Destination EV charging for hotels, attractions and shops

Match the charger to how long visitors stay

Power should follow dwell time. Energy Saving Trust's rule of thumb is that a charger's power in kW roughly equals the miles added in 20 minutes, so a 7 kW charger adds about 21 miles an hour and a 22 kW unit about 66, if the car can take it. That makes 7 kW enough for overnight guests, 22 kW worth considering where visitors stay a few hours, and a rapid charger the right tool only where stops are short, such as a quick shopping trip.

Two limits apply. A 22 kW charger needs a three-phase supply, and the car's onboard charger caps what it can take on AC, so the extra power isn't always used. Where stays are under two hours and turnover matters, our commercial EV charging page covers DC rapid units and the grid connection they need.

Public or staff only: decide access first

Access decides which rules apply. The government's guidance treats chargers in privately owned car parks the public can use, naming supermarket and hotel car parks, as public, even if they're only available at certain hours. Chargers kept for your own staff or fleet are not public. Keeping chargers for guests or customers only doesn't on its own take them out of the rules: a charger in a car park open only to customers still counts as public.

For public chargers the duties fall on the charge point operator: you, if you run them yourself, or the company that runs them for you. If your business is a micro business (broadly, one with fewer than 10 staff) and runs its own chargers, only the pricing rule applies. Other operators must also meet the duties in the table below.

One design point follows. The contactless duty applies to new public chargers of 8 kW and above, measured per cable, so a 7 kW public charger falls below it while a 22 kW one doesn't, and turning a 22 kW unit down below 8 kW doesn't exempt it. Chargers that are free to use sit outside the contactless and roaming duties until you start charging for them.

Pricing, payment and getting on the map

You decide whether charging is free, part of a room rate or package, or paid per kWh. The rules allow prices that rise and fall during a session, such as an off-peak rate, provided the final charge never exceeds the maximum shown before the driver starts. Fixed fees, such as a connection or transaction fee, must be built into that maximum; a separate parking charge from another company is not.

Visibility comes from data. Operators covered by the open data duty must publish it free and in a machine-readable format, using the OCPI standard, which map and route-planning apps can draw on. Zapmap, whose platform supplies the data behind the Department for Transport's public charging statistics, shows destination chargers to drivers in its app and on its map. A back-office platform handles payment, roaming and the data feed, and we set your chargers up on the one you choose.

On VAT, HMRC's Notice 701/19 treats charging at public charge points as standard-rated. In February 2026 a First-tier Tribunal allowed a charge point operator's appeal against that treatment in principle (Charge My Street v HMRC); HMRC has applied for permission to appeal and says public charging remains standard-rated, so check with your accountant before you set prices.

Grants for destination sites

Grants for customer-facing chargers are limited, but two are worth checking. The Workplace Charging Scheme is open to small accommodation businesses and charities, and for them there's no restriction on who uses the parking, so guests and visitors can use funded chargers. It pays up to 75% of costs, capped at £500 per socket for installations completed from 1 April 2026, for up to 40 sockets, is claimed by an OZEV-authorised installer and closes on 31 March 2027; our workplace EV charging page explains how the voucher works. Other businesses can only use it for staff or fleet parking.

In rural and island Scotland, Energy Saving Trust's Rural and Island Infrastructure Fund pays towards public chargers on privately owned land, applied for by a registered landowning business or a charge point operator working with one. In categories 5 and 6 of the Scottish Government's urban rural classification it covers 75%, up to £11,250 per single or dual AC unit of 3.7 to 22 kW; in categories 7 and 8 and on islands, 100%, up to £15,000. Chargers must be public, shown on a public map, free of barriers such as gates while open, and compliant with the 2023 regulations; local authority land is excluded. Funding is first come, first served and won't cover projects already under way. The fund's own tally to 5 October 2026 shows claims paid in Stirling, Fife, East Lothian and South Lanarkshire, so it isn't only for the Highlands. Both schemes correct as of 15 October 2026.

Installation at a hotel or shop carries 20% VAT: HMRC's relief for energy-saving materials excludes hotels, and EV chargers aren't on its list of qualifying materials anyway. Capital allowances are covered on our business funding page.

Siting, accessibility and the network operator

Plan the bays before the chargers. Scotland's building standards guidance asks for chargers that don't obstruct paths, with cables that don't cross walking, cycling or driving routes, and points to PAS 1899 for accessible charging. A new non-domestic building with more than 10 parking spaces must make provision for charging; the handbook's benchmark is at least one space in 10 with access to a socket of 7 kW or more. In an off-street car park, wall units and upstands are usually permitted development within size and distance limits.

Your network operator needs to know about every charger. If the site's maximum demand stays within 60 A, the installer can usually connect first and notify SP Energy Networks or SSEN within 28 days; above that, an application comes first. Because chargers draw power rather than export it, the G98 and G99 forms for generators aren't part of this. Our EV charger installation hub covers the wider range, from home units to rapid chargers.

How we deliver destination charging

We survey the car park, look at how long your visitors really stay and check your supply's spare capacity, then recommend a charger mix and the access model that suits you. We handle the network operator's notification or application. Our in-house team and vetted MCS-certified trade partners install to BS 7671 and the IET Code of Practice for EV charging, then we set up pricing, payment and open data on your chosen platform before handover.

Get your free site survey and we'll tell you which approach suits your visitors. If you'd like to pair charging with solar or a battery, start with our commercial renewable energy overview or a free feasibility study.

What's included

• Free site survey: parking layout, how long visitors stay and your supply's spare capacity
• Charger plan matching power to stay length: 7 kW, 22 kW or rapid DC
• Advice on public or staff-only access, and the duties each brings
• Network operator notification or application to SP Energy Networks or SSEN
• Bays and cable routes laid out to keep paths clear and charging accessible
• Back-office set-up for pricing, payment and open data through the platform you choose
• Installation to BS 7671 and the IET Code of Practice, commissioning and handover documents

Frequently asked questions