Are EV chargers worth installing at your pub?

Your pub should test meal-stop demand against the cost of giving parking bays to charging. Fully funded can provide host income without buying equipment; part funded and self funded expose you to utilisation risk. Start with parking observations and your lease. The UK had 121,171 public chargers on 1 July 2026 [S7]; that national total cannot predict demand at your site. Checked October 2026.

Last checked 17 October 2026

Why would customers choose a pub with EV chargers?

Give guests a way to add energy while they eat, without needing to leave the table to move a car. Treat extra meal sales as something to measure, not income you can assume. DfT includes hospitality premises in its destination-charging classification [S7]. Your own lunch and evening parking records matter more than a national count.

For survey planning, assume a two-hour meal stay, then test it against actual visits. Separate that pattern from a quick drink, staff parking and overnight stays if you have rooms. Weekend lunch can compete with charging for the same bays. A roadside pub seeking passing drivers needs a different access plan from a village pub serving regulars.

Which funding model fits a pub car park?

With fully funded, the provider pays, installs, owns and operates the equipment; you provide land and receive a smaller share. Ask whether the proposed access hours conflict with closing the pub gate. With part funded, you contribute capital for a larger share; ownership or a buy-out option needs a contract. With self funded, you buy the installation and retain net income, buying maintenance if needed.

A tenant should compare the charger term with the pub lease before negotiating a share. Make cellar deliveries, outdoor events and possible redevelopment explicit. Do not assume a funding offer will be available just because the site has spare bays.

Read the fully funded guide and compare part funded terms before deciding who should own the equipment.

How much could pub chargers cost and earn?

This is an illustration, not a quote. Every commercial input below is an assumption, not a market price, utilisation forecast or available funding offer. kW means kilowatts, a measure of power; kWh means kilowatt-hours, the energy delivered.

Assume VAT registration and full input VAT recovery. Driver prices include assumed 20% VAT [S11]; income and costs exclude recoverable VAT. HMRC treats public charging as standard-rated [S10]. Check with your accountant. The capital allowance excludes major off-site connection works; replace it with a surveyed, itemised budget.

Annual delivered energy = sessions × 15 kWh × 360 days. At mid use, 3 × 15 × 360 = 16,200 kWh. Sales = delivered energy × £0.50. Imported energy cost = delivered energy × 1.10 × £0.25. Operating surplus = sales − imported energy cost − £600. This gives £3,045 at mid use.

The fully funded host receives sales × 10%. The provider pays operating costs from its remaining sales. The part funded host receives surplus × 60%, after those costs; the provider receives the balance. For this illustration, a negative surplus is also shared in that proportion. The self funded host receives the whole surplus and bears any loss. ROI means return on investment: annual host net income ÷ host capital × 100. Simple payback = host capital ÷ annual host net income, only when income is positive. Ranges reflect the capital range, with results rounded.

The low-use case takes longer to repay than the mid case. Compare that timescale with equipment life and your remaining tenancy. Meal spending is excluded throughout. These simple returns exclude borrowing, profit taxes, grants, replacement equipment, extra rent, business rates and lost parking income. Add any such site costs before relying on the result. Fully funded has no host capital payback in this model; the provider still needs its own viable return.

What power and parking does your pub need?

Check charging against the kitchen’s busy service, refrigeration and cellar equipment. The illustrative sockets total 14 kW before any load limit. Ask for measured peak demand and an option that shares available power.

Mark a route from each bay to the entrance that avoids the dray delivery area and outdoor seating. Place connectors so cables do not cross the beer-garden path. Record the hours the gate is physically open; do not advertise night access if staff lock it after service.

Ask your distribution network operator (DNO), which manages the local electricity network, about capacity [S4]. Obtain a connection scope before agreeing an opening date. Ask your designer to demonstrate an accessible route, usable controls and cable handling using DfT inclusive mobility guidance [S8].

Planning permission depends on the development and applicable permitted development rights in England [S6]. Ask the planning authority about your proposal; check the separate regime elsewhere in the UK. Have your solicitor review land rights and landlord consent.

How should customers pay for public charging at a pub?

Customer-only parking can still be public charging [S9]. Specify an obvious payment route and a sign explaining whether the parking stay continues after charging stops. Staff should have a fault-reporting script, rather than having to diagnose equipment during service.

Public charging prices must be clear in pence per kWh and cannot rise during a session [S5]. Allocate tariff control, driver support, fault response and liability in writing. Ask who pays for insurance, vandalism, removal and reinstatement, and who handles a business-rates assessment. Have your solicitor check exit, assignment and redevelopment terms.

Can your business get a charger grant or tax allowance?

WCS offers up to £500 per socket, covering up to 75% of eligible costs, and ends 31 March 2027 [S1]. Ordinary business customer parking is excluded [S2]. Separate eligible staff provision from the customer bays. A pub with accommodation should check whether the small-accommodation exception applies [S2].

Qualifying unused charging equipment can receive 100% first-year allowances: expenditure deadlines are 31 March 2027 for Corporation Tax and 5 April 2027 for Income Tax [S3]. Check with your accountant. No relief is deducted in the illustration.

Next steps

Request a bay layout that preserves delivery access, a closing-time policy and an itemised comparison with buying the chargers.

Review the pubs, restaurants and cafés sector and restaurant charging page. Gather parking observations, opening hours, a land plan and electricity records, then get matched with an installer that covers your area.

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