Millions of people across the UK are set to be banned from charging electric cars on streets outside their homes.
Those living in conservation areas will be stopped from running home-charging cables across pavements, which could double the cost of powering their vehicles.
It comes after the government introduced last-minute changes to new laws coming into force on October 21.
The rules were meant to allow all residents without driveways to run cables across public pavements without needing planning permission, enabling them to charge EVs from their homes.
It was promoted by the government as a major incentive for families who do not have driveways and who are therefore discouraged from buying EVs, thus having to rely on public chargers.
On September 25, however, less than a month before the new rules come into force, the government excluded 10,000 conservation areas.
Of the 6.8 million people who live in these areas, around 3.4 million do not have driveways.
Around 6.2 per cent of all cars are electric nationwide, meaning about 100,000 EV owners will be immediately stopped from charging at home if they do not have planning permission.
An electric car charging cable laid across a public pavement, placed under a cable protector and leading into a residential house (File image)
There are fears the rules will also discourage motorists from switching to electric vehicles.
One landowner in a conservation area said the move has come as a shock.
'The final legislation excludes conservation areas, despite this not being previously flagged in consultation,' they told The Times.
'That's 10 per cent of all properties in the country, given we have 10,000 conservation areas.'
Charging a car at home is typically cheaper than powering it at a public charger, costing around 7p per mile compared with 15p per mile.
A government spokesman said: 'We want to support households without off-street parking to access domestic electric vehicle charging, but it's vital that we continue to protect the special character of our conservation areas.
'People in conservation areas with off-street parking can still apply for planning permission to install a cross-pavement solution.
'Local authorities also have powers to grant blanket permission for these installations in an entire area if they choose to.'
In August, Labour announced plans to water down Net Zero targets on electric cars as it admitted they risk pushing up costs for drivers.
Ministers said they were planning to loosen rules on electric car sales because they weren't 'fit for purpose' amid 'slower than anticipated' uptake.
It would mean half of all new cars sold at the end of the decade may still have fossil fuel engines.
Under the present law, by 2030 only 20 per cent of new cars sold will be able to use petrol or diesel.
Labour unveils plans to water down Net Zero targets on electric car sales