Automatic & Electric Bollards

Battery-powered automatic bollards

Our DriveGuard Automatic is battery-powered. There’s no cable to run from your house to the drive, so there’s no trench across the garden, no electrician and nothing to connect to your fuse box.

That makes it a good fit for drives where running power would be awkward or expensive, such as long drives, block paving you’d rather not lift, or a bay away from the house. It raises and lowers from two remotes, just like a mains bollard, and servicing by our team is included in the price.

How do electric bollards work?

A motor inside the bollard raises and lowers the post when you press a remote or key fob. Our DriveGuard Automatic runs on a battery, so there’s no cable to your house; mains-powered models like the BFT Stoppy are wired in as part of the installation.

The post itself sits inside a steel housing set in concrete below your drive. When it’s lowered, only the flat top of the bollard shows, flush with the surface, so you can drive and walk straight over it. When it’s raised, the post is held up by the mechanism, so it can’t simply be pushed back down.

Do automatic bollards stop keyless car theft?

Keyless thieves relay the signal from your key inside the house, open the car and drive away, often in under a minute. An automatic bollard doesn’t stop them getting in, but with the post raised in front of the car, there’s no way out.

Because it rises at the press of a button, an automatic bollard actually gets used every night. That’s its biggest advantage: a bollard only protects your car when it’s up.

What’s it like to live with an automatic bollard?

Easy. Pull onto the drive, press the remote and the bollard rises behind or in front of the car. In the morning, press it again from the driver’s seat and drive away.

When visitors arrive or a delivery van needs to reverse in, lower it from the house or the car, then raise it again afterwards. There’s no bending, no keys and no heavy lifting, whatever the weather.

Automatic bollards for older drivers and mobility needs

If bending down to unlock and lift a post is difficult, or will be one day, an automatic bollard removes the problem entirely. It’s one of the most common reasons our customers choose one. If you’d rather avoid a power supply, the Semi-Automatic is a middle ground: you unlock it with a key and the gas spring does the lifting.

Can an automatic bollard go in any driveway?

Most drives, yes. We fit automatic bollards into block paving, tarmac, concrete and resin. Because the housing is larger than a telescopic sleeve, we check what’s under the surface first, including cables, pipes and drains, and plan the position and power run around them.

If you’re having a new drive laid, tell us early. Fitting the housing and duct before the surface goes down is the neatest and simplest way to do it.

Electric, hydraulic or semi-automatic?

Electric (electro-mechanical) bollards use a motor and are the most common choice for homes. Hydraulic bollards use a pump and oil and are mostly found on heavy commercial sites; we don’t fit hydraulic models. Semi-automatic bollards use a gas spring instead of a motor: you unlock them with a key, they help themselves up, and they lock when pushed down, with no power needed.

How does a semi-automatic bollard work?

A semi-automatic bollard sits between a lift-assist post and a fully automatic one. There’s no motor and no power supply. Instead, a gas spring inside does the lifting.

To raise it, you unlock it with the key and the post rises on its own. To lower it, unlock it and push it down with your foot until it locks flush with the drive. Our Semi-Automatic is a substantial 700mm high and 219mm across, so it’s very visible, and because it needs no cable it’s a good choice where running power to the drive is difficult.

What happens in a power cut?

Electro-mechanical models like our BFT Stoppy Automatic Bollard lower automatically if the power fails, so you’re never trapped in or out. Ask us how each model behaves and we’ll talk you through it.

Are automatic bollards safe?

Look for good visibility (our BFT Stoppy Automatic Bollard has a reflective strip) and sensible positioning so no one is near the post when it moves. We’ll go through the safety features of your model at handover.

Position matters most. We place the bollard clear of where the car sits when parked and away from paths people walk along, so it only ever rises into empty space. If children play on the drive, we’ll talk through where the bollard and the remotes are best kept.

Which automatic bollard is right for you?

For most homes, the DriveGuard Automatic (£2,999 fitted). It’s our most popular automatic driveway bollard: 600mm high, brushed stainless steel, two remotes, and servicing by our expert local installers included in the price.

