EV charging statistics 2024
The UK’s electric vehicle (EV) public charging infrastructure is continually growing and changing shape to meet the needs of EV drivers. It covers a broad range of use cases from high powered en-route chargers for EV drivers on longer journeys, to charge points at hotels, attractions and other destinations and low powered chargers on-street to support those who do not have access to a charge point at home. This is all in addition to the estimated 850,000 charge points installed at home or work where the majority of charging still takes place.
The Zapmap Insights team, analyses the comprehensive Zapmap database of charging points to track the growth and composition of the UK's charging infrastructure, and provides a series of graphs, which are updated monthly. Individual charge points can be viewed on the Zapmap app.
How many public charging points are there in the UK?
At the end of October 2024, there were 71,459 electric vehicle charging points across the UK, across 36,060 charging locations and 108,633 connectors.
Last month, 1,025 net new charging devices were added to the Zapmap database.
The four speeds or power ratings that are tracked are defined as slow (3-7kW), fast (8-49kW), rapid (50-149kW) and ultra-rapid (150kW+). These new bandings reflect those referenced in the government's new Public Charge Point Regulations.
How is the UK charging points network growing over time?
The number of public charge points in the UK has grown from 20,964 at the end of 2020 to 53,865 at the end of 2023 and more than 70,000 by October 2024. This represents a 32% increase in devices since December 2023, and a 38% year on year increase in charge devices since October 2023.
The graph below focuses on the number of charging devices, rather than the capacity to deliver electricity. This masks the fact that devices with different power ratings 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.
How many charge points have been installed each year?
In 2024 to date, there has been 17,594 charge points added to the UK public network - this has surpassed the number for 2023, the last full year, when there were 16,602.
Over the past 4 years, the number of charge points installed has increased each year. In 2021, there were 7,496 installed, 8,803 in 2022.
The majority of charge points installed are low powered devices, mainly under 8kW which are typically found on-street, in car parks, hotels or other destinations. For the rapid and ultra-rapid chargers, the key trend is the shift towards higher powered 150kW+ ultra-rapid chargers.
How many public charging points are installed each month?
In October 2024, 1,025 net new EV charging devices were added to the Zapmap database.
This number takes into account that every month some devices are decommissioned by charge point operators. These net new figures reflect the number of additions to the Zapmap database minus those devices that have been removed from the database.
Which network has the largest number of EV chargers?
The charging network with the most charge points is Shell Recharge ubitricity, with its network of lamppost chargers. Next up is Connected Kerb, which has an extensive network of on-street chargers across the UK. In third place is Pod Point, a network of destination chargers found mainly in retail car parks, particularly supermarkets.
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.
Which areas have the most charge points across the UK?
The geographical area that has the most EV charging points is Greater London with 21,658, followed by the South East with 9,136 and West Midlands with 6,343.
Again, this aggregates all the different types of charge devices, so caution should be used when making comparisons.
How many electric charging points in the UK are rapid or ultra-rapid?
As of October 2024, there are 13,953 rapid or ultra-rapid charging devices, across 5,857 charging locations in the UK.
Last month, 247 net new rapid or ultra-rapid charging devices were added to the Zapmap database.
The power bands used are in line with the government's new Public Charge Point Regulations. Rapid chargers are from 50kW to 149kW and ultra-rapid charge points from 150kW+.
How is the UK rapid charging network growing over time?
The number of rapid and ultra-rapid chargers has grown from 3,871 at the end of 2020, to 10,118 at the end of 2023 and more than 13,000 by September 2024. This represents a 36% increase in devices since December 2023, and a 45% growth in the last 12 months.
Ultra-rapid chargers (150kW+) have grown at a particularly high rate, with more than 2,500 installed this year - meaning there are 70% more at the end of October 2024 than there were in December 2023.
How many rapid or ultra-rapid charge points have been installed each year?
In the first nine months of 2024, there has been 3,835 rapid or ultra-rapid charge points added to the UK public network - this is more than the number for 2023, the last full year, when there were 3,411.
Over the past 4 years, the number of rapid or ultra-rapid charge points installed has increased each year. In 2021, there were 1,261 installed, 1,620 in 2022.
The proportion of ultra-rapid (150kW+) charge points installed each year has risen from 36% in 2021 to 70% year to date in 2024.
Which network has the most rapid and ultra-rapid devices?
The charge point operator with the most rapid and ultra-rapid electric vehicle charging points is InstaVolt, which had 1,758 charge points at the end of October 2024.
After InstaVolt, Tesla operates the most rapid and ultra-rapid charging points in the UK, with 1,685, followed by bp pulse with 1,353.
What is the market share of rapid and ultra-rapid charging networks?
There are six networks which make up 50% market share of rapid and ultra-rapid devices. The three networks with the highest market share are InstaVolt with 12.6%, closely followed by Tesla with 12.0% and bp pulse with 9.7%.
Which areas have the most rapid charge points across the UK?
The UK geographical area that has the most rapid or ultra-rapid EV charging points EV charging points is the South East with 2,020, followed by Scotland with 1,565 and the North West with 1,512.
The North East with 490 and Northern Ireland, with 155 devices over 50kW, have the least.
How many charging hubs are there in the UK?
Currently there are 486 rapid charging hubs across the UK which are open to all EVs. Zapmap defines a charging hub as a charging location with at least six rapid (50kW-149kW) or ultra-rapid (150kW+) chargers. At the end of 2023 there were, 264, so there has been 222 new charging hubs made available across the UK since the beginning of the year.
In addition to these open charging hubs there are 62 charging hub locations only available to Tesla drivers. Tesla has already opened up many locations to all EVs, and is expected to continue to do so over the coming months.
Other data that Zapmap makes available in the public domain and updates on a regular basis includes tracking EV registrations and growth, Zapmap Price Index or best networks for EV charging.
If you are interested in more in-depth data and analysis on the EV charging market for your business, find out more or get in touch with the Zapmap Insights team.
Please note that third parties can use this data provided the source is clearly attributed to Zapmap, any graphs include the Zapmap 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.
