How to Install EV Charger Protection: Step-by-Step Guide (2026)

Before you start: rules, safety and who does what

This guide is for site owners, facilities managers and contractors fitting protection to a charger that's already in, or planning it alongside a new one. If you just want to compare products and prices, our EV charger protection buying guide covers that. Here we focus on doing the job properly.

What the rules actually say

No UK law says "every charger must have two bollards". What the law does say is broader. Regulation 6 of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 requires electrical equipment that could reasonably be exposed to mechanical damage to be built or protected to prevent danger, so far as is reasonably practicable. HSE's guidance on the Regulations (HSR25) makes clear that mechanical damage includes impact. A charger at the end of a parking bay is about as exposed to impact as electrical kit gets.

The Wiring Regulations point the same way. BS 7671 Section 722 covers EV charging, and the IET's summary of the changes notes that charging equipment must suit its location, with protection against impact at medium severity (AG2). Your electrical contractor signs off the charger itself, so agree the physical protection with them before they leave site.

For public and customer-facing chargers, follow PAS 1899:2022, the BSI specification for accessible charging. According to the BSI client guide, it asks for at least 1,200mm of clear space in front of the points of access to the charger, at least 1,200mm between chargers in a row, and a socket or handle height of 800mm to 950mm. The Energy Saving Trust summary confirms bollards and barriers must not obstruct access to the charger's components. Protection has to work around those numbers, not the other way round.

New buildings matter too. Approved Document S has applied in England since 15 June 2022, and requires new non-residential buildings with more than 10 parking spaces to have at least one charge point and cable routes to one in five of the other spaces. Those future chargers will need protecting as well, so plan the layout once.

Who should do the work

Surface-mounted guards and wheel stops are well within reach of a handy maintenance team with a drill. Root-fixed bollards near a live charger are a groundworks job: you're digging next to a buried power cable, so use someone experienced with HSE's safe digging practice. We supply the products and advice; we don't offer an installation service.

What you'll need: products and prices

Here's the kit for a typical job, with the lowest price for each item. All prices are ex VAT; our product pages show both ex and inc VAT. The "fixing" column comes from each product's specification.

You'll also need the usual tools: tape measure, spirit level, cable locator (hire one, with a trained operator), spade and post-hole tools, insulated hand tools near cables, a breaker or core drill if you're going through concrete, bagged or ready-mix concrete for root-fixed posts, and a hammer drill with the anchors the maker specifies for surface fixing. Browse everything in our EV charging point protection collection.

How to install EV charger protection: step by step

Now the detail behind the steps that most often go wrong.

Step 1 in detail: what will hit it, and from where?

Stand in the bay and look at it the way a tired driver would at 6pm in the rain. The main risks are a car rolling forward too far, a van's high bumper or tail lift, and vehicles cutting the corner at the end of a row. Cars on a quiet staff car park can usually be handled with a hoop and a wheel stop. Delivery vans and fleet depots need thicker tube, taller guards and HGV-rated wheel stops. If vehicles can approach a pedestal from more than one side, plan for a three-sided guard or bollards on each exposed side.

Step 2 in detail: find the cables before you dig

This is the step that can kill someone. A charger's supply cable is often buried a short distance from the pedestal, exactly where a bollard hole wants to go. HSE's advice on excavations is clear: get plans of buried services, have a competent person trace them with a locating device, mark them, and use the locator repeatedly as you dig. Dig trial holes by hand to confirm a cable's position, excavate alongside it rather than straight down on top, and use insulated tools near electric cables.

If a post would land on or close to the cable route, move the post or switch to a surface-mounted version at that spot. Don't drill anchors blindly into a slab over a cable route either; check the depth with the installer first.

Step 3 in detail: the 1,200mm clear zone

PAS 1899 asks for a clear 1,200mm in front of the points of access to the charger, and 1,200mm between chargers in a row, according to the BSI client guide. In practice that means bollards and hoops sit to the sides of the charger or out in the bay, never between the user and the socket. It also means wheel stops shouldn't sit across the path someone walks from the car door to the charger, because low obstacles are a trip hazard for people walking and a barrier for wheelchair users.

Step 4 in detail: root-fixed or surface-mounted?

Root-fixed products have a longer leg that's cast into concrete in the ground. On our range, the stainless and black and yellow EV bollards are 1,400mm overall for 1,000mm above ground, so 400mm goes below the surface. The EV hoop is 1,050mm overall for 750mm above ground (300mm buried), the column guard is concreted in 300mm, and the Black Bull EV bollard has a 400mm sub-surface fixing with a ground anchor. Use the hole size and concrete given in the instructions that come with the product. Our guide to installing steel bollards walks through the root-fixed method in more detail.

