Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology, which lets your car send electricity back to your home or the grid, has spent years in the “coming soon” category. But in 2026, it’s actually available to buy in the UK. Not as a trial, not as a concept, but as something you can genuinely install in your house.
The question is whether you should. Here’s what works, what it costs, and whether the sums actually add up.
Which Cars Actually Support V2G in the UK?
The list is still short, but it’s growing. To send power back from your car, you need bidirectional charging capability, which means specific hardware built into the vehicle. At the time of writing, these are your options if you’re buying new or nearly new:
The Nissan Leaf has supported V2G since around 2018, making it the veteran here. Every Leaf sold in the UK since then works with the right charger. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 both have bidirectional charging as standard, as does the Kia EV6. The Genesis GV60 and Genesis Electrified GV70 are also capable, though you’re paying a premium for the badge. More recently, the MG5 EV (from 2024 model year onwards) added support, making it one of the most affordable entry points. Volkswagen’s ID range, including the ID.3, ID.4, and ID.5, can do V2G with a software update that’s being rolled out now. Check with your dealer whether your specific car has it enabled.
The Ford F-150 Lightning supports vehicle-to-home (V2H) rather than full V2G, but it’s not officially sold in the UK, so forget that unless you’ve imported one.
Tesla? Still no. Despite years of speculation, none of their cars currently support bidirectional charging in a way that’s usable for home power. That might change, but don’t buy a Model 3 expecting to run your kettle off it.
What Equipment Do You Actually Need?
Your car is only half of it. You also need a bidirectional charger, sometimes called a V2G or V2H charger, which can manage power flowing both ways. These aren’t your standard 7kW home wallboxes.
The main options in the UK are the Wallbox Quasar 2 (around £3,500 plus installation), the Indra V2G charger (typically £4,000 to £5,000 installed), and the MyEnergi Libbi system paired with a Zappi charger (closer to £6,000 for the full setup, though this includes home battery storage). Kaluza, owned by Ovo Energy, also offers V2G chargers as part of a managed service, but availability is limited and you’ll need to be on the right tariff.
Installation costs vary wildly depending on your existing electrical setup, but budget another £1,000 to £2,000 for a proper electrician to connect everything safely. If your fuse box is ancient or your earthing system needs upgrading, add more.
The Bit Nobody Talks About: Permission and Paperwork
Here’s where it gets tedious. You can’t just install a V2G charger and start exporting power without telling anyone. You need approval from your Distribution Network Operator (DNO), the company responsible for your local electricity network. This isn’t the same as your energy supplier.
The DNO needs to confirm that your home setup can safely export power back to the grid. For most homes, this is a formality (called a G99 application for systems under 3.68kW, or G98 for smaller setups), but it can take weeks or even months to process. Your installer should handle this, but check that it’s included in their quote. Some cowboys skip it entirely.
You don’t need planning permission for the charger itself in most cases, as it’s considered permitted development. But if you live in a listed building or conservation area, check with your local council first.
What Can You Actually Save?
This is the big question, and the answer is: it depends, but probably not enough to justify the cost yet.
The savings come from two places. First, you can charge your car on a cheap overnight tariff (Octopus Go, for example, offers rates around 7p per kWh during off-peak hours) and then use that stored energy during expensive peak times instead of buying electricity at 25p+ per kWh. If you’re on a time-of-use tariff and can shift 10kWh per day from cheap to expensive hours, you might save £650 per year.
Second, some V2G tariffs pay you to export power back to the grid during peak demand. Ovo’s V2G tariff has historically offered around 10p to 15p per kWh for exports, though rates fluctuate. Octopus is trialling similar schemes. Realistically, you might earn £100 to £300 per year from this, depending on how often you’re home and plugged in at the right times.
Add it up, and you’re looking at perhaps £750 to £950 per year in combined savings and earnings if you’re optimising aggressively. With a total setup cost of £5,000 to £7,000, that’s a six to nine-year payback period. And that assumes tariffs and export rates stay favourable, which is not guaranteed.
Is Your Battery Going to Die Faster?
The anxiety around extra charge cycles is understandable. Every time you charge and discharge your EV battery, you use up a tiny bit of its lifespan. V2G adds more cycles.
But modern EV batteries are warrantied for eight years or 100,000 miles, often with a guarantee that they’ll retain 70% to 80% of capacity. The extra degradation from V2G is real, but small. Studies suggest it might cost you 1% to 2% extra capacity loss over the warranty period. Most V2G systems also limit discharge to protect the battery, so you’re not running it flat every night.
Still, it’s worth considering if you’re planning to keep your car for a decade. That said, if you’re leasing, it’s someone else’s problem.
Should You Bother?
If you’re buying a new EV anyway and it happens to support V2G, getting a compatible charger is worth considering, especially if your energy supplier offers a decent V2G tariff. The Ioniq 5 or EV6 are both excellent cars regardless, and future-proofing your setup makes sense if the cost difference is only a couple of thousand pounds.
But retrofitting V2G purely for the financial return? Not yet. The payback period is too long, and the technology is still maturing. In a few years, when more cars support it, chargers are cheaper, and tariffs are more competitive, the case will be stronger.
For now, V2G is most useful as backup power during outages (if you’ve got a V2H setup) or as a way to feel smug about grid balancing. Those are legitimate reasons, but they’re not financial ones. If you’re doing this to save money, keep your expectations realistic.