Over recent years, London has been at the forefront of promoting cleaner transportation solutions, increasing attempts to reduce air pollution by introducing areas such as the Ultra Low Emission Zone while simultaneously encouraging the uptake of electric vehicles.
In fact, London is leading the electric vehicle charge in the UK in many ways, with 34.7% of UK charging points being located in Greater London. Moreover, the city has introduced a range of incentives and benefits for electric car owners, including exemption from ULEZ and the Congestion Charge.
One such perk that has captured the attention of Londoners is the possibility of free parking for electric cars. However, the question of whether electric cars can park for free in London does not have a simple answer – parking regulations in London vary depending on the borough, and each borough has its own policies regarding parking fees and regulations for electric cars, meaning it’s not a widespread practice.
Whether you’re a current EV owner or contemplating the switch, this blog will get into the ins and outs of London EV parking, including where in London offers free parking and which boroughs supply subsidised charging rates.
The following London boroughs offer free annual residential parking permits for electric car drivers:
| London borough | Annual EV parking permit 2023/24 (low to high) |
| Croydon | £6.50 |
| Hackney | £10.50 |
| Barnet | £16.50 |
| Merton | £20 |
| Harrow | £23.80 |
| Brent | £25 |
| Greenwich | £26 |
| Ealing | £30 |
| Haringey | £31 |
| Tower Hamlets | £33 |
| Lambeth | £39.90 |
| Sutton | £40 |
| Havering | £40 |
| Waltham Forest | £45 |
| Camden | £45.56 |
| Islington | £50-£140 |
| Lewisham | £70 |
| Hillingdon | £75 |
| Southwark | £75 |
| Enfield | £77 |
| Bromley | £80-£150 |
| Kingston upon Thames | £102 |
| Bexley | £125-£150 |
| Wandsworth | £150 |
*Data found from the relevant borough council website
Of course, the above figures are only for residential parking permits rather than general parking charges for electric vehicles in London. It is worth noting that many parking spaces in London are operated by private companies or parking garages that have their own fee structures, meaning free parking for electric vehicles in London may not be an option.
These private parking facilities may not offer specific incentives or discounts for electric cars, and the parking fees would be determined by the operators’ policies, such as whether it’s pay and display and how long the maximum stay is.
That being said, certain parking companies do offer subsidised parking for electric cars in London. For example, RingGo offers a 50% discount for fully electric vehicles in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, making parking 50% cheaper for electric vehicle drivers when compared to petrol/diesel owners. RingGo also offers this discounted parking rate for electric cars in six other London boroughs – including, but not limited to, Kensington and Chelsea, the City of London, Croydon, and Richmond.
Moreover, some public charging points offer free parking for EVs for the duration of the charging session, and some – although uncommon – offer free charging as well.
You can usually tell where dedicated electric car charging or parking bays are located, as they are typically marked in the bay.
While some London boroughs offer more opportunities for reduced or free parking, it’s always best practice to check the individual payment requirements before parking.
In our opinion, London boroughs such as Hammersmith and Fulham and Kensington and Chelsea, with 100% discounts on residential EV parking and half-price RingGo parking, are the best for free electric car parking.
With substantially higher annual residential parking permits (approximately £100) and a lack of subsidised public parking, the worst London Boroughs for electric vehicle parking are Wandsworth, Bexley, Bromley, and Kingston upon Thames.
In conclusion, while electric vehicle drivers in London benefit from certain exemptions and incentives, free parking for electric cars in London throughout the city is not a universal policy. Parking charges for electric vehicles, such as the availability of reduced fees or permits for EV owners, vary depending on the borough, and private parking facilities may not offer any specific incentives.
It is always recommended to check with the relevant authorities for the most accurate and up-to-date information regarding parking regulations and fees for electric vehicles in London.
If you want to take advantage of faster, cheaper, and smarter electric vehicle charging in London, browse our range of 7kW home EV chargers. With engineers nationwide, we can install electric vehicle chargers across the UK with fast lead times.
Learn everything you need to know regarding the world of electric cars with our blog, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. If you are looking to get a smart home EV charger installed, give us a call at 03333 44 96 99, or fill in the contact form below.
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This type of electric charger has it's own cable to charge your car.
This type of electric charger requires a seperate cable to charge your car.
Spread over a 60 month period.
Tenants and homeowners are eligible for finance.
You decide the amount of months.
Minimum of £1000.
We will contact you to process the credit application. Approval is subject to application, financial circumstances and borrowing history. 13.9% APR representative. T&Cs apply.
Your order is not confirmed until your application has been approved.
We lay SWA cable laid at 600mm deep, with a protective cable warning tape laid 150mm above the cable. These are laid on a sand or sifted sand soil bed then backfilled.
We position overhead cables at a minimum height of 3.5m and are run along a catenary wire. The cable run should not be accessible to vehicles.
Standard Installation
Our instant price is fixed if it falls within our standard installation package plus any additions that you have selected (extra cabling for example). This package covers the majority of homes in the UK. Before we undertake your installation we will carry out a digital survey to check that nothing has been missed. After reviewing the survey results some additional work may be required in order to complete your installation safely and to the required standards. If this is the case, we will contact you well before the installation date and advise the cost of any required work. You can then continue with your installation, or alternatively we will refund you in full if you do not want to proceed.
Included in our standard installation is :
• Fitting of a single phase charge point to a brick or plaster wall or other suitable permanent structure
• Up to 10 metres of cable, run and neatly clipped to the wall between the electricity supply meter / distribution board and the charge point.
• Routing of the cable through a drilled hole in a wall up to 500mm (20 inches) thick if this is needed.
• The fitting and testing of electrical connections and protections required for the charge point.
• An additional three way consumer unit, if required
• Installation of a Type A RCBO in an RCBO enclosure
• Up to 3 metres of plastic trunking to conceal interior wiring.
• An O-pen earth protection device if the charge point requires it. (This is NOT an earth rod)
• Up to 4 hours of labour from your installer to complete the work.
• Electrical testing of the whole installation.
• Handover and setup of the charge point and any app that may be needed.
Not included in our standard installation (additional work) :
• Where the installation requires additional cabling over and above the amount you have told us about.
• Upgrade/replacement of the main incoming supply fuse where the local DNO (eg Northern Powergrid) would need to attend site.
• If the charge point is to be mounted on a post/pedestal rather than an existing wall and where you have not selected a post as an extra cost option in your order.
• Installation of a charge point to a three phase supply.
• Where gas and water mains bonding (earthing) is not in place at your property. If this is not in place, additional work would be required before installation of the charge point.
• Any groundwork that has not been selected during the order process.
A Surge Protection Device is not included in our standard installation.
What else you need to know :
• On the day of installation, please ensure that the area around your consumer unit (fuse box), incoming electricity supply meter and proposed charge point location (including where the cable is expected to be run) is clear and free of obstructions.
• We will need your WiFi password as part of the installation process in order to connect your charge point to the internet. Please have this available for the installer. Details will not be kept.
• The charge point must be on your own designated off road parking.
• The charger will be fixed in line with current guidelines at a height where it cannot be hit by a vehicle.
• Our installers are not able to enter loft spaces; lift floorboards or flooring; take apart any furniture of work above a height of 2m. If you anticipate that any of this may be required, then please contact us and we can discuss in more detail and provide you with a quotation.
• Should there be extreme weather conditions our installers may not be able to continue with you installation if it is not safe to do so (for example flooding). They will always do their best to complete the work where they can.
If you have any questions then please contact our customer service team who will be happy to help. Please also read our terms and conditions.
