Wolverhampton Driveway Replacement Cost 2026: Our Prices for Tarmac, Concrete and Resin
Driveway replacement cost in Wolverhampton comes down to two things: the surface going down and how much of the old drive has to come out first. We have been laying drives across Wolverhampton and the West Midlands for over 25 years. This guide sets out our 2026 rates per m², totals by drive size, and the costs that sit outside the per m² price.
Tarmac: £95-£100 per m²
Pattern imprinted concrete: £95-£100 per m²
Resin bound: £160-£180 per m², including a new base
Edging blocks: £20-£30 per linear metre
Drainage channels: £20-£40 per metre
These are guide prices at our rates for driveways in Wolverhampton and the surrounding area. Every drive is priced after a free site visit, because access, drainage, size, location and the amount of excavation all change the final figure.
How much does it cost to replace a driveway in Wolverhampton?
Replacing a driveway in Wolverhampton costs £95-£100 per m² for tarmac or pattern imprinted concrete and £160-£180 per m² for resin bound, at our 2026 rates. A typical 50m² two-car drive comes to £4,750-£5,000 in tarmac or concrete and £8,000-£9,000 in resin. Edging, drainage and an unusually heavy dig-out are on top.
The surface is the smaller part of what you pay for. Most of the money goes on breaking out the old drive, digging down to firm ground, putting in a compacted sub-base and getting a crew and machinery to site. That is why two drives of the same size can come back at different prices.
Driveway replacement cost per m² by surface
We replace old drives with three surfaces: tarmac, pattern imprinted concrete and resin bound. Each has its own price, lifespan and drainage needs.
Tarmac: £95-£100 per m²
Tarmac is laid hot over a compacted sub-base. A typical domestic drive has a binder course of around 50mm with a 20-30mm surface course on top. A well-installed tarmac drive can last 15-20 years. Standard tarmac does not let water through, so falls, channels or a soakaway are designed around the plot. The full breakdown is in our tarmac driveway cost guide.
Pattern imprinted concrete: £95-£100 per m²
At our rates, pattern imprinted concrete costs the same as tarmac. The price covers the excavation, sub-base, steel reinforcement mesh, the pour, the pattern and colour, and a sealer coat. If it is properly laid and resealed every 3 to 5 years, it lasts 20 to 25 years or more. Like tarmac, it is not permeable, so drainage has to be part of the job. Patterns and finishes are covered in our concrete driveway cost guide.
Resin bound: £160-£180 per m²
Resin bound is the most expensive surface we lay. The rate is a full install: the dig-out, a new base and a hand-trowelled resin surface at least 18mm deep. We check on the survey whether any of the existing base can be reused. On a proper base, a resin bound drive lasts up to 25 years. Our guide to resin driveway cost explains what sits behind the price.
Driveway replacement cost by size
These are guide totals at our rates, before edging, drainage and extras:
Driveway size | Typical use | Tarmac or imprinted concrete | Resin bound |
30m² | One car | £2,850-£3,000 | £4,800-£5,400 |
40m² | Two cars side by side | £3,800-£4,000 | £6,400-£7,200 |
50m² | Two cars with room to turn | £4,750-£5,000 | £8,000-£9,000 |
60m² | Two to three cars | £5,700-£6,000 | £9,600-£10,800 |
90m² | Four to six cars | £8,550-£9,000 | £14,400-£16,200 |
Very small drives tend to cost more per m². Getting a crew, a roller and a load of material to site costs the same whether the area is 15m² or 60m², so those fixed costs are spread over fewer metres.
Worked example: replacing a 48m² driveway
A 6m by 8m drive is 48m². At our rates, the surface alone comes to:
Tarmac: £4,560-£4,800
Pattern imprinted concrete: £4,560-£4,800
Resin bound: £7,680-£8,640
Add 20m of edging blocks (£400-£600) and a 6m drainage channel across the front (£120-£240). A tarmac or concrete drive then comes to £5,080-£5,640, and a resin bound drive to £8,200-£9,480.
To measure your own drive, multiply the length by the width in metres. Split an L-shaped or curved drive into rectangles, work each one out and add them together.
What affects the cost of taking out the old driveway?
We do not quote a separate removal figure, because no two old drives come out the same way. What moves the price is how much has to come out, what it is made of and how far it has to be carried. These are the things we look at on a site visit:
The size of the old drive. More area means more to break out and more spoil to take away.
How deep we have to dig. If the existing base is sound, less has to come out. If it is not, we dig down to firm ground and put in a new sub-base.
What the old surface is. Old concrete is slow and heavy to break out.
Muck-away. Spoil is taken away by the load, so the volume of earth, clay and rubble shows up directly in the price.
Ground conditions. Soft clay, old tree roots and soft spots found during the dig all add time and extra sub-base.
Access. A wagon and machinery need to reach the drive. Narrow entrances, shared access and long carries from the road slow the job down and add labour.
Levels. If the new surface would sit too high against doors or airbricks, the ground has to come down further.
On a tarmac driveway we laid in Oldbury, over 140 tonnes of earth and clay came out before any sub-base could go down. A dig-out on that scale shows up clearly on a quote.
What is a driveway overlay, and is it cheaper than replacing?
A driveway overlay is a new surface laid over the existing drive without digging it out. With no excavation, no muck-away and no new sub-base, it costs well below a full replacement. It only works when the old drive is stable and well drained, and low enough to take the extra height without blocking airbricks or door thresholds.
