EV Charging Regulations UK 2026: Laws & Standards for EV Chargers

• Scope — applies to charge points at homes, workplaces, and private destinations (e.g., hotel car parks, supermarkets) that are not publicly accessible and are AC Mode 3 up to 22kW. Does not apply to public charge points (covered by the Public Charge Point Regulations 2023) or DC charge points.
• Mandatory smart functionality — all qualifying charge points must support: scheduled charging, randomised startup delay (up to 10 minutes), demand-side response capability, energy metering and monitoring, and minimum cybersecurity standards.
• Default off-peak setting — charge points must be pre-configured to charge during off-peak hours (midnight to 8am Monday to Friday, midnight to 11am Saturday and Sunday) unless the user actively changes this. This smart default aims to shift demand away from peak grid periods.
• Enforcement — OZEV can issue financial penalties to manufacturers and importers of non-compliant charge points. Electricians who install non-compliant charge points risk losing OZEV-approved installer status.

• 200 Ω is not the criterion. The requirement is the 70 V RMS limit. The 200 Ω figure comes from NOTE 1 to Annex A722, Item A722.3: electrodes with a resistance above 200 Ω may be unstable, so where the three-phase formula gives a higher value the maximum should be taken as 200 Ω.
• Devices under (c), (d) and (e) shall provide isolation and be selected in accordance with Table 537.4.
• Keep the downstream earthing separate. Protective conductors and exposed-conductive-parts downstream of a device provided for (c), (d) or (e) shall have no connection to protective conductors or exposed-conductive-parts of any circuit not protected by the same device, or to any extraneous-conductive-part.
• A TT island is not an automatic answer. NOTE 3 warns that creating a TT earthing system for the charging equipment or the whole installation, as an alternative to methods (b) to (e), may not be appropriate because of the difficulty of achieving sufficient separation from buried metalwork connected to the supply PEN conductor.
• TN-S supplies do not require a separate electrode for outdoor charging, although many installers still provide one.

• 722.312.2.1 — no PEN conductor — a circuit supplying charging equipment for electric vehicles shall not include a PEN conductor. The split from PEN to separate line, neutral and protective conductors happens upstream of the charging circuit, never within it.
• 722.410.3.5 and 722.410.3.6 — protective measures not permitted — obstacles and placing out of reach (Section 417), non-conducting location (Regulation 418.1) and earth-free local equipotential bonding (Regulation 418.2) shall not be used for EV charging installations.
• 722.531.3 and 722.531.3.101 — RCD and DC fault protection — an AC charging point requires RCD protection with a rated residual operating current not exceeding 30mA, together with protection against DC fault current. That is met either by an RCD of Type B, or by a Type A or Type F RCD combined with a residual direct current detecting device (RDC-DD) to BS IEC 62955. BS 7671 defines an RDC-DD as a device having at least the functionality of detection and evaluation of 6 mA DC residual currents and switching of the monitored circuit — which is why most dedicated chargers with built-in DC fault detection can sit behind a Type A RCD rather than a Type B. A4:2026 changed the RCD requirements in Section 722, so check the current regulation text against the charger manufacturer's instructions before specifying.
• 722.533.101 — overcurrent protection — the circuit protective device must be rated for the maximum continuous operating current. A 32A charge point (about 7.4kW at 230 V) is typically protected by a 32A Type B or Type C device; a 40A charge point (about 9.2kW at 230 V, uncommon in UK homes) needs a 40A device.
• 722.421.1.7.201 — no AFDD required — arc fault detection devices are not required for circuits supplying EV charging equipment conforming to the BS EN 61851 series that incorporate socket-outlets or vehicle connectors conforming to BS EN IEC 62196-2. Worth knowing, because A4:2026 redrafted Regulation 421.1.7 and made AFDDs a requirement on 32A socket-outlet final circuits in Higher Risk Residential Buildings, Houses in Multiple Occupation, purpose-built student accommodation and care homes.
• 722.311.201 — load curtailment — load curtailment, including load reduction or disconnection, either automatically or manually, may be taken into account when determining the maximum demand of the installation or part thereof. This is the regulatory basis for dynamic load management on multi-charger commercial and fleet sites: the supply can be sized for managed simultaneous demand rather than worst-case peak. Document the scheme — the demand calculation has to be defensible.
• 722.413.1.2 — electrical separation — where electrical separation is used as the protective measure, it is limited to one electric vehicle supplied from one unearthed source, through a fixed isolating transformer complying with BS EN 61558-2-4.
• 722.511.101 — equipment standard — EV charging equipment shall comply with the appropriate parts of the BS EN 61851 series. Where a charging point is built into a low voltage switchgear or controlgear assembly, the relevant part of the BS EN IEC 61439 series applies.
• Certification — EV charging installations must be inspected, tested and certificated in accordance with Part 6 of BS 7671. Use the Elec-Mate EV charging certificate to complete the required documentation on site.

