8 min read · Updated 29 August 2026
Gravel Driveways: Pros, Cons and Real Costs
The cheapest driveway to install and the easiest to get wrong. What gravel is genuinely good at, where it fails, and how a grid changes the answer.
What gravel is genuinely good at
It is the cheapest properly built driveway surface, at £40 to £70 per square metre fitted. It is completely permeable, so it satisfies front garden drainage rules without a soakaway. It is trivially repairable: a pothole is a bag of stone and a rake. It suits period and rural properties in a way that machine laid surfaces do not. And it makes a noise when a car or a person arrives, which is a real security benefit on a long approach.
Where gravel is the wrong answer
On any slope above about 1 in 10 without a grid, because the stone migrates downhill and ends up in the road. On drives where children cycle or scooter, because loose stone is hostile to small wheels. Where there is a wheelchair or a heavy pushchair in daily use. Where a neighbour's cat treats it as a litter tray, which is not a joke but a genuine recurring complaint. And anywhere the gravel will be walked into the house.
Costs, with and without a grid
The grid is the difference between a gravel drive that stays put and one you rake every fortnight. It is the upgrade we recommend on almost every job.
| Build | Fitted per m² | 40m² drive | Maintenance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loose gravel on membrane | £40 - £55 | £1,600 - £2,200 | Raking monthly, top up 2 - 3 yrs |
| Gravel with cellular grid | £60 - £85 | £2,400 - £3,400 | Occasional top up only |
| Self binding gravel | £55 - £75 | £2,200 - £3,000 | Roll and patch as needed |
| Resin bonded apron at gate | £55 - £90 per m² | add £400 - £900 | Stops migration to road |
Getting the stone specification right
Size matters more than colour. Anything smaller than 10mm gets carried in tyre treads and walked indoors. Anything above 20mm is unpleasant to walk on and hard to rake level. The sweet spot for a driveway is 14 to 20mm.
Shape matters too. Rounded pea shingle rolls under a tyre and will not lock. Angular crushed stone such as granite chippings or Cotswold buff knits together and stays where it is put. For a driveway, always specify angular.
Depth should be 35 to 50mm over a grid, or 50mm loose. Deeper is not better: 100mm of loose gravel drives like sand.
The build up that actually works
Excavate 200 to 250mm, lay a woven geotextile membrane, compact 150mm of MOT Type 1, then either fill a cellular grid with angular gravel or lay 50mm of gravel loose. Edge the whole thing: timber, steel edging, brick pavers or a kerb line. Without an edge, gravel spreads and the membrane shows.
The membrane is often used as a substitute for a sub-base, which is where cheap gravel drives fail. A membrane stops the stone mixing with the soil. It does not stop the ground rutting under a car.
Living with gravel
Budget half an hour a month raking high spots back into wheel tracks, a top up bulk bag every two to three years at about £70 delivered, and an occasional weed treatment. Weeds in gravel grow in the dust and leaf litter that collects on top, not through the membrane, so keeping it swept is the real weed control.
If you want the look without the raking, a bound gravel surface such as resin bound gives you the same aggregate appearance with none of the movement, at roughly double the cost. Call 07538 218723 and we will price both so you can compare properly.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a gravel driveway cost in the UK?
- £40 to £55 per square metre for loose gravel on a proper sub-base, or £60 to £85 with a cellular grid. A typical 40 square metre drive is £1,600 to £3,400 fitted depending on the build.
- What is the best gravel size for a driveway?
- Angular stone at 14 to 20mm. Smaller stone gets carried into the house by tyres and shoes, larger stone is uncomfortable to walk on, and rounded pea shingle will not lock together.
- Do gravel driveways need a membrane?
- Yes, a woven geotextile membrane stops the stone mixing into the soil below. It is not a substitute for a compacted sub-base, which is what actually carries the car.
- How do I stop gravel spreading onto the pavement?
- Edge the drive properly and fit a bound or paved apron at the entrance. On sloping drives a cellular grid is the reliable fix, because it holds each pocket of stone in place.