An overlay will not fix a drive that is cracked, sinking or rutted. On a failing base it hides the problem for a year or two, then the cracks come back through in the same places. Those drives need the old surface out and the base rebuilt, which is priced as a full replacement. Our guide to driveway resurfacing covers when an overlay is worth doing.
Extras on top of the per m² rate
Some items are priced separately from the surface:
Edging blocks: £20-£30 per linear metre
Drainage channels: £20-£40 per metre
Soakaway: priced on its size and the ground conditions
Dropped kerb: arranged through the council and priced separately
Manhole covers and stopcocks: raised or lowered to the new level
Steps, walls or retaining work on a sloping plot
Feature borders, contrasting bands and patterns: priced on the design
A tarmac drive we finished in Castlecroft, Wolverhampton, has Tobermore blocks around the edge, a typical extra on top of the per m² rate. Ask for each extra as its own line on the quote so you can see what you are paying for.
Do you need planning permission to replace a driveway?
Not if the new drive is permeable, or if the rainwater runs off to a lawn or border on your own property. Government guidance on front gardens applies this to new and replacement driveways alike. If you cover more than 5m² of front garden with an impermeable surface and the water has nowhere permeable to go, you need planning permission.
Standard tarmac and pattern imprinted concrete are both impermeable. On a replacement in either, we set the falls to carry water to a border, or add a channel drain and a soakaway. Resin bound laid on a permeable base lets the water drain through it. Our guide to driveway soakaway regulations covers the options.
Different rules can apply in a conservation area or to a listed building. If either applies to your home, check with the council before work starts.
Widening the drive or adding a dropped kerb in Wolverhampton
A replacement that keeps the same entrance uses the dropped kerb already outside your house. Widening the entrance or creating a new access means extending the kerb or putting in a new one, and that goes through the City of Wolverhampton Council. The council’s current rules are:
Every dropped kerb needs permission from the council’s Highways Assets team.
The council charges a non-refundable £160 inspection fee for a Highway Technician to visit. It gives its decision within 21 days of the visit, and the approval is valid for 12 months.
The standard width is three flat kerbs (2.7m) plus two tapers. The council is unlikely to approve a dropped kerb the full width of the property, and that includes extending an existing one.
The front garden must be at least 5.5m deep. The opening between walls, fences or hedges must be at least 2.7m wide.
Planning approval is also needed on A, B or C classified roads, in conservation areas, for listed buildings and where the building is split into flats.
Only accredited contractors holding a council “Permit to Dig” licence can work on the public highway.
Only the council can move lamp posts or street signs, and it charges a fixed price for this. Telegraph poles, street cabinets and inspection covers have to be arranged and paid for with the company that owns them.
The council also says not to create the driveway until all permissions are in place and the dropped kerb application has been accepted. We price any dropped kerb separately from the driveway.
How to compare driveway replacement quotes
Two quotes for the same drive can be thousands of pounds apart because they describe different jobs. Ask each installer to put these in writing:
Whether the old drive is being dug out or overlaid.
The dig-out depth and the sub-base depth.
What happens to the spoil, and whether skips or muck-away are included.
The thickness of the new surface. For tarmac that means the binder and surface courses. For concrete it means the slab depth and the reinforcement mesh. For resin it means the resin depth and whether the product is resin bound or resin bonded.
How water will be dealt with, and whether that keeps you within the front garden drainage rules.
What edging is included.
The guarantee, and what it covers.
Treat a very low quote as a warning sign. A price that skips the sub-base, thins the concrete or lays resin on a poor base usually means paying for the drive twice. Our guarantee is 10 years, covering materials, workmanship and structure. Our own team does every job, from breaking out the old drive to the final sweep.
Our driveway prices across Wolverhampton and the West Midlands
The rates on this page are what we charge around Wolverhampton and the wider West Midlands, including south Birmingham. Recent drives include tarmac in Castlecroft and Oldbury, resin bound in Pendeford, and pattern imprinted concrete in Tettenhall, Bushbury and Bloxwich. For a figure on your own drive, contact us and Pete or one of the team will come out, measure up and price it line by line.
Driveway replacement cost questions
Does the price include taking the old driveway away?
Yes. We price the whole job, from breaking out the old drive to the final sweep. The final figure depends on how much has to come out, what it is made of and how far it has to be carried. That is why every drive is priced after a site visit.
Is it cheaper to replace a driveway with tarmac or concrete?
At our rates they cost the same: £95-£100 per m² for tarmac and for pattern imprinted concrete. Resin bound costs more, at £160-£180 per m². The choice between tarmac and concrete usually comes down to looks, lifespan and upkeep.
Can a new driveway be laid over the old one?
Sometimes. A sound, well-drained drive with room for the extra height can take an overlay. A cracked, sinking or rutted drive cannot, because the faults come back through the new surface.
How long does a replacement driveway last?
Tarmac: 15-20 years when well installed
Pattern imprinted concrete: 20-25 years or more, resealed every 3 to 5 years
Resin bound: up to 25 years on a proper base
Do I need a new dropped kerb when I replace my driveway?
Not if the drive keeps the same entrance. You only need to apply to the council if you are widening the access or creating a new one. In Wolverhampton, that starts with the council’s £160 inspection fee.
