In 40 seconds
A loose gravel driveway in the UK usually costs roughly £50–£110 per square metre installed, so a typical 40m² driveway works out around £2,000–£4,400 with a proper dug-out and sub-base. It is one of the lower-priced surfaces to install because the materials are inexpensive, but the cost depends heavily on how much excavation, sub-base and edging your driveway needs. A driveway that lasts comes down to the build, not the stones on top: a compacted MOT Type 1 sub-base of about 150mm, a geotextile membrane, solid edging, and an angular 10–20mm gravel laid only 40–60mm deep so it does not rut. For most front driveways no planning permission is needed because gravel is permeable, but since 2008 a new driveway over 5m² must drain on-site rather than straight to the road. The honest answer is always a range, because it depends on your size, ground and access.
Most gravel driveway guidance is published by firms laying it, so the numbers tend to be optimistic and the build glossed over. The pages below give honest cost ranges, compare loose gravel with resin-bonded fairly, explain which gravel type actually works, and set out the sub-base, membrane and edging that stop a driveway spreading — before you take a single quote.