New Driveway Cost: UK Prices per m² and by Drive Size

New driveway cost per m²

A new driveway typically costs £60 to £120 per m² including materials and labour, on Checkatrade’s figures, with gravel usually the cheapest and resin and block paving at the higher end.

Driveway material	Material per m²	Installation per m²	Total per m²
Gravel	£30	£30	£60
Tarmac	£50	£40	£90
Concrete	£50	£45	£95
Brick	£48	£50	£98
Block paving	£50	£50	£100
Resin bound	£70	£50	£120

Labour alone usually accounts for £30 to £50 per m², Checkatrade says, from £30 for gravel to £50 for block paving and resin.

New driveway cost by size

Checkatrade’s driveway cost guide prices five surfaces at three sizes, and a 2-car driveway of around 50m² runs from £3,000 in gravel to around £6,000 in resin bound.

Driveway material	Small single car, 20m²	Medium 2 car, 50m²	Large multiple car, 100m²
Gravel	£1,400	£3,000	£5,000
Tarmac	£2,200	£4,500	£7,000
Concrete	£2,300	£4,750	£7,500
Block paving	£2,400	£5,000	£8,000
Resin	£2,800	£6,000	£10,000

As a general guide, a single car parking space is 3m wide by 4.8m long and a double is 4.8m wide by 4.8m long, Checkatrade’s new driveway checklist says. Leave room to open the car doors, and for a wheelchair if you need one.

Driveway surfaces compared

Checkatrade’s driveway cost guide sets out what each surface does well and where it falls short.

Surface	In its favour	Against it
Gravel	Lowest cost, quick to lay, a choice of colours, noisy underfoot for security	More maintenance, stones spread, not ideal for slopes, awkward for bins and pushchairs
Tarmac	Good value, uniform finish, works well on slopes, fairly low maintenance	Finish depends heavily on installation, fewer design choices, can look plain on large areas
Concrete	Long-lasting, a choice of patterns and colours, usually cheaper than block paving	Can crack, can fade, finish depends on the installer
Brick	Traditional, often slightly cheaper than block paving, single bricks can be replaced	More maintenance, weeds between the joints, durability depends on installation
Block paving	Huge choice of styles, patch repairs possible, long-lasting if laid well	Labour-intensive, more expensive to install, quality varies
Resin bound	Modern, permeable, low maintenance	One of the dearer options, occasional moss control, best results depend on preparation

Cleaning a driveway costs £8.50 to £15.50 per m², on Checkatrade’s figures, and the same guide’s advice is to tackle oil stains early, keep weeds and moss down and repair cracks.

What changes the cost of a driveway

Six things change the price of a driveway, Checkatrade says.

• The material
• The size of the drive
• Ground conditions and the sub-base
• Drainage, since a non-permeable surface may need additional drainage
• Access
• Location, with London and the South East costing more

A new or replacement driveway of any size needs no planning permission if it uses a permeable surface such as gravel, permeable concrete block paving or porous asphalt, or if rainwater runs to a lawn or border, but a traditional impermeable drive covering more than five square metres needs it when the water has no way to run to a permeable area, the Planning Portal says.

The excavation and sub-base usually make the biggest difference to how long a driveway lasts, Checkatrade’s driveway cost guide says.

Extra costs around a new driveway

Groundworks typically cost £20 to £100 per m², skip hire £125 to £320 per week and a driveway gate £1,650 each, supplied and installed, on Checkatrade’s figures.

A drive reached across the pavement also needs a dropped kerb, and that needs permission from Nottingham City Council or Nottinghamshire County Council, whichever covers your address.

Extending or resurfacing a driveway

Extending a driveway typically costs £100 to £250 per m², Checkatrade says, which is usually more than a new drive because the whole area often needs overlaying to avoid visible joints.

Laying a new drive over an existing one is usually a bad idea, the same guide says, except sometimes for a new layer of tarmac or asphalt over the existing surface. Resurfacing a solid tarmac drive costs around £50 per m² for materials, plus labour, in Checkatrade’s tarmac driveway cost guide.

Getting quotes for a new driveway

Checkatrade’s driveway cost guide lists eight things a driveway quote should set out.

For a 50m² block paved driveway, Checkatrade’s driveway paving cost guide gives an average of £5,500, excluding VAT, and says a quote usually includes materials, labour, excavating and preparing the driveway, and clean-up and disposal. Access, excavation and waste removal can cost more where they are complex or time-consuming, the same guide says. Make sure the quote includes the sub-base preparation, Checkatrade’s new driveway checklist advises.

Get at least three quotes, Checkatrade’s checklist says. Among the Nottingham driveway companies we compare, LJD Paving in Gotham builds its block paving on a base of Type 1 British Standard approved stone compacted to the correct depth, and Advanced Patios & Paving in Sneinton does its groundwork preparation with its own diggers and a grab lorry for waste removal.