What should your workplace EV charging policy include?

Your workplace charging policy should state who can charge, how bays are shared, what staff pay and who handles faults. HMRC's workplace exemption has applied since 2018, subject to conditions including general employee availability [S1]. Use the editable clauses below, then have your accountant and solicitor check the tax, employment and liability wording. Checked October 2026.

Last checked 16 October 2026

How do you create a workplace EV charging policy?

Start with decisions your facilities team can enforce: eligible users, access hours, booking, price, bay sharing and fault ownership. Agree these before buying a payment platform. A policy that promises a feature your equipment cannot support will leave staff and reception resolving the same dispute repeatedly. Use a staff charging demand survey to test the access and booking assumptions.

The template below is suggested operating wording. Replace every bracketed field before issue. It does not establish grant eligibility or replace electrical design, your employment policies or professional advice. Have your solicitor check contractual and liability clauses, and your accountant check tax treatment.

Keep your policy beside the workplace tax guide and charging software guide. Make a named manager responsible for resolving the choices in the template rather than leaving the installer to set your HR rules.

Who should be allowed to use your workplace chargers?

Suggested scope clause: “This policy applies to charging at [site and bay locations]. Staff register through [process]. Charging is available generally to employees at this workplace, subject to the published booking and safety arrangements. [Facilities role] manages access. Visitor charging follows [separate process].”

HMRC’s workplace exemption requires qualifying facilities at or near work, generally available to employees or employees at that workplace. It excludes home facilities and does not simply cover off-site reimbursement [S1]. Have your accountant confirm the conditions before describing charging as a tax-free benefit.

List any fleet-only bays separately. Ask payroll to review a proposal that reserves all staff charging for senior employees. Write down how new starters, shift workers and employees travelling between sites register. Provide an alternative contact for someone unable to use the booking interface. Use the employer EV salary sacrifice guide to review a proposed car scheme alongside charging access.

Should staff pay for workplace charging?

Suggested price clause: “The current staff tariff is [amount and unit], with [VAT treatment and other fees]. The tariff is displayed at [location]. Changes are communicated through [channel] before they apply. Disputed charges go to [contact], with the session reference and explanation.”

Kilowatts (kW) measure charging power; kilowatt hours (kWh) measure energy delivered. A price per kWh therefore needs a session energy record. Use the business electricity guide to prepare the energy-cost inputs rather than setting your staff price from a public roadside tariff.

Do not introduce deductions through an informal car-park notice. Put the proposed collection arrangement through your employment and payroll review. Treat payment failure as an account issue with a contact route, rather than letting reception improvise penalties.

How should staff book chargers and share bays fairly?

Suggested booking clause: “Book through [system] for [permitted session]. Cancel if you no longer need it. Join [queue] when bays are occupied. Notify [contact] if work duties prevent you moving your vehicle. Repeated missed bookings are reviewed by [role] under [published process].”

Suggested bay clause: “Use a charging bay for an authorised charging session. Move to ordinary parking at the end of your booking when it is safe and practicable. Do not unplug another person’s vehicle. Contact [facilities] if equipment, a vehicle or an obstruction prevents access.”

Choose session limits after observing shift patterns and available breaks. A rigid mid-shift move may be impractical for someone working away from the car park. Offer a documented exception rather than encouraging colleagues to police each other. Avoid publishing driver phone numbers or a public list of alleged misuse.

How do you reserve enough charging for fleet vehicles?

Suggested fleet clause: “Fleet departures take place at [times]. The fleet manager reserves [bays or energy allocation] through [process]. Staff booking availability shows these reservations. When demand exceeds capacity, [role] decides the allocation using [published operational criteria].”

Ask your installer to demonstrate the proposed power-sharing controls. Set a test in which fleet charging and staff charging overlap, and record the resulting session behaviour. Do not assume that adding booking slots creates extra electricity supply. Explain how interrupted sessions are handled and who tells the next driver that a reservation has changed.

What should your fault and liability clauses say?

Suggested fault clause: “Do not use visibly damaged equipment. Report the bay, charger identifier and fault through [contact]. Facilities decides whether to close the bay and arranges competent inspection or repair. Use the site’s emergency procedure if there is immediate danger. Staff must not attempt repairs.”

Suggested service clause: “Charging depends on equipment availability and site operating needs. If charging is unavailable, contact [role] to discuss the alternative travel or charging arrangement.”

Have your solicitor review responsibility for damage and the relationship with existing parking conditions. Give the equipment maintainer a clear route into your incident process. Ask your insurer what information it needs; do not invent a blanket liability exclusion for staff to accept. Review the fire risk assessment for charging when agreeing emergency and incident procedures.

How do grants and public access change your policy?

The Workplace Charging Scheme offers up to £500 per eligible socket for installations completed from April 2026, with the scheme extended until 31 March 2027 [S2]. Confirm the applicable voucher and installation requirements before committing expenditure. Keep the grant decision separate from permission to open the bays to additional users.

DfT’s public charging guidance explains the scope of public access and exclusions for restricted workplace use [S3]. Before opening chargers outside working hours, review the operating arrangement against the public charging checklist. Ask your solicitor to confirm scope where visitor or customer access is unclear.

What should you do next?

Complete the fields, walk the policy through with reception, fleet, payroll and facilities, and try a booking, cancellation and fault report. HMRC treats company-car home reimbursement separately [S4]. Keep home claims under the separate reimbursement process. For equipment and site requirements, 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 any shareholding our owner holds in it. Read how we work.