Driveway Quotes for Free

Find Trusted Driveway and Paving Installers Near You

A new driveway or patio is one of the most visible improvements you can make — and one of the most commonly botched, because most of the work that matters happens below the surface. CompareTradeQuotes matches you with local driveway and paving specialists. Get up to 3 free, no-obligation quotes and compare before you commit.

How Much Does a New Driveway Cost?

Driveway prices are quoted per square metre and the material sets the baseline: gravel from £40/m², tarmac from £45/m², block paving and resin bound from £60 – £130/m². A two-car driveway is around 30–40m², a three-car driveway around 50m². Groundwork, drainage and access then move the final figure by 20–40%.

Sub-base preparation and drainage often account for 30–40% of the total, and they are where cheap quotes cut corners. A driveway that fails in three years and one that lasts twenty-five can look identical on day one.

Full driveway and patio cost breakdown

Indicative UK ranges, July 2026. London and the South East run 20–40% higher.

Surface	Typical fitted cost	Worth knowing
Gravel / shingle	£40 – £70 per m²	Cheapest and naturally permeable. Needs edging and topping up
Tarmac	£45 – £80 per m²	Typically 10–15 years. May need resealing every 3–5 years
Concrete	£50 – £90 per m²	Durable, but impermeable unless drainage is designed in
Pattern imprinted concrete	£80 – £130 per m²	A 60m² two-car drive commonly lands at £5,000 – £8,000
Block paving	£70 – £130 per m²	Long life. Individual blocks can be lifted and replaced
Resin bound	£60 – £110 per m²	Permeable and low maintenance. 20–25 years on a quality install
Resin bonded	£40 – £70 per m²	Cheaper, not permeable, may need retreating within 5–8 years
Natural stone paving	£100 – £200 per m²	Premium finish, mostly used for patios and paths
Patio (all materials)	£70 – £180 per m²	A 20m² patio typically £2,400 – £4,600
Dropped kerb	£1,000 – £2,500	Plus a non-refundable council fee, commonly £100 – £400
Excavation and spoil removal	£30 – £50 per m²	Spoil disposal typically £150 – £400 on top
Removing an existing drive	£300 – £800	Breaking up and disposing of old concrete or tarmac

What Our Driveway Installers Do

Before You Book a Driveway Installer

• The 5m² rule. In England, a front-garden driveway over five square metres needs planning permission if it uses an impermeable surface draining onto the road. Use a permeable surface — gravel, permeable block paving, porous asphalt or resin bound — or drain to a soakaway or border on your own land, and no permission is needed. Five square metres is barely one parking bay, so it is the surface choice, not the size, that matters.
• Solicitors now check this during conveyancing. An impermeable drive laid without permission can hold up a sale years later.
• Get the excavation depth and sub-base spec in writing. Expect 200–300mm of excavation and 100–150mm or more of compacted MOT Type 1, laid in layers. This is the part you never see and the part that decides how long it lasts.
• Check the falls and the DPC. A patio needs roughly 15mm of fall per metre away from the house, and the finished level must sit at least 150mm below the damp proof course. Paving that bridges the DPC causes damp indoors.
• Apply for the dropped kerb early. Council approval commonly takes several weeks, the fee is non-refundable, and many councils will only accept contractors from their approved list.
• Be very wary of doorstep offers. "We have tarmac left over from a job down the road" and a cash discount for starting tomorrow are among the oldest scams in the trade.

Driveway and Patio FAQs