The UK has officially surpassed 75,000 publicly-available EV charge points, according to the latest data from Zap-Map.
The new figures suggest that there were 75,675 EV charge points installed and available to members of the public at the end of February, a significant 32% increase on the same period last year.
It’s not just a wave of slower destination chargers, either, as there’s been a significant uptake in the availability of high-powered (150 kW+) chargers, which have shown the strongest growth of all charger types, with a 74% uptick since February 2024. However, the installation of lower-powered on-street chargers has also continued to expand, particularly for drivers without the option of charging at home.
Ionity had the honour of installing the 75,000th EV charger, with its installation at the Village Hotel in Bristol helping the UK hit this all-important milestone. That charger has the capability to deliver 350 kW of power, and is located close to the M4, M5 and M32 motorways – ideal for those on long journeys who need a quick top up.
Where does the UK’s EV charging market go from here?
There were nearly 20,000 EV chargers installed across the UK in 2024, and if that installation rate is to continue, we could see 100,000 EV chargers available to the UK public by the end of 2026. And there’s no reason to expect that the roll-out of chargers will slow down anytime soon.
The UK Government recently led a £65 million investment in Connected Kerb, a company that has ambitions to more than quadruple the number of sockets in its network in the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, Roam, the firm previously known as EVC, has committed to installing 100,000 EV chargers across Europe, including many of which will be located in the UK.
Vicky Read, CEO at ChargeUK, commented, “Reaching 75,000 public charge points is a significant milestone and an incredible achievement for an industry that is barely a decade old.
“We know a successful transition to EVs depends on world-class charging infrastructure being deployed ahead of demand. Today’s announcement is yet more proof that ChargeUK’s members are getting on with the job, with the public network having grown by 37% in 2024.
“But now is not the time for complacency. Millions more EVs will be sold in the coming years, so we need to keep the momentum going with ChargeUK’s members having committed to invest £6 billion by 2030 to do just this.
“Though translating investment into chargers requires a supportive policy environment. That means a strong and stable ZEV mandate and positive steps to address barriers to affordability and deployment, such as equalising VAT, a solution to rising standing charges, and the speeding up of grid connections.”
