By Chris, Director at Store Fittings Direct. Last updated 9 October 2026.
EV charger protection means the bollards, hoop guards, column protectors and wheel stops fitted around an electric vehicle charge point to stop cars and vans hitting it. A charger sits at bumper height, right where drivers reverse and manoeuvre, so one low-speed knock can put it out of action, expose live parts and cost far more to fix than the protection costs to buy.
Quick answer: Most UK sites protect a charger with two bollards (at least 1,000mm high), a hoop guard or a column protector, plus a rubber wheel stop in the bay. At Store Fittings Direct, EV hoop guards start from £48.41 ex VAT, EV protection bollards from £74.01 ex VAT, column protectors from £91.00 ex VAT and EV wheel stops from £24.08 ex VAT, so the protection kit for one charger usually costs roughly £75 to £400 ex VAT before installation. Whatever you fit, the accessibility standard PAS 1899 says to keep at least 1,200mm of clear space in front of the charger and never block the socket, cable or screen.
Contents
- Why EV chargers need protecting
- Types of EV charger protection
- EV charger protection prices (UK, 2026)
- UK rules and standards to know
- How to choose the right protection
- Protection by site type
- Installation and maintenance
- Why buy EV charger protection from Store Fittings Direct
- EV charger protection FAQs
Why EV chargers need protecting
The number of chargers in UK car parks keeps climbing. Government figures show there were 97,266 public charging devices in the UK on 1 July 2026, and Zapmap counted 97,976 devices by the end of September 2026. Add private chargers at workplaces, depots, hotels and new homes and the total is far higher.
Every charger sits in the same danger zone at the end of a bay. The common problems are:
- Bumper strikes. A car rolling a few extra centimetres forward can crack a wall box or knock a pedestal off its base.
- Van and HGV mirrors and tail lifts. Taller vehicles can hit the top of a pedestal even when the wheels stop short.
- Downtime. A damaged charger is a bay nobody can use, and on a public or paid site that's lost income as well as a repair bill.
The Wiring Regulations also expect it. BS 7671 Section 722 (the part covering EV charging) requires charging equipment to be suitable for the external influences where it is installed, including impact, and the IET has highlighted protection against mechanical damage as part of that. In practice, installers usually meet it with bollards, hoop guards or a raised plinth. On a new install, agree the protection with your electrical contractor early.
Types of EV charger protection
There are five main options. Most sites use two of them together: something tall to stop the vehicle body (a bollard or guard) and something low to stop the wheels (a wheel stop).
1. EV protection bollards
Single posts placed either side of the charger, or in front of it. They're the simplest option and work for wall-mounted and pedestal chargers. PAS 1899 defines a charge point bollard as a post at least 1,000mm high installed next to a chargepoint to protect it from vehicle collision, so choose a height of 1,000mm or more above ground. Steel bollards come galvanised, powder coated (often black and yellow for visibility) or in stainless steel for a smarter look. Recycled plastic bollards with a steel core are a good choice where you want something that won't scratch cars or rust. For a full run-down of bollard types, see our bollards UK buying guide.
2. EV hoop guards
A hoop (or "Sheffield"-style) guard is a bent steel tube with two legs, fitted in front of the charger. It covers more width than a single bollard and gives drivers a clear visual stop. Lower hoops suit wall boxes; taller ones suit pedestals. Our EV charger protection hoops are the lowest-cost way to guard a single charger, and the EV charging protection guard comes with blue, green or red reflective bands so charge bays stand out from ordinary parking.
3. EV column protectors and corner guards
These wrap around a pedestal charger on two or three sides, so it's protected from the front and the sides at once. They're the best fit where vehicles approach from more than one direction, such as end-of-row bays, drive-through charging lanes and fleet depots. Choose from the EV charging station guard, the wider EV charging point column protector, the EV charging station corner guard and the heavier EV corner protection guards (500mm or 800mm above ground).
4. Stainless steel EV point protectors
Where looks matter, for example at hotels, offices, showrooms and new housing, stainless steel blends in better than yellow and black. Our stainless EV point protector is a slim hoop designed to sit tight to a post-mounted charger, and the stainless steel EV charging point protection bollard comes in diameters from 48mm to 114mm. Our guide to 304 vs 316 stainless steel bollards explains which grade to pick.
5. EV wheel stops
A wheel stop is a low rubber block fixed across the bay, which the tyres touch before the bumper reaches the charger. It's the cheapest protection there is and it also helps drivers park in the same spot every time, which keeps the cable within reach. Our EV protection wheel stops are recycled rubber, come in 550mm to 1,800mm lengths and include fixings. For more on when wheel stops are worth it, read are wheel stops necessary on commercial sites?
