Electric vehicle public charging infrastructure statistics: January 2024
Published 31 January 2024
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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 October to December 2023. Data is provided by the electric vehicle and charging point platform Zapmap and is correct as at midnight 1 January 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.
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 April 2024.
As of October 2023, charging device speed categories have changed. 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 the naming conventions for these new categories, until these are determined we will refer to the new categories by their power rating 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 charging vehicle infrastructure statistics.
Headline figures
As of 1 January 2024, there were 53,677 public electric vehicle charging devices installed in the UK, within which:
Charging Speed:
- 10,118 had 50kW of power or above, this represents 19% of all charging devices
- 31,910 had a power rating of 3kW up to 8kW, this represents 59% of all charging devices
Location:
- 24,121 were designated as ‘destination’ chargers, this represents 45% of all charging devices
- 20,705 were designated as ‘on street’ chargers, this represents 39% of all charging devices
Compared to 1 October 2023:
- total installed devices increased by 4,457, an increase of 9%
- there was an increase in the number of public charging devices in all regions of the UK
Charging device speed definitions, kilowatts (kW)
Total devices represent publicly available charging devices at all speeds.
This release includes new speed category breakdowns, which we will be moving to in this release series after this quarter. The new categories are:
- 3 kilowatts (kW) up to 8kW
- 8kW to 49kW
- 50kW to 149kW
- 150kW and above
During this transition, we have continued to include commentary on the former speed categories. This quarterly release will be the final quarterly release that contains commentary on the former speed categories. Where these are presented alongside the new speed categories, care should be taken if making any comparison.
Former categories:
- Slow Charging Devices represents 3kW to 6kW
- Fast Charging Devices represents 7kW to 22kW
- Rapid Charging Devices represents 25kW to 100kW
- Ultra Rapid Charging Devices represents 100kW plus
Under the former definition, rapid charging or above devices are those whose fastest connector was rated at 25kW and above and included charging devices classified as either rapid or ultra-rapid.
Due to the change in speed categories, please interpret timeseries data with caution.
UK growth in public charging devices
Since 1 January 2023, the number of installed public devices has increased by 16,622, a 45% increase. Under the former definition, the number of rapid charging or above devices increased by 52%, an additional 3,604 public devices installed. Under the new speed categories, there were 10,118 50kW and above public charging devices, this accounted for 19% of all 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 2: Installed UK public rapid charging or above devices, midnight, 1 of month, since 2015 (table EVCD_03)
Speed of charging devices
Chart 3: Public charging devices by charging speed 1 January 2024 (table EVCD_04)
Chart 3 shows the proportion of charging devices across speed categories, and compares this between the former and new speed categories. The largest speed category within the former categories was ‘fast’ charging devices (7kW to 22kW), which accounted for 53% of all charging devices, while in the new speed categories, 3kW up to 8kW had the highest proportion of charging devices at 59% (31,910). This apparent expansion of devices seemingly grouped into lower kW rates under the new categories can be explained by the high number of ‘overnight’ chargers powered at 7.1kW (the standard speed for an ‘overnight’ charger). Previously, these were included in the ‘fast’ category in the former speed categories but now are in the 3kW up to 8kW category.
Location of charging devices
Chart 4: Public charging devices by destination of charging device 1 January 2024 (table EVCD_05)
Chart 4 shows the most common location category for charging devices is ‘destination’ accounting for 24,121 charging devices or 45% of all publicly available charging devices. ‘On street’ charging devices account for 39% of charging devices or 20,705. Further information can be found in Annex B.
Charging device location categories are defined based on both the physical/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 January 2024 (table ECVD_02a)
Chart 6: Public 50kW and above charging devices per 100,000 of population by UK country and region: 1 January 2024 (table ECVD_02b)
Chart 5 and Map 1 show London and Scotland had the highest level of charging provision per 100,000 of population, with 210 and 84 devices per 100,000 respectively. In comparison, the average provision in the UK was 80 per 100,000.
Northern Ireland had the lowest level of charging device provision in the UK, with 24 devices per 100,000, followed by the North West and Yorkshire and the Humber, each with 49 devices per 100,000.
