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News › England eases footpath charging. Can you run a cable over the footpath here?News · 30 October 2026

England eases footpath charging. Can you run a cable over the footpath here?

Why it matters: People without off-street parking often rely on public chargers, which cost more than charging at home.

Charging and power

An electric car plugged into a kerbside charger
Photo: Tom Ackroyd, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

From 21 October 2026, households in England no longer need planning permission for a cable channel in the footpath from a home charger to a car parked on the street, though the council still has to approve it. Australia has no rule like it: each council decides. Port Phillip has quoted a $960 fine for cords across a footpath, Boroondara and Yarra don't allow them, and North Sydney has warned owners. A few councils are trying safer options: Merri-bek is trialling an overhead boom that carries the cable 2.5 m above the footpath, Port Phillip permits private kerb chargers, and Inner West has given permits for covered cables.

Charging without a driveway: council rules ›Charging cable safety ›

Source: electrive

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How we work it out, and our sources

Weekly cost = the car's energy use × 250 km × your electricity or fuel price, with 90% of charging at home. Prices are list prices at November 2026; check with the dealer.

  • Electricity: 2026–27 default rates (AER, Victorian Default Offer, state retailers). Public charging: Sydney network prices, July 2026.
  • Petrol and diesel: capital-city daily averages from state government price feeds, via FuelRadar, 12 November 2026. Diesel for Hobart, Canberra and Darwin is estimated from the national fall.
  • Cars: maker figures via CarExpert, Drive, CarsGuide and EV Central. Plug-in electric range is taken as 80% of the claim.
  • Servicing: published capped prices; marked as an estimate where not yet published (CarExpert comparison).
  • Tyres: an EV set lasts about 35,000 km, a petrol or hybrid set 50,000 km (RACV); prices from Gridly.
  • Home charger: about $2,000 installed ($1,000–$3,000). Novated leases: PwC summary.

Printed from EV Pick Australia · evpick.com.au. Prices and costs are estimates; check with the dealer. © 2026 EV Pick (T. Crouch). For personal use only; not to be copied, republished or sold without permission.

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