In short
- Published 2025-26 UK cost guides put resin driveways anywhere from about £60 to around £200 per square metre, depending mainly on whether a new base is included.
- Excavation and a new permeable base are usually the biggest single variable. Overlaying sound tarmac or concrete costs less, but only works if the old surface is genuinely sound.
- Drainage, edging, awkward access, UV-stable resin and the stone blend all add to the price.
- A new dropped kerb is a separate cost with its own fees: Kent County Council handles most of Kent and Medway Council handles Medway.
- Compare quotes on base depth, resin system, stone size and layer depth, edging and VAT, not just the total.
Published resin driveway prices for 2025-26
The table below shows typical UK figures from published cost guides. They are national figures, not Kent quotes, and each guide makes different assumptions about the base, the size of the drive and what is included. All are linked in the sources at the end of this page. Your quotes will vary.
| Publisher and date | What it covers | Figure given |
|---|---|---|
| MyJobQuote, resin driveway cost (updated October 2026) | Typical installed price per square metre | £60 to £95 per square metre, split as roughly £40 to £65 materials and £15 to £30 labour |
| MyJobQuote, resin driveway cost (updated October 2026) | Example drive sizes | 30 square metres £1,800 to £3,000; 60 square metres £3,500 to £5,500; 90 square metres £5,000 to £8,000 |
| MyJobQuote, new driveway cost (updated October 2026) | Installed resin price per square metre, compared with other surfaces | Resin £70 to £120; block paving £115 to £175; tarmac £60 to £90; gravel £40 to £100; concrete £85 to £130 |
| Build It, driveway cost guide (18 October 2025) | Resin-bound for a 40 square metre drive | Material £35 to £55 per square metre (£1,400 to £2,200), plus installation of £2,000 to £3,200, on top of preparation |
| Build It, driveway cost guide (18 October 2025) | Groundworks and sub-base, all surfaces | Groundworks £20 to £100 per square metre (citing Checkatrade); sub-base installation £12 to £16 per square metre |
| Rated People, new driveway cost (prices stated as accurate for 2026) | Resin driveway totals by size | Small, 30 square metres, £6,150; medium, 60 square metres, £11,900; large, 90 square metres, £18,000; average around £10,900 |
The gap between the MyJobQuote and Rated People figures is large, and it reflects what each includes. The lower figures look closer to laying resin over a sound base or a straightforward new build. The higher ones look closer to full digging out, a new base, edging and waste removal. When you read a price per square metre anywhere, ask what is underneath it.
Digging out and building a new base
If the existing surface is gravel, soil, broken slabs, failing block paving or cracked concrete, a new base is usually needed. That is normally the largest part of the cost, and the part most likely to be cut short on a cheap quote.
- Excavation and waste: the old surface and soil are dug out, typically to a depth of 200 to 300 millimetres according to Build It, and taken away. MyJobQuote gives about £750 to £1,500 for site preparation and grading, and £500 to £2,000 to remove an old driveway, depending on the material. Concrete and tarmac cost more to break out than gravel.
- Sub-base: for a permeable resin-bound drive, the sub-base is an open-graded material such as Type 3 or 4/20, which has voids for water to pass through and be stored. Standard MOT Type 1 contains fines that slow drainage, so it isn't usually used under a permeable system. GOV.UK guidance describes both.
- Binder course: resin-bound is normally laid on a porous bound layer, usually open-graded asphalt (often called open-graded macadam) or no-fines porous concrete. This is a separate layer with its own cost.
- Ground conditions: soft spots must be dug out and refilled, and very wet or clay ground may need a drainage pipe in the sub-base. Both add time and material.
- Plant and skips: Build It gives skip hire from about £120 a week and mini digger hire around £160 a day as examples. A skip on the road also needs a permit from the highway authority.
The GOV.UK guidance on permeable front gardens suggests that the total driveway construction is normally around 200 to 250 millimetres deep, with about 150 millimetres of compacted sub-base laid over a geotextile membrane. Your installer will set the depth for your ground and traffic, but a quote that is vague about base depth is hard to compare.
Laying over existing tarmac or concrete
Overlaying an existing drive avoids most of the excavation, waste and new base, so it is usually the lower-cost route. It is only a sensible saving if the old surface is genuinely sound, because resin will follow any movement in it.