For wide drives, private roads and parking areas, the BFT Stoppy Automatic Bollard (from £5,999 fitted) is a larger electro-mechanical rising bollard, 500mm or 700mm high and up to 200mm across, in anthracite or stainless steel, with a 36-month warranty.

If you’d like the ease of a bollard that helps itself up but don’t want a power supply, the Semi-Automatic (from £4,999 fitted) uses a gas spring. Unlock it and it rises; push it down and it locks itself.

How much does an automatic bollard cost to install?

Automatic bollards cost more than telescopic posts because there’s more to them: a motor and control unit, a battery or mains power, and more groundwork to house the mechanism and drain it properly.

Our fitted price is the full price: the bollard, the groundwork, drainage, wiring for mains models, and making good around it. It never changes on the day. The DriveGuard Automatic is £2,999 fitted with servicing included. If your budget is tighter, a lift-assist bollard (from £1,499) gives the same protection with far less lifting, and a telescopic bollard starts from £799.

What’s involved in fitting an automatic bollard?

First we look at your drive: where the car parks, what’s under the surface, and, for a mains bollard, where the power can come from. Then we dig out for the bollard housing and add a drainage layer, because water sitting around a motor is the main thing that shortens its life.

For a mains bollard we run the cable from your property in a protective duct; the battery-powered DriveGuard needs no cable at all. Either way, we set the housing in concrete and make good around it, so the finished bollard sits neatly in your drive. Finally we test it, pair your remotes and show you how it works, including what to do if the power is ever off.

How do you control an automatic bollard?

With a remote or key fob, like a garage door. Press once and the post lowers so you can drive over it; press again and it rises behind you. The DriveGuard Automatic comes with two remotes and our BFT Stoppy Automatic Bollard with two key fobs, so a second driver in the house has their own.

Do you need planning permission for electric bollards?

Not usually, for a bollard on your own private driveway. As with any bollard, check with your council first if your home is listed, in a conservation area, or if the drive is shared or has a right of way across it. Bollards on pavements, verges or roads are on public highway and need council permission.

Can an automatic bollard stop an SUV?

A raised automatic bollard is a solid steel post set in concrete, so a car or SUV can’t simply be driven over or past it. For larger drives and bigger vehicles, the taller 700mm BFT Stoppy Automatic Bollard gives extra height.

Like all driveway bollards, ours aren’t crash-rated barriers of the kind used at airports or government buildings. They’re built to stop a thief driving your car off your drive, which is how cars are stolen from homes.

Automatic bollard or electric gates?

Electric gates close off the whole entrance, but they need space to swing or slide, a solid post or wall on each side, and often a bigger budget. Gates over a metre high next to a road can also need planning permission.

An automatic bollard protects the car itself, keeps the front of your house open, and works on drives where gates simply won’t fit. Many homes with gates add a bollard too, because a gate can be forced while a bollard in front of the car still stops it leaving.

Do automatic bollards work in winter?

Yes. The biggest risk to any bollard in winter is water freezing inside the housing, which is why every automatic bollard we fit sits on a proper drainage layer. Keep the top of the bollard clear of leaves and snow so it can move freely.

Looking after an automatic bollard

An automatic bollard is a machine with moving parts, so a regular check-up keeps it reliable. The DriveGuard Automatic includes bi-annual servicing, and our electro-mechanical BFT Stoppy Automatic Bollard comes with a 36-month warranty.

Automatic bollards for homes and businesses

We fit automatic bollards on home drives, private roads, office and communal car parks. For multiple bollards, we plan the power and positioning across the whole site.

For businesses, automatic bollards are a simple way to reserve spaces for staff, residents or visitors, protect vehicles parked overnight, or stop unwanted traffic using a private road, while letting the people who need access drive straight in.

How long do automatic bollards last?

With good drainage and regular servicing, an automatic bollard should give years of reliable use. The two things that shorten its life are water sitting around the mechanism and neglect, which is why every bollard we fit has a drainage layer, the DriveGuard Automatic includes bi-annual servicing, and our BFT Stoppy Automatic Bollard comes with a 36-month warranty.