Electric Gates and Access Control: A Buyer's Guide

Start with the driveway, not the gate

Four site facts decide the whole system. How wide is the opening. Does the ground slope, and in which direction. How far is the nearest power supply. And how much space is there behind the gate line before a car has to stop on the road.

A swing gate needs a level arc and space to open. If the drive rises away from the road, a swing gate will ground out unless it is hung high, which looks wrong and leaves a gap. That is the point where a sliding or cantilever gate becomes the right answer, not a luxury.

Motor types and what they cost

Fitted 2026 prices, including motors, control panel, safety devices and commissioning, excluding the gates themselves.

Access control, from simplest to smartest

Remote fobs. Cheapest and most reliable, £30 to £70 each. Fine when only the household needs access.

Keypad. £150 to £400. Good for cleaners, gardeners and family, and the code can be changed. Wireless versions save trenching a cable.

Audio intercom. £350 to £800. Lets you speak to a caller and release the gate from the house.

Video intercom. £700 to £1,800. Now the default on most installations we do, because seeing the caller is worth the difference.

GSM or app control. £400 to £1,200. Calls your mobile so you can let a delivery in from anywhere, and works with multiple numbers. Requires decent mobile signal at the gate, which is worth testing before ordering.

Vehicle detection loops. £300 to £700. A buried loop that opens the gate automatically as a car approaches from inside, which stops people getting out in the rain.

The safety requirements, which are not optional

Powered gates in the UK are machinery under the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008, and the installer must carry out a risk assessment, eliminate crushing and shearing hazards, and issue a Declaration of Conformity with a technical file.

In practice that means force testing with a calibrated gauge, photocells across the opening, safety edges where a crushing point cannot be designed out, a manual release for power cuts, and warning signage. Several fatal accidents involving automatic gates in the UK have driven this, and it is taken seriously.

Any quote that does not mention force testing and a Declaration of Conformity is not a compliant installation, whatever it costs.

Power, ducting and getting it right first time

You need a dedicated armoured supply from the consumer unit, RCD protected and certified. Trenched, that is £600 to £1,500 depending on distance and whether a drive or lawn has to be crossed and reinstated.

Lay spare ducts at the same time. Even on a wired system, having two empty 50mm ducts across the drive means intercoms, cameras and loops can be added later without digging up the new surface. This costs almost nothing during the works and thousands afterwards.

If the gates are going in as part of a new driveway, sequence matters: ducts and post foundations before the surface, always.

Running costs and servicing

Budget an annual service at £150 to £300, which covers force retesting, hinge and track lubrication, battery replacement in back up units and control board checks. Skipping it is what turns a £4,000 system into a £900 repair.

Electricity use is negligible, a few pounds a year for a typical domestic gate.

We install and service gate automation across Hampshire and Surrey, and every installation we hand over includes force test results and the Declaration of Conformity. Call 07538 218723 for a survey.