The UK’s public charging network is failing to meet driver needs, according to a critical report from the Public Affairs Committee.
While charger numbers are growing rapidly, distribution remains heavily concentrated in London, creating what the committee calls a “stark” regional divide. The network is also uneven along motorways, lacks accessibility for disabled drivers, and creates cost disparities between public and private charging.
The report confirms the UK is on track to meet its 300,000 chargers target by 2030, but notes London currently has 43% of all public chargers. Less profitable rural areas risk being left behind without government intervention.
Ministers criticized the Department for Transport for missed targets and delayed funding on motorway chargers.
Motorways should act as a “shop window” for EV charging to build driver confidence, the report states. However, around a third of service stations still don’t meet the DfT’s target of having at least six ultra-rapid chargers — a requirement that should have been fulfilled by late 2023.
The DfT has failed to deliver any of the £950 million earmarked in 2020 to support charger roll-out on strategic roads.
Only 10 out of 78 local authority installation projects had been approved for delivery by October 2024, against a March 2025 deadline.
Government must “move at pace”
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, the PAC’s chair, said the government must “move at pace” to overcome delays and ensure no one is left behind in the EV transition.
“Meeting numerical targets for charging points is all very well. Delivering thousands of points allowing Londoners to easily zip around the capital while leaving the rest of the UK’s network patchy is obviously an outcome to be avoided,” he said.
“Drivers need confidence that they can use an EV without any risk of getting stranded, or they won’t make the switch. It is imperative that the motorway network has a complete range of charging points as soon as possible to provide some confidence to drivers who wish to travel about the entire country.”
Vicky Read, CEO of charging industry body ChargeUK, said the PAC report echoed many of its own findings and recommendations.
“Nationally there are now over 75,000 public charge points and nearly one million overall. Charge point provision is running ahead of demand, but ChargeUK’s members want to roll out even faster, especially in areas where deployment has taken place less quickly than we would like,” she said.
“As the report highlights, the keys to ensuring this on a local level are the removal of delivery barriers and the speeding up of funding schemes, such as the Local EV Infrastructure Fund, as well as clarity on the future of the Rapid Charging Fund.”
Accessibility and cost concerns
The report warns that disabled drivers are being left behind, with no charge points in the UK currently fully compliant with accessibility standards set out in 2022.
It calls for urgent action to address accessibility issues and for a cut in VAT on public charging to ensure those without off-street parking aren’t disadvantaged by higher charging costs compared with domestic tariffs.
Clifton-Brown added: “We are risking baking a serious injustice into the fabric of a major part of our national infrastructure. It similarly needs to understand how to remedy financial inequalities for those who have no choice but to use public charge points.”
Read said ChargeUK’s members are working to address accessibility issues. “ChargeUK is actively working with Government, Motability and other disability groups to ensure all stakeholders with responsibility for charge point provision, which includes local authorities, private landlords and charging equipment manufacturers, are clear on the steps required to provide accessible charging.”
