Most people start researching electric gates with one question: “how much?” It’s a fair question, but it’s usually the wrong place to start. The price of an electric gate is decided by your driveway, not by a brochure. The slope, the width, how close you are to the pavement, where the power comes from, and what’s under the ground all matter more than the style you pick.
At East London Metal Engineering Ltd, we fabricate and automate gates in our workshop in Forest Gate, E7, and install them across London. This guide covers what we wish every customer knew before they asked for a quote: how to pick the right type for your drive, the costs nobody mentions, what actually goes wrong, and how to tell a safe installation from a risky one.
Start with your driveway, not the gate
Here’s how three typical London driveways lead to three completely different answers.
The short drive in Ilford. A 1930s semi with about 5 metres from the pavement to the house, and two cars parked nose to tail. A pair of swing gates opening inwards would hit the first car. Opening outwards isn’t allowed over the public footpath. The answer is a sliding gate along the front wall, as long as there’s enough wall to one side for the gate to slide back into.
The sloping drive in Chingford. The drive rises towards the house. Inward swing gates would scrape the tarmac halfway through opening. Regrading the drive is expensive and messy. The answer is a sliding gate, or swing gates with rising hinges for a gentle slope. A good surveyor will measure the fall before recommending either.
The wide drive with no side space in Woodford. Plenty of depth, but trees and a side path mean there’s no room for a sliding gate to run back. The answer is a pair of swing gates, or a bi-fold gate if the swing arc would block the path to the front door.
The pattern is simple. Space behind the gate points to swing gates. Space beside the gate points to sliding gates. Neither points to bi-fold or telescopic gates, which open in a fraction of the space but cost more.
Swing, sliding or bi-fold: the honest trade-offs
Swing gates are the most common choice for UK homes and usually the most affordable. They suit level drives with enough depth for the gates to open fully. They look traditional and work well on period properties. The downside is that they need clear space to swing through, they struggle on slopes, and in strong wind a solid swing gate behaves like a sail.
Sliding gates suit short drives, slopes and busy commercial entrances. A tracked sliding gate runs on a ground rail. A cantilever gate hangs off rollers at one side and never touches the ground across the opening, which is better for yards with debris, gravel or ice. Sliding gates usually cost more for the same opening, because there’s more steel and a heavier motor.
Bi-fold and telescopic gates fold or stack as they open, so they need much less space either behind or beside the opening. They’re the problem-solver for tight London plots, and also the most expensive option.
Choosing the motor: what actually matters
The motor is where cheap quotes cut corners, and it’s the part you’ll notice first if it’s wrong.
For swing gates, there are three main options:
- Ram (arm) motors bolt between the post and the gate. They’re reliable, easy to service and right for most domestic gates.
- Articulated arm motors suit thick brick piers where a ram won’t fit at the right angle.
- Underground motors sit in a buried box under each gate. They’re invisible, which suits period and premium homes. They cost more and need good drainage, or the box fills with water.
For sliding gates, a rack-and-pinion motor sits beside the gate and drives a toothed rack along it. Its rating must match the gate’s weight and how many times a day it opens.
Three things to check on any quote:
- The motor is rated for your gate’s weight and size, not just “for gates”.
- It’s from an established brand with UK spares and service support, not an unbranded import.
- The control board has force limiting and obstacle detection, so the gate stops or reverses if it meets resistance.
Here’s a real-world example of why this matters: a homeowner fits a heavy solid timber-clad gate to an existing budget motor because “it worked fine on the old open-bar gate”. The extra weight and wind load wear out the motor within a year or two. Matching the motor to the actual gate costs a little more up front and saves a full replacement later.
The hidden costs nobody puts in the headline price
Headline prices for electric gates usually assume a perfect site. London sites are rarely perfect. These are the extras that most often appear on the final bill.
Power supply. Electric gates need a permanent, protected mains supply, usually a dedicated circuit from your consumer unit. If your fuse box is at the back of the house, that means cabling, sometimes under a driveway. Get a qualified electrician to do this, and get the certificate.
Ducting and groundwork. Cables for motors, photocells and intercoms run through ducts under the drive. On a new driveway this is cheap. On an existing block-paved or tarmac drive, it means cutting and making good.
Posts and foundations. Electric gates are much heavier in use than manual ones. Many old brick piers can’t take the load and need steel posts or rebuilding. This is one of the most common reasons an “automate my existing gate” job becomes a bigger project.
Drainage. Underground motors and sliding gate tracks need water to drain away. On clay soils, which are common across London, this needs planning.
Access control. A basic remote is usually included. Keypads, video intercoms, GSM or app control, and intercom cabling to the house all add to the cost.
Removing the old gate and making good after installation.
The best way to avoid surprises is a proper site survey before you get a fixed quote, not a price over the phone.
What electric gates cost in the UK
For realistic budgeting, here’s what current UK guides show:
- Automating an existing gate: roughly £1,500 to £3,000, if the gate and posts are sound.
- New automated swing gates: often £2,000 to £8,000, depending on size, material and motor.
- Sliding gates: commonly £5,000 to £9,000 or more.
- Bi-fold gates: usually from around £8,000.
London prices tend to sit towards the upper end, because labour, access and parking all cost more here. Bespoke designs, heavy security gates and commercial-grade automation will cost more than these ranges.
If a quote comes in well below these figures, ask exactly what’s included: the motor brand, the safety devices, the groundwork, and the electrical connection.
