Electric vehicle public charging infrastructure statistics: April 2024
Published 30 April 2024
© Crown copyright 2024
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/electric-vehicle-public-charging-infrastructure-statistics-april-2024/electric-vehicle-public-charging-infrastructure-statistics-april-2024
About this release
This release presents statistics on the number of publicly available electric vehicle charging devices in the UK, broken down by local authority for January to March 2024. Data is provided by the electric vehicle and charging point platform Zapmap and is correct as at midnight 1 April 2024.
These statistics are released under the ‘official statistics in development’ label – formerly called experimental statistics. For more information, see the About these statistics section and the methodology note published alongside this release series.
The timeline of this publication series includes periods of coronavirus (COVID-19) related restrictions. As such, figures in this release may be affected and should be interpreted with caution.
The next quarterly report is scheduled for release in July 2024.
Charging device speed categories changed in October 2023. The new categories are 3 kilowatts (kW) up to 8kW, 8kW to 49kW, 50kW to 149kW and 150kW and above. The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) are working with industry on a naming conventions for these new categories; until this is determined we will refer to the new categories by their power rating banding in this release series.
Due to this change in speed categories, please interpret timeseries data with caution.
We welcome feedback on this quarterly publication. If you would like to provide feedback please email electric vehicle charging infrastructure statistics.
Headline figures
As of 1 April 2024, there were 59,670 public electric vehicle charging devices installed in the UK, within which:
Charging Speed:
- 11,590 had 50kW of power or above, this represents 19% of all charging devices
- 35,339 had a power rating of 3kW up to 8kW, this represents 59% of all charging devices
Location:
- 27,583 were designated as ‘destination’ chargers, this represents 46% of all charging devices
- 22,199 were designated as ‘on street’ chargers, this represents 37% of all charging devices
Compared to 1 January 2024:
- total installed devices increased by 5,993, an increase of 11%
- there was an increase in the number of public charging devices in all regions of the UK
Compared to 1 April 2023:
- total installed devices increased by 19,520, an increase of 49%
UK growth in public charging devices
Table EVCD_01a and Table EVCD_01b provide a breakdown of public charging devices in each local authority in the UK whilst Table EVCD_03 shows the change in the number of devices since 2015. These tables are published alongside this report.
Chart 1: Installed UK public charging devices, midnight, 1 of month, since 2015 (table EVCD_03)
Chart 1 is a bar chart showing the consistent growth in total public charging devices since January 2015. Compared to 1 April 2023, total installed devices increased by 19,520, an increase of 49%.
Chart 2: Installed UK public rapid charging or above devices, midnight, 1 of month, since 2015 (table EVCD_03)
Chart 2 is a bar chart showing the consistent growth in higher powered devices since January 2015. Due to the change in speed categories in October 2023, this timeseries is broken and should be interpreted with caution. This chart shows the number of 25kW and above devices (previously referred to as ‘rapid or above devices’) in each quarter up to October 2023. October 2023 onwards displays the number of 50kW and above devices. As of 1 April 2024, there were 11,590 50kW and above public charging devices, this accounted for 19% of all charging devices.
Speed of charging devices
Chart 3: Public charging devices by charging speed 1 April 2024 (table EVCD_04)
Chart 3 is a doughnut chart showing the proportion of charging devices across speed categories. The largest speed category was 3kW up to 8kW, which accounted for 35,339 (59%) of all charging devices. The smallest speed category was 150kW plus, which accounted for 8% (4,662) of all charging devices.
Location of charging devices
Chart 4: Public charging devices by destination of charging device 1 April 2024 (table EVCD_05)
Chart 4 is a doughnut chart showing the proportion of charging devices across location categories. The most common location category for charging devices was ‘destination’ accounting for 27,583 charging devices or 46% of all publicly available charging devices. ‘On street’ charging devices accounted for 37% of charging devices or 22,199. Further information can be found in Annex B.
Charging device location categories are defined based on both the type of facility they are located in and who can access this but also the type of charging service they are designed to deliver.
