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Charging electric vehicles in Kent

There are many ways for electric vehicle owners to charge their cars in Kent.

You can find public chargers in town centres, supermarkets, restaurants, workplaces, petrol stations and lots of other places.

Most new electric cars have a range of at least 200 miles. For most this means you don't need a nightly charge at home.

You can view public charging points in ZapMap, or rent charging time from homeowners with a charger using a service like Book My Charge or Co-Charger.

We are working with other councils to install over 600 public chargers around the county between now and 2024. Read more about our work to improve Kent's electric vehicle infrastructure.

Charging at home

It is against the law to place your own charger on public roads or run charging cables across paths. It is dangerous for pedestrians and could stop people with mobility impairments from using the path.

We do allow district councils to place on-street public charging points, so contact your district council to ask about charging on your street.

We do not allow cable gullies to be installed in pavements, but we are keenly watching some trials happening around the country to see if we could support them in future.

If you have a driveway, you can use the 3-pin charging cable provided by your car's manufacturer to charge directly from your home energy supply. Speak with your electricity provider about tariffs to support efficient charging.

For faster charging, you could consider installing a dedicated vehicle charger. The UK Government's Electric Vehicle Homecharge Grant helps some households with up to 75% of the installation costs.

If your charger faces onto the street and is installed within 2 metres of the road or pavement, you may need planning permission to install it. Speak to your district council if you are unsure.

If you have private parking that is separated from your home, for example a garage or parking bay within a residential parking area, you may think about installing a private charger.

The UK Government's Electric Vehicle Homecharge Grant helps some households with up to 75% of the installation costs.

If the connection of electricity from your home to the charger would need work done to, or under, a public highway (roads maintained by us), you'll need to employ a contractor to do the work who:

If the road is not managed by us, you do not require our permission to install a charger but you will need permission from the management company responsible for the road.