Posted 25 June 2026 · 8 min read

What Does a Carport Cost in the UK? A Transparent 2026 Price Guide

"How much is a carport?" is the first question almost everyone asks — and the hardest to get a straight answer to online. Here's an honest breakdown: real starting prices, what's included, and the seven factors that actually move the number.

Ask the internet what a carport costs and you'll get answers ranging from a few hundred pounds to well over ten grand — which is about as useful as being told a car costs "somewhere between £500 and £80,000." The spread is real, but it's not random. It comes down to a handful of decisions, and once you understand them you can place your own project on the scale with reasonable confidence before you ever pick up the phone.

This guide gives you our actual starting prices — fully installed, VAT included, no asterisks — and then walks through the seven things that push the figure up or down. We'd rather you understood the cost than be surprised by it. That's the whole point.

The honest starting numbers

Here's where our two carports begin, fully installed and including VAT:

Two things to be clear about straight away.

First, those prices include installation and VAT. A lot of the cheaper figures you'll see online are for a flat-pack kit delivered to your door — no groundwork, no fitting, no guarantee that it'll still be standing after a proper winter. Ours is the finished article: surveyed, supplied, and installed by us. The number you're quoted is the number you pay.

Second, those are starting prices for the smallest standard sizes. A bigger structure, a glass roof, or a multi-car span costs more — and the rest of this guide explains exactly why, so you can see where your own project is likely to land.

What actually drives the cost

1. Size

Size is the single biggest lever. A carport is essentially aluminium framework and roofing, so the more square metres you cover, the more material and labour involved. A single-car shelter is at the affordable end; a double sits higher; a three-car or full-driveway run higher still.

It's worth getting this right rather than shrinking the design to hit a number — an undersized carport is the most common regret, and the saving is rarely worth the daily irritation. (Our carport sizing guide walks through exactly how much space one, two or three cars actually need.)

2. Roof material — glass or polycarbonate

This is the big one after size. Polycarbonate is the standard, value choice for a carport — light, tough, perfectly capable of shrugging off UK rain, frost and UV, and it's what most carport buyers choose. It's the only roof on the Portico and the standard option on the Harbour.

Glass is the premium choice — only available on the Harbour. It's silent in rain, stays optically clear for decades, and matches the architectural language of a glass veranda if you have one. It costs more, both for the glazing itself and the heavier-duty frame needed to carry it. Whether it's worth it depends on whether the carport is purely functional or part of the look of the house. Our glass vs polycarbonate comparison covers the trade-offs in full.

3. Which model — and how long it's built to last

The Portico and the Harbour are priced differently because they're built differently, and the gap reflects what you get.

The Portico is Dutch-engineered, polycarbonate-only, with a 25–30 year design life and a 5-year warranty — genuinely good value and more than most people need. The Harbour is British-made from architectural-grade aluminium with QUALICOAT Seaside marine-grade powder coating (the highest UK durability class), a 60-year design life and a 10-year warranty. The extra outlay buys decades of extra life and a finish that holds up on exposed and coastal sites.

Neither is "the right answer" — it depends on your budget and how long you're planning to stay. But it's an honest reason for the price difference, not a sales upsell.

4. Attached or freestanding

A carport that attaches to the house wall on one side needs posts only on the open sides, which can mean slightly less material. A freestanding carport stands on its own posts all round and goes anywhere on the plot. The cost difference is usually modest, but the layout of your drive often makes the decision for you — and it can nudge the figure either way.

5. Colour and finish

Standard colours come in at the listed price. Both carports offer a couple of standard options — the Harbour in White, Anthracite Grey and Jet Black; the Portico in Cream White and Graphite Grey — and bespoke RAL colours are available on both for a surcharge. If you want the frame to match your windows or guttering exactly, factor that in.

6. Sides, walls and extras

A bare carport is open on all sides. Many people leave it that way — but you can add enclosure and comfort, and each addition adds cost:

• Side options: sliding glass, glass walls, aluminium or polycarbonate walls, louvred panels — useful for blocking wind-driven rain or adding privacy and security.
• Integrated LED lighting or spotlights — genuinely worthwhile if you'll use the space after dark.
• Infrared heaters (Harbour) — turns a parking shelter into a usable outdoor space in cooler months.

None of these are necessary; all of them are optional. Start with the structure and add only what earns its place.

7. Groundworks and access

The last variable is what's already on the ground. A carport needs a sound, level base to sit on — usually existing driveway, block paving or a concrete pad. If your surface is suitable, there's little to do. If it needs a new base, drainage work, or there's awkward access for installation, that adds to the project. We assess this during the survey so there are no surprises later.

Why the cheap "carport kits" aren't the same thing

If you've seen carports advertised for a few hundred or a couple of thousand pounds, here's the honest difference. Those are typically:

• Self-assembly kits — no survey, no professional installation, no one responsible if it's wrong.
• Lighter-gauge material — thinner aluminium or steel that flexes, rattles and corrodes far sooner.
• Standard coatings rather than marine-grade — fine inland for a while, poor near the coast.
• No meaningful warranty and no design life worth quoting.

There's nothing wrong with a budget kit if your needs are temporary and your expectations are matched to the price. But it isn't comparable to a surveyed, installed, decades-rated aluminium structure, and it's worth being clear which one you're actually pricing.

So how much should you budget?

The honest answer: a single, standard carport starts in the mid-£4,000s to mid-£5,000s fully installed, and the figure rises with size, a glass roof, multi-car spans, bespoke colour and added sides or extras. A simple Portico to shelter one car sits at the affordable end; a large, glass-roofed, British-made Harbour covering two or three vehicles sits well above it.

What we won't do is invent a precise number for a project we haven't seen — every drive, vehicle and surface is different, and a made-up figure helps nobody. What we will do is give you a clear written quote, with installation and VAT included, so you can compare like with like. Even against a brick-built garage, a carport typically costs a fraction of the price — which is exactly why so many people choose one.

If you've still got questions, the common ones are answered just below — and you're always welcome to book a no-pressure chat or call us free on 0800 654 69 64 to talk through your own project.

Frequently Asked Questions