On street - charging devices located on residential streets only.
En route - charging devices located for charging to continue a journey. Located in motorway service areas, service stations, electric forecourts and ferry terminals. Additionally 50kW and above charging devices in hotels, restaurants and attractions.
Destination - charging devices located at the end of an Electric Vehicle journey or where a driver may typically stop for an extended period of time. Consists of both 50kW and above and 49kW and below charging devices located in retail car parks, car parks, leisure, education areas and transport (except ferries), in addition 49kW and below charging devices located at hotels and restaurants.
Other - charging devices which are semi-public with some level of access restrictions such as workplace car parks and dealership forecourts.
Regional distribution of charging devices
Across all speeds in total, there is an uneven geographical distribution of charging devices within the UK. Some UK local authorities have bid for UK government funding for charging devices, and others have not. Most of the provision of this infrastructure has been market-led, with individual charging networks and other businesses (such as hotels) choosing where to install devices.
Chart 5: Public charging devices per 100,000 of population by UK country and region: 1 April 2024 (table ECVD_02a)
Chart 6: Public 50kW and above charging devices per 100,000 of population by UK country and region: 1 April 2024 (table ECVD_02b)
Chart 5 is a bar chart showing the variation in total device provision across each region and country of the UK. London and Scotland had the highest level of charging provision per 100,000 of population, with 221 and 93 devices per 100,000 respectively. In comparison, the average provision in the UK was 89 per 100,000.
Northern Ireland had the lowest level of charging device provision in the UK, with 29 devices per 100,000, followed by the North West and Yorkshire and the Humber, each with 53 devices per 100,000.
Chart 6 is a bar chart showing the variation in 50kW and above device provision across each region and country of the UK. Scotland had the highest rate of 50kW and above device provision at 24.2 charging devices rated 50kW and above per 100,000, whilst the average provision in the UK was 17.3 per 100,000. 50kW and above charging device provision was lowest for Northern Ireland with 7 charging devices rated 50kW and above per 100,000. London was the second lowest region with 13 charging devices rated 50kW and above per 100,000.
Maps 1 and 2 are maps of the UK displaying the geographic variation in charging devices, with the number of devices labelled on each area of the map corresponding to a UK region or country.
An interactive map of this data is available and breaks device provision down further to local authority level.
Maps 1 and 2: Total and 50kW and above public charging devices per 100,000 of population by UK region 1 April 2024
Quarterly change in public charging devices
Maps 3 and 4: Change in public charging devices, per region between January to March 2024; percentage and (number of devices)
Map 3 is a map of the UK showing that the number of total charging devices increased in every region and country of the UK between January to March 2024. The North East had the greatest increase at 21.7%, whilst London had the lowest increase, of 5.1%. The South East had the greatest increase in absolute number of devices at 979 devices, followed by London at 953.
Map 4 is a map of the UK showing that the number of 50kW and above devices increased in every region and country in the UK between January to March 2024. The region with the smallest percentage increase in the number of 50kW and above devices was Yorkshire and the Humber at 8.8%. Northern Ireland had the largest percentage increase in 50kW and above devices at 70.5%, corresponding to an increase of 55 devices rated 50kW and above.
Please note that this data represents available devices at a snapshot in time. Although an increase between 2 points in time likely reflects new installations, increases occur when devices are added to the dataset, which is not always the same as when they were installed. Decommissioned charging devices are also removed from the total number of devices. An increase in devices therefore reflects the net increase between the 2 snapshots of data in that period rather than the number of installations in that period. For more information please see the methodology note that accompanies this release series.
Further detail on the change in charging device numbers displayed in Maps 3 and 4 can be found in Annex C.
Rural Urban Classification (England only)
From October 2023, this release has included the number of total charging devices (table ECVD_06a) and the number of 50kW and above charging devices (table ECVD_06b) in England by rural urban classification in table format.
