New data from Zapmap shows the UK added 8,670 charge points in the first half of 2025. That’s a 27% jump compared to the same period last year.
The country now has 82,369 operational chargers spread across almost 40,500 locations.
Government funding has helped drive improvements across all charger types. On-street residential devices are expanding while ultra-rapid sites and charging hubs multiply rapidly.
Charging Hubs Lead Infrastructure Growth
136 new charging hubs opened since January – each hub has six or more rapid or ultra-rapid devices.
Notable additions include:
- Two Osprey sites in Merseyside with 24 300kW chargers total
- 16-device Osprey hub in Watford
- Source’s first 12-point hub in Edinburgh
- Be.EV’s Manchester Charging Oasis with 300kW charging for up to 12 vehicles
The UK now operates 673 charging hubs nationwide.
Jade Edwards, Zapmap’s head of insights, said these hubs show where EV infrastructure is heading. They offer faster charging times, sustainable power sources, and better amenities than earlier ultra-rapid locations.
Ultra-rapid devices now outnumber rapid chargers for the first time. Ultra-rapid units (150kW+) increased 23% to reach 8,619 total devices. Rapid chargers (50-149kW) trail behind at 8,079 units.
Regional Distribution Improves
Nine of the UK’s 12 geographical regions now have more than 1,200 high-powered chargers (50kW+).
Scotland and England’s North-West saw the biggest gains – jumping 29% and 21% respectively. London and the West Midlands lagged with just 6.8% and 7.66% growth.
The North East led overall growth at 40% year-on-year across all charger types. The East of England and West Midlands followed closely with 39% and 38% increases.
Slower devices still dominate the UK’s public network. 65,671 charge points – about 80% of the total – are classified as low-powered units under 50kW.
On-Street Charging Expands Beyond London
Most kerbside chargers remain concentrated in the capital, but other regions are catching up fast.
London’s on-street charger count grew under 11% in the first six months. The rest of the UK saw increases above 25%.
Government LEVI funding is starting to show results according to Edwards.
“We’re now beginning to see LEVI funding awards feeding through the system, offering the 40% of people who do not have access to off-street parking increased opportunities to charge close to home and benefit from driving electric,”
she said.
Edwards noted the changing landscape: “The EV landscape at the mid-point of 2025 looks significantly different to six months ago, in terms of the shape of the infrastructure, EV demand and availability and the legislative landscape.”
She highlighted the importance of visible charging infrastructure for driver confidence. En-route charging and hubs don’t just help current EV drivers on long journeys – they also encourage people considering the switch to electric.
Vicky Read, CEO at industry body ChargeUK, praised the geographic spread of growth.
“It’s particularly encouraging to see growth accelerating outside of the South East, with the North East, East of England and West Midlands seeing significant increases, as well as the continued rise in the number of high-profile and high-powered hubs to support en-route charging,”
she said.
Ultra-rapid devices accounted for 1,598 of the 8,670 new installations – about 18% of all additions and the highest growth rate among charger categories.
Edwards said Zapmap looks forward to seeing what additional measures the government introduces to make public charging access more equitable across the country.
