The UK’s public charging network reached two major milestones in April. The country now has more than 120,000 charging devices nationwide – and ultra-rapid charging hubs have crossed the 1,000 mark for the first time.
Zapmap data shows there are currently 120,388 public EV chargers across the UK. The number of ultra-rapid chargers – those capable of 150kW or higher – has also topped 1,000 installations.
Melanie Shufflebotham, Zapmap’s COO, called the milestone a “significant landmark” for the country’s EV transition.
The 120,000th charger was a 22kW unit installed by Raw Charging at Lydford Gorge, a popular tourist destination in Devon.
“Surpassing 120,000 public EV chargers is a remarkable milestone for the UK and a clear signal that the nation’s charging infrastructure is maturing at pace,” said Neil Broadbank, Raw’s chief commercial officer. “We’re delighted that one of Raw’s chargers is the 120,000th installation.”
Ultra-Rapid Growth Outpaces Industry
While the milestone charger was a standard-speed unit, ultra-rapid installations continue driving the fastest growth. These 150kW+ devices have grown 40% year-on-year and now total 13,346 across the country.
More importantly, there are now 1,004 charging hubs – sites with eight or more high-powered chargers clustered together.
The hub model addresses one of drivers’ biggest concerns about switching to electric vehicles. Instead of hunting for single chargers that might be broken or occupied, these larger sites offer multiple options and faster charging speeds.
Shufflebotham emphasized the network’s growing diversity across different location types.
“The availability of a network of 120,000 public chargers across on-street, destination and en-route locations is not just a significant milestone for the UK EV market but also a great result for EV drivers,” she said. “We’re seeing increasing numbers of drivers making the switch to electric, and an extensive network of public charging options, both in high visibility hubs and in convenient destinations where people will be stopping anyway, helps drive confidence.”
Vicky Read, CEO of ChargeUK, used the milestone to push for additional government support. She pointed to rising petrol prices as motivation for accelerating EV adoption policies.
“Two million EVs and 120,000 chargers. The electric transition is well down the road and as petrol prices remain high it’s time for government to hit the accelerator,” Read said. “Sticking to EV sales quotas and fixing the policy issues pushing up public charging costs would be a win for the cost of living, climate and economic growth.”
However, industry leaders also highlighted remaining challenges in the network’s development.
Vicky Edmonds, CEO of EVA England, said the achievement shows progress but noted accessibility gaps that still need addressing.
“That includes drivers with disabilities, who still cannot safely access much of the network, and drivers who cannot reliably charge at home who remain too exposed to much higher public charging costs,” Edmonds said. “The next phase must be about building a charging network that is affordable, accessible and works for every driver.”
The milestone comes as the UK approaches two million registered EVs nationwide – a ratio of roughly 60 chargers per 1,000 electric vehicles.