EV charger protection prices (UK, 2026)
Here's what the main options cost at Store Fittings Direct. Prices are the lowest option for each product, excluding VAT, and our product pages show both ex VAT and inc VAT. Installation isn't included.
| Product | Best for | Sizes / finishes | From (ex VAT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| EV Protection Wheel Stops | Stopping tyres short of the charger | 550mm to 1,800mm, black/white or black/yellow | £24.08 |
| EV Charger Protection Guard (EV Hoops) | Single wall box or pedestal | Root fixed or surface mounted, galvanised or powder coated | £48.41 |
| 3RS Plastic Bollard EV Charger Protection | Car-friendly, rust-free protection | Replacement sleeve £69.00; complete bollard with steel core £99.00; anti-ram £139.00 | £69.00 |
| EV Charging Point Protection Bollard (stainless) | Offices, hotels, showrooms | 48mm to 114mm diameter | £74.01 |
| Black Yellow EV Charger Protection Bollards | High-visibility car parks and depots | 60mm to 219mm diameter | £76.44 |
| EV Charging Station Corner Guard | Corner-sited pedestals | Galvanised or yellow with black bands | £91.00 |
| EV Point Protector, stainless steel | Post-mounted chargers | 48mm to 90mm tube | £91.00 |
| Electric Vehicle Charging Station Guard | Three-sided pedestal protection | Galvanised or yellow with black bands | £94.64 |
| EV Charging Protection Guard | Colour-coded charge bays | 360mm or 500mm wide, blue, green or red bands | £100.20 |
| EV Corner Protection Guards | Heavier-duty corner protection | 500mm or 800mm high | £120.12 |
| EV Charging Protection Bollard (Black Bull) | Busy public and fleet sites | 90mm or 159mm diameter | £124.80 |
| EV Charging Point Protection Column Protector | Wider pedestals and twin chargers | Galvanised or yellow with black bands | £137.11 |
| Kingsway EV Charger Shelter | Keeping chargers and users dry | 3m wide, 1m to 3m deep | £2,048.28 |
What a typical charger costs to protect: a basic setup of one EV hoop (£48.41) and one 550mm wheel stop (£24.08) comes to about £72.49 ex VAT. A more robust setup of two black and yellow bollards and a 900mm wheel stop is more like £185 to £250 ex VAT, depending on the diameter you choose. Three-sided column protectors with a wheel stop typically land between £120 and £200 ex VAT. Groundworks and fixing are on top, and vary with the surface (concrete, tarmac or block paving) and whether you root-fix or bolt down.
Browse the full range in our EV charging point protection collection.
UK rules and standards to know
Approved Document S (England)
Approved Document S has applied to building work in England since 15 June 2022. In short, new homes with associated parking need a charge point for each dwelling, and new non-residential buildings with more than 10 parking spaces need at least one charge point plus cable routes for one in five of the remaining spaces. Major renovations are covered too. It doesn't specify protection, but it is why so many new car parks now have chargers that need guarding. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own building rules, so check locally.
PAS 1899:2022 (accessible charge points)
PAS 1899 is the BSI specification for accessible EV charging. It's voluntary, but it's the recognised benchmark, so it's worth following on any site the public uses. The parts that affect protection are:
- Clear space: at least 1,200mm in front of the access points of all chargepoint components (BSI client guide).
- Don't block access: bollards and impact barriers next to chargers must not obstruct access to the chargepoint's components (Energy Saving Trust summary).
- Bollard height: PAS 1899 defines a charge point bollard as at least 1,000mm high, and a low-level impact protection barrier as no more than 600mm high.
- Socket height: the socket-outlet should sit between 800mm and 950mm, which tells you where a hoop or guard must not get in the way.
- Spacing: where chargers are in a row, the BSI guide gives a minimum of 1,200mm between them, which leaves room for a bollard or guard in between.
- Low-level obstacles: wheel stops and low barriers count as trip hazards for people walking or using a wheelchair, so think about where they go.
BS 7671 Section 722 (Wiring Regulations)
As covered above, the installer must make sure the equipment suits its location, including the risk of impact. If your installer has flagged that a charger needs physical protection, any of the options in this guide will do the job.
How to choose the right EV charger protection
- Look at the charger. Wall boxes on a building need protection in front only, so a hoop or a pair of bollards is enough. Freestanding pedestals can be hit from several sides, so think about a column protector or corner guard.
- Look at the vehicles. Cars only? A 60mm to 90mm bollard or hoop is usually fine. Vans, minibuses and HGVs need heavier tube (114mm plus), taller guards and HGV-rated wheel stops such as our heavy duty HGV wheel stops.
- Check the approach. Nose-in bays need protection at the front. Parallel or drive-through bays need protection at the sides. End-of-row chargers usually need both.
