Funding tracker

UK funding to electrify your depot — tracked

The Depot Charging Scheme is the headline grant, but it's one of several. We track the UK funding that helps electrify a depot — the chargers, the vehicles, and the grid-balancing revenue you can earn once you're live — so you know what's open, what's closing and what to be ready for. Always confirm against the official guidance before applying.

Depot Charging Scheme

Upcoming

Depot Charging Scheme — Application Window 2

Rate70%
Cap£1,000,000
Opens28 October 2026
Closes29 January 2027

The second application window is expected to open on 28 October 2026 and close on 29 January 2027. Exact terms are still to be confirmed by government — the rate and cap shown reflect the first window (70% of chargepoint and civil costs, up to £1m across all sites) and may change, as grant rates are expected to reduce over the life of the programme. Be application-ready before it opens.

Official guidance ↗
Closed

Depot Charging Scheme — Application Window 1

Rate70%
Cap£1,000,000
Closed30 June 2026

The first application window closed on 30 June 2026. It offered 70% of chargepoint and civil costs, up to £1m across all sites. If you missed it, the next window is expected in late October 2026 — see above.

Official guidance ↗

Charging infrastructure

Open now

Educational Institutions Chargepoint Grant

Rate75%
Per socket£2,000

For schools, colleges and universities: 75% of costs up to £2,000 per socket (reduced from £2,500 on 1 April 2026). Niche for commercial depots, but relevant to public-sector and education fleets running vehicles from their own sites.

Official guidance ↗
Open now

Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund

A £381m fund for English local authorities to roll out public and on-street charging. Businesses can’t apply directly, but can partner as site hosts — a route worth exploring if your depot has spare land — and it’s directly relevant to local-authority fleets. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run their own equivalents, so check your nation.

Official guidance ↗
Open now

Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS)

Rate75%
Per socket£500
Cap£20,000
Closes31 March 2027

A voucher toward installing chargepoint sockets at business premises with off-street parking: 75% of costs, capped at £500 per socket (raised from £350 on 1 April 2026), for up to 40 sockets — roughly £20,000 maximum. Open to businesses, charities and the public sector across the UK. Now in its final year, ending 31 March 2027, so worth claiming while it lasts. An easy, low-friction complement to the larger Depot Charging Scheme.

Official guidance ↗
Closed

EV Infrastructure Grant for Staff & Fleets (SMEs)

Rate75%
Cap£15,000
Closed31 March 2026

Closed on 31 March 2026. This grant gave small and medium businesses (fewer than 249 employees) up to £15,000 (75% of costs) toward the wider charging infrastructure — the cabling and groundwork behind the sockets — across up to five sites. It’s shown here so you’re not chasing a scheme that has ended; the Workplace Charging Scheme and Depot Charging Scheme are the live routes now.

Official guidance ↗

Vehicle grants

Open now

Electric Car Grant

Cap£3,750

A discount of up to £3,750 on eligible new electric cars priced under £37,000, applied at the point of sale by the manufacturer. It’s a two-band scheme — the top band around £3,750 and a lower band around £1,500, based on the vehicle’s sustainability criteria. Most relevant to the car, grey-fleet and salary-sacrifice part of a fleet rather than vans or HGVs.

Official guidance ↗
Open now

Zero Emission Truck Grant

Grants toward eligible new electric trucks — the lower of a fixed cap or a percentage of the price: up to £15,000 (4.25–12t), £37,000 (12–18t), £52,000 (18–26t) and £81,000 (over 26t). Up to 1,500 vehicle grants per organisation per financial year. Pairs with the Depot Charging Scheme for the chargers — see the HGV depot guide.

Official guidance ↗
Open now

Zero Emission Van Grant (Plug-in Van Grant)

Grants toward eligible new electric vans, claimed via the dealer: up to £2,500 for small vans (under 2,500 kg) and up to £5,000 for large vans (2,500–4,250 kg). Extended into 2026. Core to van depots — and it stacks with the charging grants, so you can fund the vans here and the chargers through the Depot Charging Scheme.

Official guidance ↗

Grid balancing & flexibility

Open now

Capacity Market & local flexibility

Revenue, not a grant. The Capacity Market pays for guaranteeing you can reduce demand (or provide capacity) when the grid is tight, secured through auctions and usually accessed via an aggregator — better suited to larger depots or those with an on-site battery. Distribution operators also run local flexibility markets, and time-of-use tariffs let you earn from cheap or surplus power day to day.

Official guidance ↗
Open now

Demand Flexibility Service (DFS)

Revenue, not a grant. The grid operator (NESO) pays you to shift or reduce electricity use at peak moments. Because depot charging is so easily shifted, fleets are ideal participants — you access it through an aggregator and opt in or out of each event with no penalty. Earnings vary by site and by how much load you can flex. See our Flexibility, DSR & revenue guide.

Official guidance ↗

Other funding & tax reliefs

Open now

Scotland — interest-free EV loans

For Scottish operators: interest-free loans (not grants) toward new and used electric vehicles and charging infrastructure, administered by Energy Saving Trust. Around £20m was allocated for EV loans in 2025–26, with a further incentive package approved for 2026–27. A distinct, generous route north of the border — Wales and Northern Ireland run their own local schemes, so check your nation.

Official guidance ↗
Open now

Tax reliefs — first-year allowances & Benefit-in-Kind

Not a grant, but real money. Businesses can claim a 100% first-year allowance on EV chargepoint equipment (legislated to spring 2026 — check whether it’s been extended), plus favourable capital allowances on electric vehicles. Company-car Benefit-in-Kind on EVs also remains very low, which is what drives salary-sacrifice schemes. This is a signpost, not tax advice — speak to your accountant.

Official guidance ↗

Not sure what you could claim?

Run the free 2-minute checker for an indicative figure and a readiness checklist.

Check eligibility →

Get a heads-up before the next window opens

We'll email you when the next Depot Charging Scheme window — or another key funding deadline — is confirmed. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

Figures are indicative and based on published guidance at the time of writing. Grant rates, caps and deadlines change — and some schemes differ by UK nation — so always confirm against the official source before applying. Grid-balancing entries are ongoing revenue opportunities, not grants. This is independent guidance, not financial, tax or application advice.