Guides / Grant funding
Grant funding for electric HGVs
There's more than a billion pounds on the table for electric trucks and depot charging. The money is real. The structure behind it wasn't built for the operators who need it most. Here's exactly what you can claim right now, where the catch sits, and how we can help.
Talk to us if you need supportZero Emission Truck Grant
up to £81,000 per truckComes off the price at the dealer. No application for you to fill in. Four weight bands, capped per customer.
Read the detail02 / Powering themDepot Charging Scheme
up to £1m, 70% of costPart-funds chargepoints and civils at your depot. First come, first served. Currently closed, reopens October 2026.
Read the detailBuying the vehicle
Zero Emission Truck Grant
The vehicle purchase grant. The discount is applied at the point of sale by the dealer or manufacturer and built into the price. There's no separate claim for the operator to make.
up to £81,000
on the heaviest trucks, covering 40% of the purchase price. Less on lighter vehicles, by band.
Who can claim
UK operators buying eligible new zero-emission trucks across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. NI SMEs get the same rates; NI large enterprises are capped at 30% on the heavier bands due to state aid rules.
Vehicle eligibility
The truck must produce 0g CO₂/km at the tailpipe and travel at least 96km (60 miles) with zero emissions. Only specific approved models qualify, and the approved list is shorter than the list of trucks on the market.
The catch
The model has to be on the approved list, and getting a new model approved has historically taken around two years. There's also a demonstrator limit of 5 orders per manufacturer per year, so check availability with your OEM early.
How long it lasts
Live now. Current rates are expected to hold to the end of FY 2026/27. Nothing is confirmed beyond that, which matters when your order-to-delivery cycle runs past it.
Powering them
Depot Charging Scheme
Part-funds the charging infrastructure at your depot. A £170m programme running to 2030, paid out across rolling windows. Window 1 has now closed; the next window opens in October 2026. Unlike the truck grant, this one you apply for, and it's competitive.
up to £1,000,000
covering 70% of chargepoint and civil costs, per organisation across all your sites.
Who can apply
Private fleets, public sector, local authorities and non-profits across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. You need to have operated in the UK for at least a year and own or lease at least one depot.
What it covers
70% of chargepoint hardware and civil works, capped at £1m across all sites. One application per organisation, no limit on sites within it. Battery storage and solar count only when they're there to serve the charging.
What you commit to
- At least one battery-electric vehicle, now or planned, with the charging need quantified
- Senior-leader sign-off on the proposal
- Site audits and ongoing monitoring
- If you share the infrastructure, cost-recovery pricing for three years
The catch
First come, first served, so the date you submit matters. You must prove sufficient grid capacity. And it funds the chargepoints and civils, not the grid connection upgrade itself, which is the bill most operators trip over.
Window 1 (closed)
Ran 25 March to 30 June 2026 with £28m available. Award decisions by 30 September, works to complete by 31 March 2027. This window is now closed.
Window 2 (next to open)
Opens 28 October 2026, closes 29 January 2027. £38m, for projects from April 2027. Rates not yet confirmed, and they fall over the life of the programme, so earlier is better.
Another way in
Not ready to claim? There's a route that pays back more
The two grants above take money off the price. There's another way to accelerate your transition, and it's open to operators willing to put in the graft. Trials and demonstrators, ZEHID, Innovate UK, the maritime funding flowing into ports right now. It's real work, not a form you fill in.
How we help
Operator-led. We've been through this.
TwentyForty is built by people who've claimed these grants, specced the charging, and hit the grid connection nobody warns you about. This isn't advice from a deck. It's the view from operators who've done it, including what they'd do differently.
If you're weighing up which of these to go for, talk to us. We can tell you where your fleet, depot and grid actually stand before you spend a day on an application.
Frequently asked questions
The questions UK fleet operators send us most often about grant funding.
Do I need to apply for the Zero Emission Truck Grant?
No. The discount is applied at the point of sale by the dealer or manufacturer and built into the price, so there's no separate claim for you to make. The catch is that the specific model has to be on the approved list, and getting a new model approved has historically taken around two years, so check with your OEM early.
Can I claim both the truck grant and the Depot Charging Scheme?
Yes. They are separate schemes covering separate costs: the truck grant comes off the vehicle price at the dealer, and the Depot Charging Scheme part-funds the chargepoints and civil works at your depot. Most operators electrifying seriously will want both, and the timelines need planning together.
Does the Depot Charging Scheme cover the grid connection?
No, and this is the line most operators trip over. The scheme funds chargepoint hardware and civils on your side of the meter. The grid connection upgrade quoted by your DNO sits outside it entirely, can run from £5,000 to £5 million, and can take up to three years. Open the DNO conversation in the same week you start the grant application.
When do the funding windows close?
The Zero Emission Truck Grant is live now, with current rates expected to hold to the end of financial year 2026/27. The Depot Charging Scheme pays out in windows: Window 1 has now closed, and Window 2 opens 28 October 2026 with £38m. Rates fall over the life of the programme, so earlier is better.
What if the grants don't fit my fleet?
There's a second route in: trials and demonstrators. ZEHID, Innovate UK programmes, and the maritime funding flowing into ports pay back more than a purchase discount for operators willing to put in the graft. See how the innovation route works.
Related guides
Each one digs into a specific decision in the freight transition.
Last reviewed and updated 18 July 2026. Sources: gov.uk, Department for Transport, Office for Zero Emission Vehicles, Find a Grant.
Flag a correction →