- Usually acceptable: firm tarmac or concrete with no significant cracks, sinking, potholes or crumbling edges, which drains properly and is clean of oil.
- Usually needs repairs first: isolated cracks, small potholes, low spots and worn edges. Repairs are priced on top.
- Usually not suitable: block paving, which can move, widespread cracking, a drive that sinks or rocks under a car, and very fresh tarmac that hasn't cured.
- Levels: an overlay raises the surface slightly, which can matter at door thresholds, garage doors, air bricks and the damp-proof course.
There is also a planning point. Resin-bound over impermeable tarmac or concrete no longer works as a permeable system, because water reaching the old surface has nowhere to go. On a front garden of more than 5 square metres, you may need to direct water to a lawn, border or channel, which adds cost. The front gardens guide on this site explains the rules.
Area, shape, edging and access
Price per square metre tends to fall as the area grows, because set-up, mixing, travel and minimum material quantities are spread over more ground. A small path or front forecourt can cost more per square metre than a large drive.
- Shape: curves, circles, steps, manhole covers and lots of corners take longer to form and trowel than a simple rectangle.
- Edging: resin-bound needs a firm edge. Existing walls can sometimes serve, but most drives need new kerbs, block or brick borders, or metal or timber edging. Granite setts and brick borders cost more than simple metal edging.
- Manholes and drains: inspection covers may need recessed trays so the resin can run across them, and gullies may need moving or raising.
- Access and wheelbarrow distance: resin is mixed in batches and barrowed to where it is laid, and it starts curing straight away. A long carry through a side passage, steps or a terrace with no rear access slows the job and may need more people on site.
- Labour: MyJobQuote gives a typical installation team cost of £300 to £500 a day, and 2 to 5 days for most domestic drives.
Terraced streets in places like Chatham, Gravesend, Margate and Folkestone can add parking suspension and permit costs if skips or materials have to sit on the road. Rural drives may need longer runs of edging, and steep drives may need extra work for grip.
Drainage, soakaways and channels
A permeable resin-bound drive on a permeable base may need little extra drainage, but many drives need some. Water must not run off a driveway across the public footway or road, so the highway authorities in Kent expect drainage to be dealt with within your boundary.
- Linear drainage channels across the bottom of a drive or in front of a garage, connected to a soakaway or a suitable drain.
- A soakaway: MyJobQuote gives about £850 on average, from around £660 for smaller systems and £1,000 to £1,200 or more for larger driveway soakaways.
- A pipe within the sub-base on heavy clay ground, as GOV.UK guidance suggests, so water doesn't sit in the base.
- A permeable strip, rain garden or border at the lower edge of an impermeable surface such as resin-bonded.
Ground conditions vary a lot across Kent, from chalk on the Downs and in Thanet to clays in the Weald and along the north Kent coast. An installer may suggest a simple percolation test before deciding whether a soakaway will work.
Aggregate choice and UV-stable resin
The stone and the resin are the materials you see, and both affect the price.
- Stone blends: standard natural gravels and quartz blends are usually the lower-cost options. Specialist, imported or recycled-glass blends, and very pale or bright colours, cost more.
- Stone size and layer depth: driveways usually use a larger stone size and a deeper resin layer than paths and patios. A thicker layer uses more material per square metre.
- UV-stable resin: MyJobQuote gives UV-stable resin at about £5.30 to £5.90 per kilogram, against £4.20 to £5.20 for non-UV-stable resin, with about 2 to 3 kilograms used per square metre. The difference per square metre is modest, but the effect on appearance can be large.
- Anti-slip additives: an anti-slip grit for slopes or steps adds a small cost.
- Resin-bonded systems: these use less resin and a thinner build, which is part of why they are often cheaper, but they need a sound bound base.
