6/23/2026 12:37:48 PM
4 mins read
What Yorkshire and Humber employers need to know about workplace EV charging grants, running costs and installation in 2026.
Electric vehicles are no longer a niche choice for UK fleets. As more Yorkshire and Humber businesses make the switch, workplace charging has become one of the most practical ways to support staff and company vehicles while keeping running costs under control. Here is what employers in the region need to know about funding, costs and getting started.
Why workplace charging matters in Yorkshire and Humber
Charging at home or at work is consistently cheaper than relying on the public network, and the savings are particularly strong in this region. Analysis from YESSS Electrical found that Yorkshire and Humberside has among the lowest regional electricity costs in the UK, meaning the switch from petrol to electric saves drivers in the area roughly £589 a year on fuel, with diesel to electric switchers saving around £550. For a business running several vehicles, that adds up quickly across a fleet.
Workplace charging also removes one of the biggest barriers to EV adoption among staff. Employees without a driveway or home charger often rely on workplace facilities to charge conveniently, particularly if they are part of a salary sacrifice car scheme. Offering charging on site can be the difference between an employee adopting an EV or sticking with a combustion vehicle.
The Workplace Charging Scheme: what is available
The government's Workplace Charging Scheme, administered by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles, helps cover the cost of installing chargepoints at business premises. As of April 2026, the scheme covers up to 75% of purchase and installation costs, capped at £500 per socket, for up to 40 sockets across all of a business's sites. The scheme has been extended and now runs until 31 March 2027.
To qualify, a business needs to own the property or have landlord consent, and must have dedicated off-street parking associated with the premises. The parking and chargepoints need to be for staff or fleet use, not customers, and the business will need to provide evidence of this when applying. Work must be carried out by an OZEV-authorised installer, and applications need to be submitted before installation begins, since retrospective claims are not accepted.
There are also tax advantages worth knowing about. Businesses can typically claim 100% of installation costs as a capital allowance, and employees are not taxed on the cost of electricity used to charge a personal or company EV at work, provided certain conditions are met.
What EV charging actually costs compared to petrol or diesel
Running costs are where the business case becomes clearest. Charging on a home or off-peak tariff typically costs between 3p and 8p per mile, against 17p to 23p per mile for petrol or diesel. Even on a standard, non-discounted electricity rate, EV charging usually works out at roughly 60 to 65% of the cost per mile of a combustion vehicle.
Public charging tells a different story. Standard public chargers average around 54p per kWh, while rapid and ultra-rapid chargers can reach 65p to 85p per kWh. At those rates, the cost advantage over petrol and diesel narrows considerably, and exclusive use of ultra-rapid public charging can end up more expensive per mile than running a petrol car. This is the core argument for workplace charging: it gives staff and fleet vehicles a dependable, lower cost place to charge during the day, rather than relying solely on the public network.
Getting started: practical steps for employers
Businesses considering workplace charging should start with a site assessment. An installer will need to check whether the existing electrical supply can support the number of chargepoints planned, and whether any upgrade work is needed. This is worth doing before applying for the Workplace Charging Scheme grant, since the application process expects a clear picture of the installation.
It is also worth thinking ahead rather than installing one or two chargers in isolation. Many businesses find that planning for future expansion, even if only a few sockets are installed initially, avoids the cost of repeating groundworks later as EV adoption among staff grows.
Finally, check eligibility carefully. The scheme caps support per business, not per site, so businesses with multiple locations in Yorkshire and Humber will need to plan how to allocate sockets across premises to make best use of the available funding before the scheme closes in March 2027.
The bottom line
For Yorkshire and Humber businesses, workplace EV charging is both a practical staff benefit and a sound financial decision. With grant support still available, lower regional electricity costs, and a wide gap between home and public charging rates, the case for installing chargepoints now is stronger than it has been at any point so far.