• Status — not statutory law, but recognised by OZEV, NICEIC, NAPIT, and the EV installer certification bodies as the authoritative guidance. Following the Code of Practice is the standard method of demonstrating competence and compliance with BS 7671 Section 722.
• 5th Edition coverage — the 2023 edition covers Mode 2 and Mode 3 AC charging, DC charging, smart charging requirements under the 2021 Regulations, load management, solar integration, energy storage, earthing arrangements for all system types, cable sizing, protective devices, and documentation requirements.
• OZEV installer assessment — the OZEV-approved installer qualification (required for grant-funded installations) tests knowledge of the Code of Practice. Installers must demonstrate understanding of earthing, protective device selection, load management, and certification requirements.
• GN3 inspection guidance — when inspecting EV charging installations, GN3 (IET Guidance Note 3: Inspection and Testing, 9th Edition) directs the inspector to the IET Code of Practice for the inspection items, tests and acceptance criteria specific to EV equipment. The standard Appendix 6 schedule on its own does not cover EV work.
• Chapter 82 — prosumer's low-voltage electrical installations — EV installations that incorporate solar PV generation, battery storage or bidirectional charging also engage Chapter 82 of BS 7671, introduced as an entirely new chapter at A2:2022 and covering low-voltage installations where local production or storage of energy is present. Section 722 itself picks this up at Regulation 722.826.3.201.
• Purchasing the Code of Practice — the 5th Edition is available from the IET Shop (theiet.org) in print and digital formats. The digital edition includes hyperlinked cross-references and is updated between print editions when regulations change.

• Contactless payment — publicly accessible charge points above 8kW must accept contactless payment (debit and credit card) without requiring a subscription, app download, or pre-registration. This ended the practice of network-only charging that locked out drivers without a specific RFID card.
• Transparent pricing — prices must be displayed clearly per kWh before the session starts. Session fees, connection fees, and time-based fees must be disclosed. Hidden fees or unclear pricing are prohibited.
• Availability — operators of rapid charging networks (50kW+) must maintain 99% annual availability and publish availability data. Failure to do so exposes operators to enforcement action.
• Data reporting — operators must submit data to the National Charge Point Registry (NCPR), including charge point location, power rating, connector type, status, and pricing. This data is publicly accessible and used by navigation apps.

• OZEV — Smart Charge Points Regulations — OZEV can issue civil penalties to manufacturers and importers of non-compliant charge points, up to £10,000 per non-compliant unit. OZEV-approved installer status can be revoked for repeated installation of non-compliant equipment.
• OZEV — Public Charge Point Regulations — the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles enforces the 2023 Regulations, with powers to require compliance and to impose financial penalties on operators for continued non-compliance.
• Building control — Part S — failure to comply with Part S during new construction or renovation can result in building control refusing to issue a completion certificate, preventing the building being occupied. Retrospective regularisation is possible but costly.
• Local authorities — planning — installing an EV charger without required planning permission can result in enforcement notices requiring removal. Listed building consent violations can result in criminal prosecution.

Certificate every installation correctly

Use the Elec-Mate EV charging certificate app to complete a BS 7671-compliant electrical installation certificate for every EV charger you install. It covers supply details, earthing arrangement, protective device ratings, RCD type, insulation resistance, earth electrode resistance and all required test results, then exports a professional PDF for the client and for OZEV records.