Is my driveway quote fair? A UK price-sense check

Driveway quotes are hard to judge because the headline number depends on three independent variables: the material you have chosen, the size of the drive, and what is happening underneath the surface. Two honest quotes for the same drive can be £3,000 apart simply because they cover different materials, different sub-base depths, and different ancillaries. This guide is a checklist you can run against your own quote, in plain language, in the order it usually matters.

For ranges and material trade-offs, start with the driveway cost guide. For the general method, see how to tell if a quote is too high.

Typical price, so you have a benchmark#

In 2026, UK driveway costs per square metre installed are roughly:

• Gravel £40 to £80
• Tarmac £60 to £90
• Concrete £85 to £130
• Resin-bound £90 to £140
• Block paving £115 to £175

For a typical 60 m² two-car driveway the totals are around £2,500 to £5,000 for tarmac, £3,500 to £5,500 for resin, £4,500 to £7,400 for block paving, and £5,000 to £7,500 for concrete. Time on site is 1 to 2 days for gravel, 2 to 3 days for tarmac, 2 to 4 days for concrete, 3 to 5 days for resin, and 4 to 6 days for block paving.

If your quote is well outside these bands for the chosen material and size, that is the first thing to ask about.

The sub-base and dropped-kerb premium#

A driveway is only as good as the work underneath it. The two cost drivers that are easiest to hide are the sub-base spec and whether a dropped kerb is included:

• Sub-base. Industry standard is Type 1 MOT crushed stone to a minimum 150 mm depth, deeper under heavy-vehicle areas. A quote that names the surface material but says nothing about the sub-base is either including it (most reputable installers are) or planning to skimp. Skimping shows up as sinking, cracking, or pooling within 1 to 3 winters.
• Dropped kerb. £800 to £1,200 if you do not already have legal vehicle access. The price covers the council application, the licence, and the physical works. Without it you cannot legally drive across the kerb to reach the drive.
• Existing driveway removal. £250 to £750 to dig up and dispose of an old surface before the new one goes down. Often quoted separately.

A quote that shows a new driveway but only adds a small lump for "site prep" has either under-priced one of these or hidden the cost inside a vague line. Ask which it is before you sign.

What a fair driveway quote should itemise#

A reasonable quote breaks the price into clear lines. The minimum you should see, with a price next to each or marked as included:

• Removal and disposal of any existing driveway surface.
• Excavation to the correct sub-base depth (typically 150 mm).
• Sub-base material (Type 1 MOT crushed stone) supplied and laid.
• Edge restraint or kerb (concrete haunching for paved options, edging for gravel).
• Surface material supplied and laid, with the brand or specification named (Marshalls Drivesett, Brett Omega, generic, and so on).
• Drainage provision sufficient to comply with front-garden paving rules (linear drains, soakaway, or permeable jointing).
• Compaction, curing, or jointing as appropriate to the material.
• Site tidy-up and removal of waste.

A single lump sum that says "New driveway, £6,500" tells you none of these. The sub-base, the drainage, and the material spec are all invisible. That is the most common red flag in driveway quotes by some distance.

What is typically excluded (and why it matters)#

Items that get quietly left off:

• New dropped kerb if you do not already have vehicle access. £800 to £1,200, council-administered.
• Removal of the existing driveway. £250 to £750 separately.
• Soakaway drainage if the surface is non-permeable and over 5 m². £700 to £1,100. Without it the install is not compliant with the front-garden paving rules in force since 2008.
• Removal or relocation of trees, shrubs, and planters in the way.
• Reinstatement of disturbed lawn at the driveway edge.
• Driveway gates and posts (£500 to £2,300).
• Outdoor lighting along the driveway.
• Sealing for block paving every 3 to 5 years (£200 to £500 each time). Not part of the install but part of the lifetime cost.

For the broader hidden-cost pattern across trades, see hidden costs in builder quotes.

The drainage rule that decides whether your quote is legal#

Since 2008, paving over more than 5 m² of front garden with a non-permeable surface in England requires either planning permission or a compliant drainage solution. Compliant approaches without planning permission include permeable block paving with permeable jointing, resin-bound (not resin-bonded), gravel, grass-grid systems, or any standard surface drained to a soakaway within the property boundary.

A quote that uses standard block paving or sealed concrete and says nothing about drainage is non-compliant. Councils are rarely proactive about enforcement, but the issue surfaces at sale time when a buyer's solicitor asks. Cost to retrofit a soakaway after the fact is usually higher than including it at the start.

Red flags specific to driveways#

• Doorstep cold-calling. Driveways are the most-targeted trade in the UK for doorstep scams. "We are working on a job nearby and have materials left over" is the classic opening. Reputable installers do not work this way. Walk away from any unsolicited driveway approach at the door, full stop. See signs of a rogue builder for the broader pattern.
• Cash-only with same-day pressure. Doorstep driveway scams escalate the price during the work and demand cash. If a quote insists on cash and a same-day decision, walk away.
• No sub-base specification. A quote that names the surface material but is silent on sub-base depth or material is planning to skimp. Insist on Type 1 MOT to a minimum 150 mm.
• Tarmac directly on existing surface. A "we will just overlay your drive in tarmac" approach is a £1,500 cosmetic job that fails within 2 winters because the existing cracks come through. A proper tarmac install removes the existing surface or scarifies and patches first.
• No drainage line in a non-permeable quote. If the surface is sealed block paving, sealed concrete, or standard tarmac over 5 m², drainage is a legal requirement. A quote that omits it is non-compliant.
• No company name, address, or Companies House record. A driveway quote without a company you can look up is the basic doorstep-trader pattern. See how to check a builder on Companies House.
• Price well below the typical band. A 60 m² block-paving drive quoted at £2,500 is half the market rate. Either the material is not what is being described, or the sub-base is being skipped, or it is a scam quote that will escalate during the works.

Before you sign#

1. Is the price within the typical band for the material and the size?
2. Is the sub-base depth and material named on the quote?
3. Is the dropped kerb included or excluded, and is it actually needed?
4. Is the existing driveway removal in scope, or is that on you?
5. Is drainage provided in a way that meets the front-garden paving rules?
6. Does the company have a name, address, and Companies House record you can verify?

If three or more are missing, the quote is not yet in a state where you can fairly judge the price. Ask for an itemised re-quote before comparing it to other installers.

The shortcut#

Running this checklist by hand means knowing per-m² rates by material, typical sub-base specs, and ancillary costs for your area. Check the Quote does that part for you: paste or upload your driveway quote and we check every line against current UK rates for your postcode, flag what sits above the fair range, tell you what is missing, and run a Companies House check on the contractor. Your first check is free.