Your guide to Scottish Home EV charger grants

Are you a Scottish resident? Are you interested in purchasing a home EV charger? Do you want to know if you are eligible for government funding?

You have come to the right place.

We have created a short guide with everything you need to know about the grants you can claim as a Scottish resident, including the new version of the Energy Saving Trust grant.

Energy Saving Trust Grant (EST)

Before March 2022, the Energy Saving Trust grant, funded by Transport Scotland, was a £250 grant that went towards the cost of a dedicated home EV charging point. If you were located in a rural area of Scotland, this grant could have been supplemented by a further £100, meaning £350 would have been available for eligible residents. This version of the Scottish Domestic Charge Point Fund was closed in March. However, it reopened on 8^th June 2022, with new grant criteria.

Now, the Energy Saving Trust offer up to £400 of Scottish government funding to contribute towards the cost of an electric vehicle charger and its installation. This new version of the domestic chargepoint funding scheme has been split into two streams and is only available for specific groups of Scottish residents:

• Rural electric vehicle owners (residents who live in rural areas of Scotland)
• Used electric vehicle owners (residents who purchased their electric vehicle via the Scottish government’s Used Electric Vehicle Loan)

Am I eligible for the rural electric vehicle owners’ stream?

To be eligible, you must:

• Live in a category 7 or 8 area in Scotland
• Own or lease an electric vehicle (including leasing an EV through your work)

To find out if your postcode is eligible for the domestic chargepoint funding scheme, please click here and insert your postcode.

To apply for the rural electric vehicle owners stream, you need to complete this application form.

Am I eligible for the used electric vehicle owners’ stream?

To be eligible, you must:

• Live in Scotland
• Have purchased a used electric vehicle through the Energy Saving’s Trust Used Electric Vehicle Loan (and have proof of such)

How do I claim the EST grant?

1. Contact an approved installer and request a quote for an OZEV-approved dedicated home EV charger.
2. For the rural electric vehicle owner stream, submit your application to Energy Saving Trust (You will need an electronic copy of your quote and proof that you own or lease an EV, i.e., an invoice). On the other hand, for the used electric vehicle owner stream, please follow the instructions you received on your loan offer confirmation email (you will need a quote from your chosen installer and proof of purchase of your EV)
3. If/when you are approved, EST will issue a grant offer letter. After receiving this confirmation, you will be able to go ahead and book your EV charger installation. Your installation will have to be for the same supplier and the same EV charger from your installer quote. Do not start the process of booking your installation date before you have received confirmation. If you do, you will no longer be eligible.
4. After your installation has been completed, your chosen installer will issue you with an invoice as well as an electrical installation certificate (EIC)
5.  Once you have paid, your installer will send across confirmation in the form of a paid invoice. Please send this invoice, your electrical installation certificate and your completed grant claim form to EST’s portal, and they will reimburse you.

Please note:

• You can only apply for one of the above funding (i.e., the rural electric vehicle owner’s funding or the used electric vehicle owner’s); you cannot apply for both.
• Unlike the OZEV grant, you must apply for the Energy Saving Trust grant BEFORE your installation. The EST cannot offer you a grant if your installation has already been completed or is in progress.
• Installations must be carried out by an OZEV and Energy Saving Trust approved installer.

Can I have the new Domestic Chargepoint Funding (EST) and the new OZEV funding (EV Chargepoint Grant)?

OZEV, or The Office for Zero-Emission Vehicles, is a team working across the government to support the transition to zero-emission vehicles. You may or may not be aware that there will be a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2035 in the UK. As such, OZEV is providing various support for the mass adoption of plug-in vehicles, such as grants, discounts and tax savings.

One of the previous grants was entitled The Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS), which provided a 75% contribution to the cost of an EV home charger and its installation. However, the new OZEV grant no longer caters to single-unit homeowners such as owners of detached, semi-detached, terraced houses and bungalows. Since March 2022, you are eligible for the OZEV grant if you own flats or apartments or rent accommodation (both houses and flats).

So, in short, yes, you can claim for both the Domestic Chargepoint Funding and the EV Chargepoint grant – but only if you are eligible for both. For example, if you own a flat in a rural area of Scotland or you own an apartment and purchased your electric vehicle charger through the used electric vehicle owners stream.

Since Transport for Scotland and OZEV are different bodies, you will have to apply for each grant separately (if you are eligible).

Are there any other government grants available for EV chargers?

You can find information on the available grants for EV chargers in our blog.

Interested in a home EV charger?

If you are looking to get an EV charger installed at your home, click below to get your free quote, or contact us for more information or any queries you may have.

For more information and our latest updates, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.