The UK’s electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure is continually growing and changing shape to meet the needs of EV drivers. Through the data collected to drive the Zap-Map app, Zap-Map tracks these myriad changes to provide the EV charging statistics below. Zap-Map updates the reports, which detail how many electric charging points in the UK there are, on a monthly basis.
The tables and charts below show the growth rate of UK charge points, which are the largest networks, and the distribution of UK charging points by geographical area, as well as how many electric charging points in the UK there are at the end of each month. You can also see how many rapid charging points there are across the country.
In addition to the monthly EV charging statistics, Zap-Map tracks EV sales data and offers a variety of insight reports as well as the annual EV Charging Survey, designed to assist organisations of all types in making the switch to electric vehicles. Please get in touch for more information on data_requests@zap-map.com.
Please note that third parties can use this data provided the source is clearly attributed to Zap-Map, any graphs include the Zap-Map logo, and a link is added back to https://www.zap-map.com in the body of the article. The data must be strictly copied and updated manually, no automated data collection can be applied in any form. The data can only published in its original state and without any modifications.
How many public charging points are there in the UK?
Zap-Stats – February 2023
23066
Locations
38982
Devices
63984
Connectors
1250
Last month
At the end of February 2023, there were 38982 electric vehicle charging points across the UK, across 23066 charging locations. This represents a 33% increase in the total number of charging devices since February 2022.
Last month, 1250 new EV charging devices were added to the Zap-Map database.
These figures show how many electric charging points in the UK there are that are part of the country’s public EV charging infrastructure. However, they do not include the many charge points installed at home or at workplace locations, which are estimated to be more than 400,000. Some of these EV charging points are available to the public in some form via community or visitor charging.
How is the UK charging points network growing over time?
As the chart reveals, the past few years have seen a significant increase in the number of public EV charge points in the UK. Between the end of 2016 and 2021 the charge point network grew four-fold from 6,500 to more than 28,000 devices and between 2020 and the end of 2021, close to 7,500 charge points were added to the UK network, a growth of 36%.
Number of public UK charging points by speed (2016 to date)
Source: Zap-Map database. Updated: 28th February 2023
The chart above also breaks down the number of charging devices by speed or power rating over the past six years. The four speeds or power ratings that are tracked are defined as slow (3-6kW), fast (7-22kW), rapid (25-99kW) and ultra-rapid (100kW+).
The charging network is made up of different types of charge points for different use cases, from high speed en-route chargers and charging hubs to destination chargers and on-street provision.
This graph focuses on the number of charging devices, rather than the capacity to deliver electricity. This masks the fact that devices with different power rating provide a significant difference in capacity. For instance, while rapid and ultra-rapid chargers only make up around 20% of total devices, they account for around 60% of the total capacity.
Which network has the largest number of EV chargers?
The pie chart below shows the market share of the charging networks in the UK by number of devices. Currently, ubitricity, with its network of lamppost chargers, operates the most public charging devices in the UK. Next up is Pod Point, a network of destination chargers found mainly in retail car parks, particularly supermarkets. In third place is bp pulse, which has an extensive network of rapid and destination chargers across the UK.
This data combines devices across all the different power ratings, and the data shows the network with the most charge points but not the highest amount of charging capacity.
Network market share UK – all electric vehicle charging points
Total charge devices: 38982. Source: Zap-Map database, 28th February 2023
Which areas have the most charge points across the UK?
The geographical area that has the most EV charging points is Greater London with 12246, followed by the South East with 4969 and Scotland with 3857.
Again, this aggregates all the different types of charge devices, so caution should be used when making comparisons.
Distribution of UK charging points by geographical area
Total charge devices: 38982. Source: Zap-Map database, 28th February 2023
How many electric charging points in the UK are rapid and ultra-rapid?
Rapid/Ultra-rapid Chargers – February 2023
4170
Locations
7426
Devices
15598
Connectors
377
Last month
As of February 2023, there are 7426 rapid and ultra-rapid charging devices, across 4170 rapid and ultra-rapid charging locations in the UK.
Last month, 377 new rapid and ultra-rapid charging devices were added to the Zap-Map database.
Since February 2022, there has been a 82% increase in the number of ultra-rapid devices across the country.
What is the most common rapid connector?
The chart below shows the split by the different types of rapid/ultra-rapid connectors across UK public chargers.
In 2016, the most common connectors were Tesla Type 2, used by the Tesla Superchargers, plus CHAdeMO and Type 2 AC – used by the two most popular electric vehicles available, the Nissan Leaf and Renault Zoe respectively.
Since then, Type 2 AC 43kW use has declined, while CHAdeMO and Tesla Type 2 numbers have grown steadily, with CCS emerging as the most common DC charging standard in the UK.
In 2023, CCS now has the largest number of rapid connectors, it supports power ratings from 25kW up to 350kW, and is included on the majority of new EVs released onto the market, including the newer Tesla models.
Number of rapid and ultra-rapid public charging connectors by type (2016 to date)
Total rapid connectors: 15598. Source: Zap-Map database, 28th February 2023
Which charge point network has the most rapid and ultra-rapid chargers?
The network with the most rapid or ultra-rapid electric vehicle charging points is the Tesla network, which had 991 charge points at the end of February 2023.
After Tesla, InstaVolt operates the most rapid or ultra-rapid charging points in the UK, with 970, followed by bp pulse with 880.
Network market share – rapid and ultra rapid devices
Total rapid and ultra-rapid devices: 7426. Source: Zap-Map database, 28th February 2023.
Please note that third parties can use this data provided the source is clearly attributed to Zap-Map, any graphs include the Zap-Map logo, and a link is added back to https://www.zap-map.com in the body of the article. The data must be strictly copied and updated manually, no automated data collection can be applied in any form. The data can only published in its original state and without any modifications.