Safety: the part you cannot skip
Powered gates are machines, and the law treats them that way. In 2010, two six-year-old children died in separate incidents involving automatic gates in the UK. Since then, the Health and Safety Executive has been clear that powered gates must be designed, installed and maintained to be safe.
In practice, a safe electric gate in the UK should have:
- A risk assessment of your specific site before installation.
- Force limiting, so the gate stops or reverses on contact.
- Photocells that detect a person or car in the gate’s path.
- Safety edges on leading edges where there’s a risk of crushing.
- Measured force testing at handover, with the results recorded.
- A manual release, so the gate can be opened in a power cut or emergency.
- Compliance with the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations, with a Declaration of Conformity and UKCA or CE marking.
If an installer can’t show you the risk assessment, force test results and Declaration of Conformity, don’t sign off the job. For a deeper look at these rules, read our guide to automatic swing gate safety regulations.
Planning, highways and neighbours
Most domestic electric gates don’t need planning permission if they’re no more than 1 metre high next to a road used by vehicles (or its footpath), or no more than 2 metres elsewhere. You’re more likely to need permission if your home is listed, in a conservation area, or has had permitted development rights removed.
Two more London-specific points:
- Gates must not open outwards over a public footpath or road. That’s why many London drives with tight space end up with sliding or bi-fold gates.
- If you’re adding a new or wider vehicle entrance, you may need a dropped kerb approved by the council. That’s a separate application from the gate itself.
What actually goes wrong with electric gates
After years of fitting and repairing gates across London, these are the most common faults we see:
- Photocells out of alignment after being knocked, so the gate refuses to close.
- Motors burnt out because they were undersized for the gate.
- Gates dropping on their hinges, so they drag on the ground and strain the motor.
- Water in underground motor boxes because of poor drainage.
- Sliding tracks blocked by leaves, gravel or ice.
- Remotes or GSM units that lose their settings after a power cut.
Almost all of these are prevented by correct sizing at the design stage and a yearly service. Well-maintained electric gates typically last 15 to 25 years. Neglected ones often need a new motor within a few years.
Running costs and maintenance
Electric gates use very little power. A typical domestic gate costs only a few pounds a year to run. The real ongoing cost is servicing.
A good annual service should include checking and adjusting the hinges or rollers, testing force and safety devices, cleaning and aligning photocells, checking the battery backup, and lubricating moving parts. Busy commercial gates that open hundreds of times a day need more frequent visits.
Electric gates for businesses and blocks of flats
Commercial sites have different priorities. Speed of opening, duty cycle (how many times the motor can run per hour), access control for staff and deliveries, and fire service access all matter.
For example, a builders’ merchant yard in Stratford with lorries in and out all day needs a heavy cantilever sliding gate with a high-duty motor, loop detectors to sense vehicles, and access control that logs who comes in. A small block of flats in Leyton needs reliable residents’ fobs, a video intercom to each flat, and a maintenance contract, so the gate doesn’t sit broken and open for weeks.
Questions to ask any electric gate installer
- Will you carry out a site survey and risk assessment before quoting?
- Which motor brand and model are you using, and is it rated for this gate?
- What safety devices are included as standard?
- Will you force-test the gate and give me the results and a Declaration of Conformity?
- Who does the electrical connection, and will I get a certificate?
- Do you make the gate yourselves, or buy it in?
- Do you offer servicing and repairs after installation?
How East London Metal Engineering Ltd builds electric gates
Because we fabricate in-house, the gate, posts, automation and finish all come from one team. There’s no mismatch between a gate made by one company and a motor fitted by another.
Our process:
- Site survey: we measure the opening, slope, space either side, power route and ground conditions.
- Design: we recommend the right gate type and motor for your site, with CAD drawings and 3D visuals if you need them.
- Fabrication: we make your gate to measure from mild steel, galvanised steel or aluminium, with optional timber or composite infill.
- Finishing: we galvanise and powder coat in your chosen RAL colour.
- Installation and automation: we install the posts, tracks and motors, and fit the safety devices and access control.
- Testing and handover: we force-test the gate, check all safety features, set up your remotes and show you how to use the manual release.
We also automate suitable existing gates, repair faulty systems, and offer maintenance contracts for homes and commercial sites across London.
Thinking about electric gates for your home or business? Send us a photo of your entrance and rough measurements, and we’ll tell you honestly which type will work. Call 079 5167 3924 or 020 3976 9705, email info@eastlondonmetal.com, or request a free quote online.
Frequently asked questions
Are electric gates worth it in London?
For most homes with off-street parking, yes. They add security, keep children and pets in, stop people parking across your drive, and add kerb appeal. The value depends on choosing the right type for your driveway and maintaining it properly.
Can electric gates open outwards?
Not over a public footpath or road. Outward-opening gates are only possible where the gate stays within your own property when open.
What happens to electric gates in a power cut?
Most systems can have battery backup to keep them working for a number of cycles. Every electric gate should also have a manual release so you can open it by hand.
Can I automate my existing gates?
Often, yes, if the gate is straight, the hinges are sound and the posts can take the extra load. If not, a new gate is usually the safer and cheaper long-term option.
How long does it take to install electric gates?
Once the gate is fabricated, most residential installations take one to three days. Groundwork, electrical runs and access control can add time. How often should electric gates be serviced?
At least once a year for homes, and more often for busy commercial gates.