setting a schedule for your site’s actual vehicle departure requirements.
• Viewing a completed session and its energy record.
• Authorising an urgent charge through the supported owner controls.
• Recovering from a simulated communications interruption safely.
• Changing authorised users when a staff member leaves.

Kilowatt hours (kWh) measure energy, while kW measures power. Ensure reports distinguish the two so that your manager can reconcile charging use with electricity purchases. Decide who reviews failed sessions and who escalates faults. Keep commercial payment accuracy and electrical safety checks in the commissioning plan too.

Can you override off-peak charging and random delay?

The legislation provides owner controls to change or remove default charging hours and override relevant operations. Its default peak periods are weekdays from 8am to 11am and 4pm to 10pm. The usual randomised delay can be up to 600 seconds, with exceptions and override provisions [S2]. Ask the supplier to explain those controls for the exact equipment, rather than promising drivers that every connection starts immediately.

For a van depot, define which manager can authorise an urgent departure charge. For an office, explain the schedule to staff before they plug in. Do not assume a regulatory default is the cheapest setting under your own electricity contract. Compare the actual tariff using the smart charging guide.

Also ask what happens when an owner override conflicts with a site import limit. Have the electrical designer demonstrate that operating procedure. Include load management in the design discussion rather than treating a scheduling menu as proof of supply protection.

What paperwork and security support should you request?

OPSS identifies the statement of compliance and technical file as assurance documents. It says security requirements came into force on 30 December 2022 [S1]. Request the relevant compliance statement with delivery and establish how supporting technical evidence can be obtained if needed.

In your commercial schedule, ask who supplies software updates, how long support is offered and how security issues reach your site manager. Request a clear process for account recovery and removing former administrators. Have your IT lead review the proposed connection method before the installer relies on your business network.

Keep software switching questions separate from changing electricity supplier. Ask who controls the management account and what access you retain when the support contract ends. The OCPP and OCPI guide explains Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP), the language between chargers and management systems, alongside roaming connections between charging services.

How do grants and tax fit into your buying decision?

Current WCS installer guidance gives a maximum grant of £500 per eligible socket and a scheme end date of 31 March 2027 [S5]. Eligibility, product compliance and installation design are separate checks. Do not deduct a grant from your budget until the relevant conditions and application route have been confirmed.

HMRC also lists qualifying new, unused chargepoint equipment bought before April 2027 for 100% first-year allowances [S4]. An allowance reduces qualifying taxable profits; it is not reimbursement of the equipment price. Check with your accountant before putting tax effects into a funding comparison.

What should you do next?

Prepare your access policy, charging schedule and equipment checklist. Request a scope assessment, compliance statement and handover demonstration with each offer.

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