- over 75,000 public chargers now available in the UK with a new charger added to the network every 29 minutes
- EVs made up one in 4 cars sold in February, with the UK biggest EV market in Europe in 2024
- government investing more than £2.3 billion to help industry and drivers make a supported switch to EVs, creating jobs and delivering our Plan for Change
Millions will find it easier to drive an electric vehicle (EV) or make the switch as the UK reaches the landmark of 75,000 public chargers.
Backed by £200 million in government investment, today (12 March 2025) Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has confirmed this significant milestone – with public chargers rolled out at the lightning speed of one every 29 minutes.
The number of public chargers sits alongside over 680,000 domestic chargepoints at people’s driveways, helping ensure EV drivers or those looking to make the switch are never too far from a chargepoint.
This flagship moment comes as the government is investing over £2.3 billion to help industry and consumers make a supported switch to EVs. This is creating high paid jobs, attracting investment and tapping into a multi-billion pound industry to make the UK a clean energy superpower and deliver the Plan for Change.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said:
Today is a landmark day in our EV transition. With prices coming down, new models constantly introduced on the market and a public charging network expanding at lightning speed, there’s never been a better time to make the switch to an EV.
We’re not stopping here – with both government and private investment, the number of chargers will continue to grow. This means everyone can get around with the confidence they’re always a very short drive from a charger, as we continue to support jobs, drive investment and power growth as part of our Plan for Change.
A further 100,000 on-street and local chargers will be rolled out in the coming years in smaller towns and rural areas – helping those without a driveway charge easily overnight – thanks to £381 million from the department’s Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund (LEVI).
This follows strong growth in the number of chargepoints in rural areas, which increased by 45% in 2024 and comes on top of over £6 billion of private investment in the pipeline.
Government support for the sector continues to be wide ranging with £120 million confirmed to help drivers and businesses buy zero-emission vans, taxis and electric motorcycles.
Recently, the department also announced it has rolled out more than 1,400 chargepoints at schools and over 59,000 chargers at offices and workplaces across the country, improving access to chargepoints and fitting charging an EV around people’s everyday lives.
Consumer confidence in EVs is clear, as February was a record month for EV sales, with one in 4 of all cars sold electric. The UK was the largest EV market in Europe in 2024 with over 382,000 EVs sold – up a fifth on the previous year.
Owning and buying an EV is also becoming increasingly cheaper. One in 3 used electric cars are sold at under £20,000 and 21 brand new electric cars are available from under £30,000. Drivers are also able to save up to £750 a year compared to petrol if they mostly charge at home.
The average range of a new electric car is now 236 miles – that’s about 2 weeks of driving for most people – all the while emitting just one-third of the greenhouse emissions of a petrol car during its lifetime.
With 24/7 helplines, contactless payments and up-to-date public chargepoint locations, charging has now become easier than ever.
