If your business runs vans, coaches or heavier vehicles from a depot, the Depot Charging Scheme is one of the more practical EV funding changes to watch in 2026.
The first application window opened on 25 March 2026 and is due to close at midday on 30 June 2026, unless the funding runs out earlier. For the current window, the scheme can fund 70% of eligible chargepoint and civil costs, up to £1 million across all sites.
That sounds like a fleet infrastructure story, not a mileage tracking story. But the two are closely linked. Before you decide how many chargers you need, where they should go, or whether the numbers work, you need to understand how your vehicles are actually used.
What the Depot Charging Scheme covers
GOV.UK describes the scheme as support for zero-emission HGVs, vans and coaches by part-funding charging infrastructure at fleet depots.
The key points for the first 2026 application window are:
- Application window: 25 March 2026 to 30 June 2026, or earlier if funding is exhausted
- Grant level: 70% of eligible chargepoint and civil costs
- Maximum support: up to £1 million across all sites
- Delivery deadline: projects in this window have until 31 March 2027 to complete works
- Applications: one application per organisation, but it can cover more than one site
GOV.UK notes that future grant rates have not yet been confirmed and are expected to reduce over the lifetime of the programme as charging infrastructure becomes more affordable.
Why this matters for electric vans
Electric vans can make a lot of sense when routes are regular, vehicles return to base, and overnight or shift-based charging is realistic. The awkward bit is getting from "we should electrify the fleet" to a charging setup that works every day.
Depot charging changes the calculation because it lets businesses move away from relying on public chargers for routine work mileage. That can mean:
- more predictable charging costs
- less driver time spent searching for chargers
- simpler route planning for repeat journeys
- cleaner records for job costing, expenses and vehicle utilisation
The government's March 2026 announcement also keeps the Plug-in Van Grant in place, offering up to £5,000 off new zero-emission vans. Put together, the vehicle and depot support makes 2026 a sensible time for fleet operators to run the numbers again.
Start with mileage, not chargers
The tempting mistake is to begin with the hardware: how many chargers, what power rating, and what the installation quote looks like. Those details matter, but they should come after a basic usage check.
Before applying, look at a few months of vehicle mileage and ask:
- Which vans return to the depot every night?
- Which routes are predictable enough for overnight or scheduled charging?
- How many miles does each vehicle actually cover on a normal working day?
- Where are the outlier days where public charging may still be needed?
- Are any vehicles being kept because of habit rather than real utilisation?
This is where a mileage log earns its keep. You do not need a glamorous dashboard. You need a reliable record of journeys, dates, distances and vehicle use, so the charging plan reflects the business rather than a best guess.
What to track before you apply
If you are considering the scheme, these records are worth gathering now:
1) Daily mileage by vehicle
Average mileage is useful, but the peaks matter more. A van that normally covers 45 miles but occasionally does 170 miles needs a different charging plan from one that never leaves the local area.
2) Return-to-base patterns
Depot charging works best when vehicles reliably return to the same place. If vans are taken home, swapped between staff or parked at client sites, the depot plan needs to account for that.
3) Business versus private use
For mixed-use vehicles, clear mileage records help keep reimbursement and internal reporting tidy. They also make it easier to explain the business case for depot infrastructure without muddying it with commute or private mileage.
4) Public charging fallbacks
Even with a good depot setup, some journeys may still need public charging. Logging those trips separately helps you see whether public charging is a rare exception or a sign that the depot plan is undersized.
How this differs from the Workplace Charging Scheme
The Workplace Charging Scheme is useful for many businesses, especially offices, small teams and staff or pool-car charging. The Depot Charging Scheme is aimed at something heavier: fleet depots supporting vans, coaches and HGVs.
That makes this article distinct from a normal workplace charger grant discussion. The question is not "should we add a few sockets for staff cars?" It is "can our operating base support commercial EVs doing real work every day?"
That is why mileage history matters so much. For a depot project, the right answer depends on routes, dwell time, vehicle turnover and how much work each van or truck actually does.
The practical takeaway
The Depot Charging Scheme is worth a serious look if your business runs vehicles from a base and is already considering electric vans or larger zero-emission vehicles.
But do the unglamorous prep first. Pull together your mileage records, identify return-to-base vehicles, check your busiest days, and separate routine journeys from awkward exceptions. That gives you a much better chance of choosing the right charging setup, making a cleaner application, and avoiding infrastructure that looks good on paper but annoys drivers by Wednesday.
For small and growing fleets, 2026 is not just about whether electric vans are cheaper to buy. It is about whether the charging and mileage admin is ready for the way the business actually moves.
Sources
- GOV.UK Find a Grant: Depot Charging Scheme
- GOV.UK: £1 billion to cut costs for businesses, drive growth and clean up UK roads
- GOV.UK: Electric vehicle public charging infrastructure statistics, January 2026
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