Dropped kerb fees in Kent and Medway
If the drive is new and you will cross a pavement to reach it, you will usually need a dropped kerb, also called a vehicle crossing. It is approved by the highway authority, not the installer, and it has its own fees on top of the driveway itself.
| Item | Published figure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Kent County Council administration fee | £441, in KCC's residential dropped kerb guidance (version 9, May 2023) | Part refunded (£204) if the application fails. Extra specialist inspections were £68 each. Check the current fee on kent.gov.uk, as fees are reviewed. |
| Medway Council site inspection fee | £450 (Medway Council website) | Non-refundable if the application is declined. |
| Medway Council road safety assessment | £128.60 (Medway guidance, April 2025) | Only where the crossing would be within 10 metres of a junction. |
| Building the crossing, Medway | Around £850 to £3,500 for a vehicle crossing (Medway guidance, April 2025) | More if the footway is wide or utilities and street furniture have to be moved. |
| Building the crossing, typical UK figure | About £2,000 (MyJobQuote) | Council application fees are extra. |
| Householder planning application, if needed | £548 in England from 1 April 2026 (Planning Portal) | Usually only needed on a classified road or where other planning rules apply. |
The crossing has to be built by the council's contractor or an approved contractor, so it is usually quoted separately from the resin work. Ask installers whether their price includes anything at the highway boundary, such as a drainage channel or a joint with the new crossing.
VAT, deposits and payment stages
Work by a VAT-registered installer is charged VAT at the standard rate, currently 20 per cent. Some smaller firms aren't VAT-registered, and the published cost guides don't all say whether their figures include VAT, so quotes can look further apart than they are. Ask every installer to state clearly whether VAT is included.
Resin drives are usually short jobs, often a few days, so payment arrangements vary. A modest deposit to secure a date and order materials is common, with the balance on completion. Be cautious about paying most of the price up front, and agree in writing what happens if the weather delays the work. Paying by credit card can give extra protection for some purchases, so check the terms with your card provider.
Reading resin driveway quotes line by line
A total on its own tells you little. These checks help you compare quotes fairly:
- Base: does the quote include digging out? To what depth? What sub-base material, how deep, and is there a geotextile membrane? What binder course, and how thick?
- Overlay: if the quote is for laying over your existing drive, what repairs are included, and what happens if the installer finds problems once the surface is cleaned?
- Resin system: is it resin-bound or resin-bonded? Which resin, and is it UV-stable? Will the installer follow the manufacturer's mixing ratio for resin to stone?
- Stone and depth: what stone blend and size, and what depth of resin layer for vehicle areas?
- Edging: what type, and where? Are existing walls being used as an edge?
- Drainage: what channels, soakaways or permeable strips are included, and where will the water go?
- Extras: manhole trays, steps, removal of waste, skip permits and any making good to lawns and borders.
- Dropped kerb: is it excluded, and does the quote allow for joining up to the new crossing?
- VAT, deposit, payment stages and any insurance-backed guarantee or written warranty.
Get quotes from local resin installers
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Sources
- MyJobQuote: Resin driveway cost (updated 6 October 2026): www.myjobquote.co.uk/costs/installing-a-resin-driveway-cost
- MyJobQuote: New driveway cost (updated 6 October 2026): www.myjobquote.co.uk/costs/new-driveway
- Build It: How much does a driveway cost in the UK? (18 October 2025): www.self-build.co.uk/driveway-cost-guide/
- Rated People: How much does a new driveway cost (prices stated as accurate for 2026): www.ratedpeople.com/blog/new-driveway-cost
- Medway Council: Apply to install or extend a dropped kerb: www.medway.gov.uk/info/200136/parking_roads_travel/476/dropped_kerbs/3
- Medway Council: Vehicle crossing guidance and self-assessment (April 2025): www.medway.gov.uk/download/downloads/id/8053/vehicle_crossingdropped_kerb_guidance_notes.pdf
- Kent County Council: Residential dropped kerb guidance and self-assessment (v9, May 2023, as circulated to KCC Scrutiny Committee, November 2023): democracy.kent.gov.uk/documents/b24318/Dropped%20Kerb%20Application%20Guidance%2001st-Nov-2023%2010.00%20Scrutiny%20Committee.pdf?T=9
- Planning Portal: A guide to fees for planning applications in England (from 1 April 2026): ecab.planningportal.co.uk/uploads/english_application_fees.pdf
- GOV.UK: Guidance on the permeable surfacing of front gardens: www.gov.uk/government/publications/permeable-surfacing-of-front-gardens-guidance
- GOV.UK: VAT rates: www.gov.uk/vat-rates