- Pick the fixing. Root-fixed (concreted in) is strongest and usually cheapest. Surface-mounted (bolted down) suits existing slabs and sites where you can't dig, for example over services or on a car park deck.
- Pick the finish. Black and yellow for visibility in depots and busy car parks. Coloured reflective bands to mark out EV bays. Stainless steel where appearance matters.
- Leave room to use the charger. Keep the 1,200mm clear zone, keep the socket, screen and cable holster easy to reach, and don't put a wheel stop where someone will walk around the car to plug in.
For walls, kerbs and pay machines elsewhere in the car park, see our external impact protection and hoop barriers, or compare plastic vs steel bollards.
EV charger protection by site type
Retail parks and supermarkets
Lots of drivers who don't know the car park, and lots of reversing. Go for high-visibility bollards or colour-banded guards, plus wheel stops. For retail-park perimeters too, the 3RS retail park bollard matches the 3RS EV charger bollard, so the whole site looks consistent.
Offices, hotels and new housing
Looks matter and impacts are slow. Stainless bollards or point protectors plus a wheel stop do the job.
Fleet depots and warehouses
Vans, tail lifts and forklifts mean heavier hits. Use thicker tube, three-sided column protectors and HGV wheel stops. Inside buildings, look at our impact protection collection and our piece on why warehouse column guards are worth it.
Councils, NHS sites and schools
Public chargers often need to meet PAS 1899, so the clear space and access rules above really matter. We already supply councils and the NHS, and our team can help you put together a spec.
Covered charging and pay points
A canopy keeps users and cables dry. The Kingsway EV charger shelter comes 3m wide in 1m, 2m or 3m depths.
Installation and maintenance
Before you dig, find out where the charger's power cable runs. It will usually come up right where you want to put a bollard. Get a cable avoidance survey, or use surface-mounted products over known cable routes.
Root-fixed products go into a hole filled with concrete, and give the strongest result. Surface-mounted products bolt to an existing concrete base with resin or expansion anchors. Bolting into block paving or thin tarmac alone isn't strong enough. Our step-by-step guide on how to install steel bollards covers both methods.
Wheel stops are fixed with the supplied fixings. Position them so the car's front or rear overhang stops short of the protection, not just short of the charger.
Maintenance is light: check fixings and reflective bands every few months, replace anything bent towards the charger, and touch up scratched powder coat. Recycled plastic bollards take a replacement sleeve.
Why buy EV charger protection from Store Fittings Direct
- A wide range in one place: bollards, hoops, column guards, wheel stops and shelters, plus over 130 bollards and a full range of wheel stops for the rest of the car park.
- Clear pricing: every price shown ex VAT and inc VAT.
- Free delivery on over 90% of products.
- Over 30 years' experience supplying retailers, the NHS, councils, warehouses and construction.
- ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified and a SEDEX member.
- Every Google review is five stars.
- Real advice: call us on 0116 318 4182 and we'll help you pick the right protection for your chargers.
EV charger protection FAQs
Do EV chargers need bollards?
There's no single law that says every charger must have bollards, but BS 7671 Section 722 requires charging equipment to be suitable for its location, including the risk of impact. In car parks and driveways that usually means bollards, a hoop guard or a raised plinth.
How high should an EV charger bollard be?
At least 1,000mm above ground. PAS 1899 defines a charge point bollard as a post of minimum 1,000mm height installed next to a chargepoint to protect it from vehicle collision.
How much does EV charger protection cost?
At Store Fittings Direct, EV wheel stops start from £24.08 ex VAT, EV hoops from £48.41 ex VAT, EV protection bollards from £74.01 ex VAT and column protectors from £91.00 ex VAT. Most single chargers can be protected for roughly £75 to £400 ex VAT before installation.
How much space should be left in front of an EV charger?
PAS 1899 asks for a minimum of 1,200mm clear space in front of the access points of all chargepoint components. Bollards, hoops and wheel stops should not block that space or the socket, screen or cable.
Are wheel stops enough on their own?
For cars on a quiet site, often yes. For vans, HGVs or busy public car parks, combine wheel stops with a bollard, hoop or column protector, because a vehicle's overhang can still reach the charger.
Should I choose root-fixed or surface-mounted protection?
Root-fixed (concreted in) is the strongest and usually the cheapest. Choose surface-mounted when you can't dig, for example over charger cables, on a car park deck or on an existing concrete slab.
What colour should EV charger protection be?
Black and yellow is best for visibility in depots and busy car parks. Blue, green or red reflective bands help mark out EV bays, and stainless steel suits offices, hotels and housing where appearance matters.
Does Approved Document S require charger protection?
No. Approved Document S sets how many charge points and cable routes new and renovated buildings in England need, but it doesn't specify protection. Impact protection is covered by the installer's duties under BS 7671.
Ready to protect your chargers? Call our team on 0116 318 4182.
