The Short Answer
On our estimates, an imprinted (pattern-imprinted) concrete driveway costs about £95 to £130 per m², so £4,750 to £6,500 for 50m². A drive that size takes about five to six days to lay, then it needs time to cure before you park on it.
Sealing is normally part of the job, but it needs redoing every few years (£4 to £10 per m² on top of a clean). It isn't permeable, so a front drive needs drainage, and pipes or cables underneath can't be reached without breaking it up.
Driveway cost calculator
Priced per square metre for a full new drive, plus the drainage and dropped kerb that quotes often leave out.
Estimated total
£5,900 to £8,500
| Imprinted concrete, 50m², dug out with a new sub-base and edging | £4,750 to £6,500 |
| Skips or grab lorry for the dig-out | £450 to £700 |
| Drainage to keep rainwater on your land (soakaway or channel) | £700 to £1,300 |
Imprinted concrete prices
| Size | Imprinted concrete | Plain concrete, for comparison |
|---|---|---|
| 20m² | £1,900 to £2,600 | £1,500 to £2,400 |
| 50m² | £4,750 to £6,500 | £3,750 to £6,000 |
| 90m² | £8,600 to £11,700 | £6,800 to £10,800 |
What makes it last
- Crack control joints cut into the concrete reduce the risk of the cracking it can develop over the years.
- A sound sub-base: the government's front garden guidance describes about 150mm of compacted sub-base over a geotextile membrane.
- Curing time: concrete needs about 7 to 10 days before it takes a car, and dry, mild weather to lay.
- Resealing every few years.
- Services checked first: make sure gas, water and cable routes under the drive are known before it's poured.
Planning
Imprinted concrete isn't porous. In a front garden, an imprinted drive over 5m² must be porous or drain onto your own land, or it needs planning permission. See driveway planning.
Get imprinted concrete driveway quotes
Imprinted concrete is priced by area, pattern and colour.
Free, no obligation. We're paid by MyJobQuote when a tradesperson buys your job, never by you.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an imprinted concrete driveway cost?
On our estimates, about £95 to £130 per m², so £4,750 to £6,500 for a 50m² two-car drive.
How much for a 30m2 driveway?
About £2,850 to £3,900 in imprinted concrete, or £2,250 to £3,600 in plain concrete, on our estimates.
What is the downside of stamped concrete?
It can crack over the years without proper control joints, it needs resealing every few years, it isn't permeable, and anything buried underneath can't be reached without breaking it up.
Are imprinted concrete driveways any good?
Laid well, with control joints, a sound sub-base and regular resealing, they're a hard, patterned surface. A front drive needs drainage onto your own land.
How often does imprinted concrete need resealing?
Every few years. On our estimates, sealing costs about £4 to £10 per m² on top of cleaning.
Is imprinted concrete cheaper than block paving?
Usually a little dearer: £95 to £130 against £80 to £130 per m² for block paving, on our estimates.
How we priced thisView sources (8, 2 official)
Rules come from the legislation and official guidance, read at source. Prices are our estimates: we check them against trade price data, retailer shelf prices and specialists' price lists, then build them up from their parts so the totals add up. Below are the sources behind the page; the trade price guides we only compare against aren’t listed. Where sources disagreed, we've said so. More on our method.
- OfficialThe Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, Schedule 2 Part 1, legislation.gov.uk. Checked 16 Oct 2026.
- OfficialGuidance on the permeable surfacing of front gardens (September 2008), Department for Communities and Local Government (GOV.UK). Checked 15 Oct 2026.
- Trade guideImprinted concrete driveway cost, MyJobQuote. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
- Trade guideImprinted concrete cost, Checkatrade. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
- Trade guideConcrete driveway cost, MyJobQuote. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
- Trade guideNew driveway cost guide, MyJobQuote. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
- Trade guideCost to power wash a driveway, MyJobQuote. Checked 16 Oct 2026.
- Trade guideCost to clean a driveway, Checkatrade. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
