Driveway Cost Guide 2026 (Surrey & Hampshire)

The honest per-m² ranges

On a clean, well-accessed Surrey or Hampshire driveway in 2026 you should expect: tarmac £85-£120/m², block paving £130-£170/m², resin-bound £140-£190/m², and bonded gravel £100-£140/m². These are fitted prices including a proper 150mm Type 1 sub-base, edge restraint and waste removal.

If a quote sits a long way below those numbers, the cost is hiding somewhere - usually in the sub-base depth, the edge detail, or the disposal of the old surface.

What changes the price most

Excavation depth is the single biggest variable. Clay-heavy plots up towards Heath End, Frimley or Old Basing want 175-200mm of sub-base rather than the textbook 150mm. That's another 30-40 tonnes of muck-away on a typical drive, which is real money.

Access is the second. Anywhere we can't reverse a tipper or grab onto the drive adds barrowing hours. Fleet and Elvetham Heath plots are usually fine; older Aldershot and Farnham terraces with shared rear access are the ones that add days.

Drainage is the third. A flat Bracknell estate front with no garden to drain into needs an ACO channel or soakaway. Plan that into the quote, not as an extra.

Driveway sizes most homes have

A single-car drive is typically 12-18m². A comfortable two-car layout is 30-45m². An in-and-out or wide family drive is 50-80m². Multiply those by the per-m² band above and you get an honest budget number before any visit.

For most Surrey two-car drives in tarmac you're looking at £3,500-£5,500 fitted. The same drive in block paving lands £4,500-£7,000. Resin around £5,500-£8,000.

Where new builds often need help

Developer driveways on Bracknell, Basingstoke and Fleet estates from the late 90s through to 2010 are nearly all due. Original screeded surfaces typically fail at 12-15 years - the surface stays intact but the base settles, water pools at the threshold and weeds take the joints. A re-base and overlay is usually cheaper than a full strip and re-lay, and we'll tell you honestly which job yours is.

Questions to ask any installer

What is the Type 1 sub-base depth in millimetres? What edge restraint are you using? Is geotextile included? How is run-off handled? When does the quote expire and what would change the price? If those answers come back vague, walk.