How much do electricians charge per hour? UK rates in 2026
Typical guide: most UK electricians charge somewhere between £45 and £70 an hour outside London, and £70–£100+ inside it, with day rates of roughly £250–£450. But averages hide the point — the right rate depends on what the hour has to pay for. Here’s what customers should expect, and how electricians should build a rate from real costs rather than copying the electrician down the road.
Typical rates in 2026
Rates vary by region, job type and how established the business is, but as a working guide:
- Hourly rate: £45–£70 in most of the UK; £70–£100+ in London and the South East
- Day rate: £250–£450 for a qualified electrician; more with a mate or apprentice on site
- Call-out / first hour: often charged at a premium (£70–£120) to cover travel and diagnosis time
- Emergency and out-of-hours work: commonly 1.5–2× the standard rate
- Small fixed-price jobs: many electricians price sockets, lights and fault-finding as set prices rather than by the hour
Why the range is so wide
The spread isn’t random. A self-employed electrician’s rate has to cover far more than their time: van, fuel, tools and test equipment, insurance, competent-person scheme membership, certification software, training to stay current with BS 7671, holidays, and the hours every week spent quoting and doing paperwork that nobody pays for directly.
A rough rule: of a 40-hour week, a sole-trader electrician might bill 25–30 hours. The billable hours have to fund the whole week — which is why an employed electrician on £20/hour and a self-employed one charging £55/hour can be earning similar money.
For electricians: build the rate up, don’t guess it
A defensible rate comes from three numbers:
- Annual costs: everything the business spends in a year — van, insurance, scheme fees, tools, phone, software, accountancy
- Target income: what you actually want to take home, plus tax
- Realistic billable hours: billable hours per week × working weeks (be honest — 46 weeks is optimistic once holidays, illness and quiet spells are counted)
For customers: what a fair quote looks like
The cheapest hourly rate is rarely the cheapest job — a slower electrician at £45 costs more than a fast one at £65. Judge quotes on the total price for a defined scope, whether certification is included (any notifiable work should come with a certificate), and evidence of registration with a competent person scheme such as NICEIC or NAPIT.
Be wary of prices that only make sense if corners get cut: proper testing, certification and tidy-up time are real costs an honest quote has to include.
Quoting at a rate that sticks
Knowing your rate is half the job; getting it accepted is the other half. TradeHub OS turns your rates into branded quotes in about 90 seconds, with itemised labour and materials, online Accept & Sign, and automatic follow-ups on quotes that go quiet — so you win the work without discounting it.
This guide is general information for UK trades and landlords, not legal advice. Always refer to the current regulations and official guidance from the HSE, Gas Safe Register or your competent-person scheme.
