Summary

Electric gates are sold to customers as a single visible product — the gate and the motor — but priced correctly they are five separate cost centres: the gate itself (if not already existing), the motor and control package, the electrical supply run, the safety compliance package, and the commissioning/certification work. Installers who price only the visible hardware and a day's labour routinely under-quote by £800–£1,500 once the compliance paperwork, force testing and cable burial are accounted for properly.

The compliance side of this trade is not optional extra work — it is where the legal liability sits. Two child fatalities in the UK (2010 and 2017) from non-compliant automated gates led to active enforcement by the HSE and Local Authority Building Control. An installer supplying and fitting an automated gate without a Declaration of Conformity and a documented risk assessment carries potential criminal liability under the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008. This is covered in full in electric gates installation; this guide focuses specifically on how to price the job profitably while carrying that compliance work properly, not on the technical installation detail itself.

For gate hardware and hanging without motorisation, see gate hanging and hardware and metal railings and gates.

Key Facts

Quick Reference Table

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Component Item Cost Range
Gates (if supplied new) Mild steel/aluminium, double swing leaf pair £1,200–£3,500
Motors — articulated ram pair Swing gate, 24V DC £600–£1,500
Motors — underground hydraulic Heavy swing gate £1,500–£3,500
Motors — sliding Track or cantilever, 24V/230V £900–£2,500
Control panel + receiver Standard residential £250–£550
Photocells (pair) Safety device £80–£180
Safety edges Per leaf, pneumatic/capacitive £120–£280
Battery backup 12V/24V £150–£350
Access control (keypad/intercom/fob) Per system £200–£800
Electrical supply run (SWA, buried) Per linear metre £25–£45
Part P certification Fixed fee £150–£300
Installation labour — swing gates Full day, 2 installers £400–£700/day team rate
Installation labour — sliding/bi-fold 1.5–2.5 days, 2 installers £600–£1,750
Force testing + Declaration of Conformity Per job £150–£350
Risk assessment documentation Per job Included/£80–£150
Annual service contract Per visit £120–£220
Total — double swing, articulated, standard site Job £3,500–£6,500
Total — sliding gate, track, standard site Job £4,500–£8,500
Total — underground hydraulic or bi-fold, premium Job £6,500–£14,000+

Detailed Guidance

Pricing the gate and motor package

Start with the gate itself. Many jobs are motorising an existing gate, which removes this line entirely — confirm the existing gate's weight and condition before quoting, since underspecifying the motor for an existing heavy wrought-iron gate is a common and expensive mistake. Where a new gate is required, price it as a separate supply item (see metal railings and gates for material specification and cost ranges).

Motor selection is driven by gate weight, leaf length and driveway gradient, not by customer preference alone:

Quote motor and gate as supply items with a clear source and lead time — don't estimate the motor package, get a firm supplier quote, since pricing varies meaningfully between manufacturers (CAME, Nice, FAAC and budget alternatives) for the same nominal spec.

The electrical run — commonly underpriced

The electrical supply run from the consumer unit to the gate control panel is priced by the linear metre of SWA armoured cable, buried to 600mm depth with warning tape. On a typical UK driveway this run is 10–30m, but on longer or rural driveways it can exceed 50–80m — always measure on site rather than estimating from a photo or verbal description.

Price components:

A 40m run through tarmac driveway requiring reinstatement can add £1,200–£1,800 to the job on its own — this is the line item most likely to be missed in a phone-quote or a quote given without a site visit.

The compliance package — do not discount this

The force testing, Declaration of Conformity and risk assessment are not administrative overhead to be absorbed into the labour day rate — they are the core legal protection for both the installer and the client, and should be priced as a distinct, visible line item on the quote (£150–£350 typical). Presenting this as a separate line also educates the customer on why a "gate installer" quote from a fencing contractor without this documentation is a red flag, not a bargain.

Do not fit an automated gate without completing and retaining:

  1. A written risk assessment (trapping points, shear points, pedestrian/child access)
  2. A force test at three points on each leaf, documented with readings
  3. A signed Declaration of Conformity, with the installer named as the responsible person
  4. A user manual and maintenance logbook handed to the client

Margin and markup structure

Electric gate installation carries a wide margin range because of the mix of supplied hardware (thin margin, competitive supplier pricing) and specialist labour/compliance work (higher margin, less price-comparable by the customer). A reasonable structure:

Worked example — double swing gate, existing gates, 25m SWA run, standard site:

Maintenance contracts — the recurring revenue most installers leave on the table

Every electric gate should be serviced 6 or 12-monthly, with a re-run of the force test and an updated log entry — required to keep the Declaration of Conformity meaningful over the life of the installation. Offer this at the point of sale as a fixed annual or bi-annual fee (£120–£220 per visit) rather than leaving it as an afterthought; conversion rates on service contracts offered at handover are significantly higher than contracts pitched via a follow-up call months later.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I quote an electric gate job without a site visit?

Not reliably. The electrical run length, ground conditions for trenching, driveway gradient (which affects motor type), and existing gate weight and condition (if motorising an existing gate) all materially change the price and cannot be assessed from a phone description or photos alone. A site visit is standard practice for this trade, not an optional extra.

Do I need to charge separately for the Declaration of Conformity and risk assessment, or fold it into the labour rate?

Charge separately and show it as a line item. It signals to the customer that this is compliance work carrying real legal weight, distinguishes a properly-compliant quote from a cheaper competitor who may be skipping this step, and protects your margin — this work takes real time (typically 1–2 hours for force testing and documentation) and should not be absorbed silently into the install day rate.

What's the most common reason electric gate jobs go over budget?

Underestimating the electrical run — either the linear distance from consumer unit to gate, or the surface reinstatement required (tarmac and block paving cost significantly more to trench and reinstate than grass or gravel). Always measure the actual cable route on site before pricing, not the straight-line distance on a plan.

Should I offer a maintenance contract at the point of installation?

Yes — pitch it at handover, not as a follow-up. A 6 or 12-monthly service (force re-test, safety device check, log update) is required to keep the gate's Declaration of Conformity meaningful over time, gives the installer a recurring revenue stream, and is an easier sell immediately after the client has seen the compliance work done properly during installation.

Regulations & Standards