England: two EV charging consultations to understand before quoting

What is being proposed, and when can you respond?

The building-regulations consultation considers extending chargepoint requirements to covered car parks, where the existing approach generally requires cable routes rather than installed chargepoints. It also examines connection-cost limits and technical guidance. It is a consultation on possible amendments, not a replacement Approved Document that has already taken effect.

The separate tenant and leaseholder consultation considers guidance or legislation to improve decisions about off-street charging. Both consultations concern England and close at 11:59 pm on 16 December 2026. An installer with evidence about difficult layouts, permission delays or connection work can respond to the relevant questions, while distinguishing an observed project from an estimate about the whole market.

MHCLG — consultation on EV charging infrastructure, 21 October 2026

MHCLG — consultation on EV charging access for tenants and leaseholders

Covered parking needs a complete survey

For a covered or enclosed parking project, prepare a plan showing bays, the proposed charger positions, cable routes, access and interfaces with the building. Identify who will assess electrical capacity and the applicable fire and building requirements. A photograph of an available wall is not enough to confirm an acceptable design. Record which assumptions remain subject to competent assessment and approval.

The proposed review of the £3,600 average connection-cost cap is not a promise of a grant or a ceiling on every installation invoice. Avoid pricing a job by copying that figure. Separate the supplier’s equipment price from connection, cabling, civil work, reinstatement and professional assessment. The existing Approved Document S remains a useful starting point for checking the current building-regulation framework.

MHCLG — consultation on EV charging infrastructure, 21 October 2026

GOV.UK — Approved Document S

A tenant’s request is not yet automatic permission

The second consultation offers a non-statutory guidance route and a legislative route. The legislative option would require future primary legislation; it is not an existing right created by the consultation. The suggested 28-day response period is an example being consulted on, not a new deadline that an installer can enforce today.

Ask the customer to identify whether the parking space is demised, allocated or communal, and who can authorise changes to it. Keep the proposed physical installation separate from the evidence of permission. A landlord’s interest in a proposal, a managing agent’s technical query and written approval of the final arrangement are different stages. Name the missing decision in the quotation rather than describing all of them as permission obtained.

MHCLG — consultation on EV charging access for tenants and leaseholders

Make responsibility for shared equipment visible

A communal parking area introduces questions that a private driveway may not have: which supply serves the equipment, who will arrange any shared works, how the route crosses common areas and who manages ongoing access. Your quotation should identify the work you are offering and the interfaces someone else must resolve. Do not imply that a quotation settles the property owner’s wider management decisions.

For example, a fictional tenant requests a charger beside an allocated bay. The initial survey shows a cable route through a shared service area. An organised offer can price a defined installation option while listing property permission, capacity confirmation and the final route as outstanding dependencies. It should not present the draft consultation as a reason to proceed before those matters are resolved.

Separate confirmed requirements from future options

The consultation discusses possible technical developments, including load management and future two-way charging. Those discussion points are not a universal instruction to fit one particular device. Match the design and product to the applicable requirements and the actual site, with the competent professional responsible for the design confirming that match.

Keep a dated record of the documents used for the offer. If the client wants an option intended to accommodate a future change, describe the option precisely and identify what it does and does not include. Avoid an unsupported label such as future-proof. A later government decision may differ from a consultation question, so a pending proposal should not silently become a binding promise in a customer contract.

MHCLG — consultation on EV charging infrastructure, 21 October 2026

Turn your site evidence into an understandable offer

An effective offer distinguishes the charger, connection work, cable route, protective and control equipment where specified, civil works, reinstatement and commissioning. Explain exclusions in ordinary language. If a decision changes the route or equipment, revise the affected items and preserve the accepted version. This lets the client compare alternatives without assuming that the cheapest headline price covers the same scope.

Vocalys can help you dictate survey observations and prepare quotation lines on your smartphone. Review product references, quantities, permissions and unresolved technical details before sharing the document. Would you like to reduce the time spent rewriting your quotations and invoices? Discover Vocalys at vocalys.pro while keeping design and approval decisions with the people responsible for them.

Reusable job sheet

• Identify the site as being in England
• Distinguish the two consultation subjects
• Record the parking-space and permission position
• Obtain a competent technical assessment
• Separate connection and installation costs
• Date the documents and unresolved decisions
• Respond with evidence before the consultation deadline

Site and parking arrangement: […]
Proposed works: […]
Permission decision required from: […]
Technical checks and responsible person: […]
Included items and exclusions: […]
Conditions before order: […]

The consultations create an opportunity to contribute practical evidence. They do not replace the permissions, current requirements and verified design needed for an installation today.