Manual vs electric gates

Price, side by side

All installed prices. VAT not stated. Read 28 October 2026.

What the extra money buys

ShamFix's guide describes it well: a manual gate is the leaf, hinges, posts and latch. Automation adds the drive system, control board, remote or keypad, obstruction protection and a suitable electrical route. A sliding gate also needs the right rack, track or cantilever.

Electric makes sense when

• You come and go by car several times a day
• The gate is heavy, wide, or on a slope
• You want the gate kept closed for children, dogs or security
• Someone in the house finds a heavy gate hard to open
• You want visitors to buzz in, by keypad or intercom

Manual makes sense when

• The gate stays open most of the day
• It's a light gate on a level entrance
• There's no power near the entrance and running it would be costly
• Budget is tight now, with a motor planned later
• It's a pedestrian gate

Running costs

A manual gate needs its hinges greased and its finish looked after. An electric gate needs that plus a yearly service of the motor and safety devices. BM Alarm Systems puts maintenance at €100–€300 a year. ShamFix and Cork Security Gates both give €150–€400. Electricity use is small, because the motor runs for seconds at a time, but ask the installer about standby use.

Safety: the real difference

A manual gate is just a gate. An electric gate is a machine that can trap and crush. The Health and Safety Authority safety alert warns that powered gates can present "a very real danger of entrapment and crushing of adults or children, which could lead to serious injury or death", particularly where the gate is opened remotely without sight of it. Force limitation and photo beams on both sides of the gate are the minimum. Children shouldn't play near an automatic gate, and remotes shouldn't be left where they can.

Planning to automate later

If you're fitting manual gates now and may add a motor:

• Choose a gate and hinges strong enough to be automated
• Lay a duct for the power cable under the drive while it's open
• For sliding gates, have the track or cantilever set up for a motor
• Leave room on the pier or post for a ram, or a pit for an underground motor

Pedestrian gates

A side gate for people on foot is usually left manual, even when the driveway gate is electric. If you want it on the same system, it can take an electric lock released by the keypad or intercom, which costs less than motorising a leaf. Have it priced with the driveway gate, in the same style and finish, so they match.

Questions to ask

• Can this gate be automated later, and what would that involve?
• What's the yearly service on the electric version?
• What happens in a power cut?
• Is the electrical connection included, and who certifies it?
• Is VAT in both prices?

Questions people ask