Surface-mounted products have a welded base plate that bolts down. They're quicker, need no digging and suit car park decks, but they're only as strong as what they're bolted into. Fix them to sound concrete with the anchors the maker specifies. On block paving or a thin layer of tarmac over hardcore, root-fixed is the safer choice. Our step-by-step guide to installing different types of bollards covers both fixings side by side.

Step 5 in detail: setting out

Mark the centre of every post with line marking paint or a chalk line before you lift a spade. Keep posts in line and evenly spaced so the layout reads clearly to drivers. If you're using the 3RS recycled plastic EV bollard, its maker recommends a maximum of 1,200mm between bollard centres and at least 1,200mm between the bollard and the surface it's protecting, because a plastic post flexes on impact. Steel posts deflect less, but still don't fit them tight against the charger: leave enough of a gap that a bent post won't touch it.

For bollards that people walk past, the Department for Transport's Inclusive Mobility guidance recommends they're at least 1,000mm high, contrast with the background and aren't linked with chains, so they can be seen by people with sight loss. All the EV bollards in our range are 1,000mm or more above ground.

Step 6 in detail: fixing the posts and guards

For root-fixed posts: dig by hand near any traced cable, set the post in the hole, pour concrete, then check it's plumb on two faces with a spirit level and brace it until the concrete has set. For surface fixing: mark through the base plate, drill to the anchor maker's depth, clear the dust, fit the anchors and tighten evenly. Note that some guards, such as the EV charging station guard, are supplied without fixings, so order the right anchors for your base.

Step 7 in detail: wheel stops

Wheel stops are the cheapest protection there is, but only if they're in the right place. Measure the overhang of the vehicles that will use the bay (front overhang for nose-in bays, rear overhang for reverse-in) and set the stop so that overhang finishes short of the bollards or hoop, not short of the charger. Our EV protection wheel stops come in 550, 900, 1,200 and 1,800mm lengths with fixing bolts included; the short ones are used in pairs, one in front of each tyre. On a car park deck where you can't drill, the maker's 3-part adhesive fixes them to concrete, asphalt and epoxy surfaces. For vans and lorries, use heavy-duty HGV wheel stops. More on that in are wheel stops necessary on commercial sites?

Step 8 in detail: mark the bay and check it

Mark the bay outline and an EV symbol so drivers know it's a charging space, using paint suited to outdoor surfaces. Our floor marking tape and paint guide explains the options, and the full range is in floor marking and repairs. Then do a final check: every post firm and plumb, fixings tight, the clear zone empty, the socket and screen easy to reach, and a car parked against the wheel stop sitting short of the protection.

Typical layouts by charger type

Every site is different, but these layouts cover most jobs. Work them out on paper first, then check them on the ground in step 5.

Common mistakes to avoid

• ✗Digging without tracing the charger's cable. It's usually right where the bollard wants to go.
• ✗Blocking the user. A hoop in front of the socket or a wheel stop across the walking route fails PAS 1899 and annoys every driver.
• ✗Fitting protection tight to the charger. A post that bends on impact can still reach it. Leave a gap.
• ✗Bolting into block paving or thin tarmac. The anchors will pull out the first time it's hit.
• ✗Setting the wheel stop by the charger, not the bollard. The bumper overhang still reaches the protection or the charger.
• ✗Choosing car-strength kit for vans. Higher bumpers and tail lifts need taller, thicker protection.
• ✗Forgetting the next chargers. If Approved Document S cable routes are in, plan protection for those bays now.

Aftercare and inspection

Protection that's been hit once may not stop the next hit. Build a quick check into your car park or site inspection routine:

• ✓Look for bent posts, cracked concrete around the base and loose anchor bolts. Replace anything leaning towards the charger.
• ✓Check wheel stops are still fixed and haven't been pushed out of line.
• ✓Clean or replace faded reflective bands, and repaint worn bay markings.
• ✓Touch up scratched powder coat on steel so it doesn't rust. Recycled plastic bollards take a replacement sleeve.
• ✓Keep a photo record of the layout, so damage and repairs are easy to spot and report.

If you're also choosing between materials, our plastic vs steel bollards and 304 vs 316 stainless guides help. For security rather than impact, see crash-tested bollards, and for car park entrances see car park barriers.

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