The Depot Charging Scheme funds 70% of your depot charging infrastructure — up to £1 million. But the first application window closes on 30 June 2026, and it shuts earlier if the money runs out.
A £170m fund to electrify your depot — and a closing window
If you run vans, HGVs or coaches, the Depot Charging Scheme is the most significant EV-charging grant the government has launched for fleets. After a successful 2025/26 pilot, it's now a £170 million multi-year programme running from April 2026 to 2030.
The headline for fleet operators: it part-funds the charging infrastructure at your depot — 70% of charge point and civil costs, up to £1 million across all your sites. Civil works (groundworks, cabling, grid connection) are usually the biggest line item in a depot install, so covering them at 70% changes the maths entirely.
⏰ The first window closes 30 June 2026
The scheme runs in application windows. The first window is open from 25 March to 30 June 2026 — or until the funding is exhausted, whichever comes first. With £28 million allocated to this window, demand is expected to outstrip supply, so the practical deadline may be sooner than 30 June.
If depot electrification is on your roadmap at all, applying in this window is the difference between 70% funding and paying full cost.
What you get
- 70% of charge point and civil costs funded
- Up to £1 million across all your depot sites
- Part of a £170m programme to 2030, with a second window (£38m) to follow for 2027/28
Who's eligible
To qualify, your organisation must:
- Run a fleet that includes (or will include) at least one battery-electric van, HGV or coach — your application quantifies the charging need
- Be registered and operating in the UK for at least one year, and own or lease one or more UK depots
- Have a senior leader approve the proposal and consent to ongoing monitoring (including site audits)
- Agree not to double-fund the same works with other government grants, keep the infrastructure for commercial-vehicle use, and — if sharing with other operators — price on a cost-recovery basis for at least three years
Why fleets get this wrong
Depot applications are more involved than a simple workplace charger claim: you need to quantify your charging demand, plan the civils and grid connection, specify the right hardware, and build an application a senior sponsor can sign off — all before the window closes. Miss a requirement and the application stalls.
This is exactly what Energy Partners does. We model your depot's charging need, design the infrastructure, handle the grant application end to end, and deliver with £0 upfront through grant funding, nationwide deployment, and installs typically completed in around 4 weeks — helping fleet operators cut running costs by up to 40%.
→ Check your depot's grant eligibility in 60 seconds
Frequently asked questions
What is the Depot Charging Scheme? A UK government grant that part-funds EV charging infrastructure at fleet depots — 70% of charge point and civil costs, up to £1 million across all sites — to support zero-emission vans, HGVs and coaches.
When does the first application window close? 30 June 2026, or earlier if the funding for the window is exhausted. It opened on 25 March 2026.
Who can apply? UK-registered fleet operators that have run for at least a year, own or lease a UK depot, and run (or plan to run) at least one battery-electric van, HGV or coach.
What does the grant cover that others don't? Unlike the Workplace Charging Scheme, the Depot Charging Scheme covers heavy civil works — the groundworks, cabling and grid upgrades that dominate the cost of a depot install.
The bottom line
The Depot Charging Scheme is the best funding a fleet operator will get for depot electrification — but it runs in finite windows, and the first one closes on 30 June 2026. If electrifying your fleet is anywhere on your plan, check your eligibility now.
All grant figures verified against GOV.UK as of June 2026. Scheme terms, funding windows and deadlines change — confirm current details before applying.
Fleet AuditRead this article in the app at energy-partners.co.uk/insights/depot-charging-scheme-2026-fleet-guide. Energy Partners installs and manages commercial EV charging, solar and battery storage for UK venues — talk to us.