Chart 7: Proportion of public charging devices available by rural urban classification in England, 1 April 2024
Chart 7 is a tree-map showing the breakdown of charging devices in England according to rural or urban classification. In England, 85.2% of public charging devices were in an urban setting. The urban classification with the largest proportion of charging devices was urban major conurbation (49.7% of all devices). The rural classification with the largest proportion of charging devices was rural village and dispersed (7.6% of all devices). Further rural urban classification breakdowns including for 50kW and above charging devices can be found in the tables published alongside this report.
Parliamentary Constituencies
From October 2023 we have published the number of total charging devices (table ECVD_07a) and the number of 50kW and above charging devices (table ECVD_07b) by parliamentary constituency in table format.
About these statistics
These statistics are released under the ‘official statistics in development’ label – formerly called experimental statistics. Official statistics in development are official statistics that are temporarily undergoing a development and are being tested with users, in line with the standards of trustworthiness, quality, and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics.
These statistics do not meet the rigorous quality standards of accredited official statistics, for example with respect to partial coverage.
As we source the data from Zapmap, we request that any reference to this report is clearly attributed to Zapmap as the source of the data as well as this Department for Transport (DfT) report.
Electric vehicle charging infrastructure is a rapidly developing policy area, so this release series may develop alongside changes in policy and user interest. We welcome feedback from users of the statistics, which can be provided via electric vehicle charging infrastructure statistics.
More information about our methods and the development plan for these statistics can be found in the methodology note that accompanies this release series.
X (formerly Twitter): to hear more about DfT statistical publications as they are released, please follow us on X via DfTstats.
Annex A: Public charging device by 100,000 population table
Table 1: Total and 50kW and above public charging devices per 100,000 of population by UK region 1 April 2022 (Maps 1 and 2)
| Region | Devices per 100,000 population | 50kW and above devices per 100,000 population |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 89.0 | 17.3 |
| North East | 73.4 | 15.9 |
| North West | 53.3 | 15.7 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 53.3 | 15.1 |
| East Midlands | 58.3 | 19.7 |
| West Midlands | 81.1 | 20.6 |
| East of England | 64.1 | 17.0 |
| London | 221.3 | 13.0 |
| South East | 77.4 | 17.2 |
| South West | 74.9 | 20.2 |
| Wales | 81.9 | 17.9 |
| Scotland | 92.6 | 24.2 |
| Northern Ireland | 28.6 | 7.0 |
Annex B: Location of charging devices
Table 2: Location of public charging devices 1 April 2024; number of devices and percentage of total
| Location | Number of devices | Percentage of total |
|---|---|---|
| On street charging devices | 22,199 | 37.2% |
| Destination charging devices | 27,583 | 46.2% |
| En route charging devices | 4,128 | 6.9% |
| Other charging devices | 5,760 | 9.7% |
Annex C: Regional changes table
Table 3: Change in public charging devices, per region between January to March 2024; number of devices and percentage change
| Region | Total devices change | Total devices change percent |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 5,993 | 11% |
| North East | 346 | 21.7% |
| North West | 326 | 9% |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 254 | 9.5% |
| East Midlands | 381 | 15.5% |
| West Midlands | 714 | 17.3% |
| East of England | 500 | 14% |
| London | 953 | 5.1% |
| South East | 979 | 15.7% |
| South West | 679 | 18.9% |
| Wales | 296 | 13.2% |
| Scotland | 485 | 10.6% |
| Northern Ireland | 80 | 17.2% |
Instructions for printing and saving
Depending on which browser you use and the type of device you use (such as a mobile or laptop) these instructions may vary.
You will find your print and save options in your browser’s menu. You may also have other options available on your device. Tablets and mobile device instructions will be specific to the make and model of the device.
How to search
Select Ctrl and F on a Windows laptop or Command and F on a Mac
This will open a search box in the top right-hand corner of the page. Type the word you are looking for in the search bar and press enter.
Your browser will highlight the word, usually in yellow, wherever it appears on the page. Press enter to move to the next place it appears.
Contact details
Electric vehicle charging infrastructure statistics