The charging lottery
Research reveals UK hot and not spots for public rapid EV charging
The Orkney Islands may only have a few hundred electric vehicle owners, but it still has the second highest concentration of rapid EV chargers in the UK. Meanwhile, the city of Leicester has just three.
These are the results of research by car leasing comparison site LeaseLoco.
Loose wires
Analysis reveals that Orkney has 66.5 devices per 100,000 population. There are only 22,000 inhabitants of Orkney, but electric vehicle owners already have access to 15 public fast chargers across the inhabited Islands.
In comparison, there are only three rapid charging devices available to the public in Leicester. Here the population is over 350,000, with almost 2,500 registered EV owners.
The lack of rapid electric vehicle charging points and the inconsistencies are frustrating existing and, potential, EV drivers.
The Orkney mainland takes just 45 mins to drive around. City of London (81.2 devices per 100,000) is the only local authority with a higher density of rapid chargers than Orkney.
Where’s the socket
Analysing the latest Department of Transport data on publicly available electric vehicle charges, reveals there is a huge disparity in terms of spread across the UK charging network.
Currently, there are only 8,461 public rapid charging devices across the UK according to the Department of Transport. That means, less than 1 in 5 public chargers (19.2%) are fast charging.
Rapid charging can boost the car battery to 80% in 30 minutes. In comparison, using a 7kW charging point could mean a charge time of four hours to top up, and up to eight hours from empty.
The data reveals that Milton Keynes (151) has more rapid charging devices than any other town/city in the UK, outside London, followed by Birmingham (141). In comparison, Liverpool only has 23 rapid chargers – less than 6% of all the public devices across the city. Harlow, in Essex, doesn’t have any.
UK towns and cities rapid charging devices
Town/City |
Number of rapid chargers – July 2023 |
Harlow |
0 |
Woking |
2 |
Leicester |
3 |
Blackpool |
3 |
Stevenage |
3 |
Edinburgh |
79 |
Wakefield |
80 |
Leeds |
111 |
Birmingham |
141 |
Milton Keynes |
151 |
Across all local authorities in the UK, almost 50% have less than 1 in 4 chargers that are rapid. A quarter of authorities have less than 1 in 7 chargers that are fast.
Of those local authorities with more than 10 public rapid charging stations, Thurrock has the highest percentage – with 75% of its network comprising rapid devices. While 32 local authorities offer at least 50% rapid charging across their network.
Fewest public rapid electric vehicle chargers as a percentage of the total number of chargers
Local Authority |
Number of rapid EV chargers |
Total number of EV chargers |
% rapid chargers of total EV chargers |
Harlow |
0 |
23 |
0.0 |
Kensington and Chelsea |
5 |
696 |
0.7 |
Southwark |
25 |
1,726 |
1.4 |
Brent |
20 |
814 |
2.5 |
Ribble Valley |
1 |
38 |
2.6 |
Leicester |
3 |
114 |
2.6 |
Merton |
18 |
676 |
2.7 |
Windsor & Maidenhead |
3 |
103 |
2.9 |
Richmond upon Thames |
11 |
344 |
3.2 |
Bracknell Forest |
2 |
61 |
3.3 |
Conwy |
2 |
60 |
3.3 |
Watford |
7 |
209 |
3.3 |
Across the regions, Wales has made the most progress in growing its rapid charging network. The number of fast charger installations has increased 78% in the past 12 months.
London (24%) and the North East (25%) have made the slowest progress in growing their rapid charging networks over the past year.
Growth in rapid charging devices across UK regions over the past 12 months
Region |
EV charging points – July 2022 |
EV charging points – July 2023 |
EV charging points per 100k popl. |
% increase in charging points |
North East |
282 |
353 |
13.3 |
25.2 |
North West |
491 |
773 |
9.9 |
49.3 |
Yorkshire & Humber |
491 |
697 |
12.7 |
42.0 |
East Midlands |
445 |
627 |
12.8 |
40.9 |
West Midlands |
583 |
874 |
14.7 |
49.9 |
East of England |
521 |
736 |
11.6 |
41.3 |
London |
760 |
943 |
10.7 |
24.1 |
South East |
880 |
1,255 |
13.5 |
42.6 |
South West |
512 |
756 |
13.2 |
47.7 |
Wales |
213 |
379 |
12.2 |
77.9 |
Scotland |
775 |
1,051 |
10.2 |
35.6 |
Government running flat
“The latest figures from the Department of Transport show just why range anxiety has given way to charging anxiety, ” says John Wilmot, CEO, LeaseLoco. “The lack of rapid chargers across the UK is a genuine concern for electric car owners.”
Wilmot believes the situation has to improve if the momentum toward private EVs is to be grown, let alone sustained.
“There is a desperate need, particularly on motorways, for more rapid charging devices or EV owners face lengthy wait times when charging their cars on the go.
“There doesn’t appear to be any cohesion when it comes to rolling out rapid chargers. And the disparity across the country between areas when it comes to rapid charging is stark.
“Although home charging will have a pivotal role to play as we move towards the new petrol and diesel car ban in 2030, there is going to be a huge reliance on the public charging network. And the ramifications on local economies of a substandard charging infrastructure could be severe.
“It’s also making the Government’s job that much harder, trying to convince the public to early switch to electric, when they can see the potential problems they may face if they have to use public chargers on a regular basis for work or pleasure.”