When focusing on speeds of 50kW and above Chart 6 and Map 2 show that Scotland had the highest rate of device provision at 21.4 50kW and above charging devices per 100,000, whilst the average provision in the UK was 15.1 per 100,000. 50kW and above charging device provision was lowest for Northern Ireland with 4.1 50kW and above charging devices per 100,000. London was the second lowest region with 11.9 50kW and above charging devices per 100,000.
An interactive map of this data is available.
Maps 1 and 2: Total and 50kW and above public charging devices per 100,000 of population by UK region 1 January 2024
Change in public charging devices
Maps 3 and 4: Change in public charging devices, per region between October to December 2023; percentage and (number of devices)
As Map 3 shows, the number of charging devices increased in all regions of the UK between October to December 2023. The South West had the greatest increase at 17%, whilst the North East had an increase of 3.9%. London had the greatest increase in absolute number of devices at 1,553 devices, followed by the South West at 524.
The number of available devices can fluctuate for a range of reasons. Increases likely reflect the installation of new devices, whilst owners and operators can choose to temporarily or permanently decommission or replace devices. Charging devices can also be unavailable due to faults, maintenance or other restrictions in the area where they are located, though data on the status of charging devices is not held by the Department for Transport (DfT).
Map 4 shows that the number of 50kW and above devices increased in every region in the UK between October to December 2023. The region with the smallest percentage increase in the number of 50kW and above devices was Yorkshire and the Humber at 2.7%. Northern Ireland had the largest percentage increase in 50kW and above devices at 41.8%, corresponding to an increase of 23 50kW and above devices.
Further detail on the change in charging device numbers between October and December 2023 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. Public charging devices within an urban setting make up 85.5% in England.
Chart 7: Proportion of public charging devices available by rural urban classification in England, 1 January 2024
Chart 7 compares the number of charging devices across the rural urban classifications. The urban classification with the largest proportion of charging devices was urban major conurbation (51.5% of all devices). The rural classification with the largest proportion of charging devices was rural village and dispersed (7.2%). Further rural urban classification breakdowns including 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.
The charging device location data for this release is sourced from the electric vehicle charging platform Zapmap and represents devices reported as operational at midnight, 1 January 2024. Zapmap report they cover 95% of publicly accessible devices. The total count of charging devices in the UK (when accounting for privately installed devices) will therefore be higher and we have no way of assessing whether data coverage is better in some geographical areas than others.
There are currently no other sources with such comprehensive coverage against which we could verify the Zapmap devices. As of 17 January 2024, the National Chargepoint Registry (NCR) covers 39,411 devices so cannot be used to verify the Zapmap counts. The NCR, whilst covering fewer devices, does contain more detailed information on each charging device including the exact location and number of connectors.
These statistics are under continuous development and are subject to testing in terms of their volatility and ability to meet customer needs. We welcome feedback from users of the statistics, particularly as we have added to the contents of this publication within the last year. This can be provided via electric vehicle charging infrastructure statistics.
More information about the development plan for these statistics is in progress and will be available in a methodology and background note which will be published to accompany this release series in due course.
Background notes and limitations of data
This is a quarterly statistical release on electric vehicle charging devices. We welcome feedback from users of the statistics, particularly as we have added to the contents of this publication within the last year. This can be provided via electric vehicle charging infrastructure statistics.
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 DfT report.
A charging device is a unit capable of charging the batteries of plug-in electric vehicles. Devices are classified by their power output, and each device may offer one or more connecting points. The term ‘chargepoint’ is also sometimes used, including in previous statistical publications from DfT. This may refer to either a single device or a number of connectors on a device which can be used simultaneously.
Charging devices have largely been funded by private sector investment, however a number of the devices have been Government funded via a number of grant schemes operated by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV). OZEV also provides grant funding for private domestic charging and workplace charging devices, which are included in the quarterly electric vehicle charging device grant scheme statistics publication. Private domestic and workplace charging devices are not included within these statistics, as they are not necessarily available to the general public.
A device can have several connectors of varying types and speeds. Some devices can charge only one vehicle at once, whilst others can charge multiple simultaneously. The Zapmap data does not indicate how many cars can be charged by a single device, therefore the statistics count the device itself. There is often more than one device at a location. Charging capability in any given location (the number of cars able to be charged at the same time) will be higher than the number of devices.
Population figures by local authority are sourced from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Population Mid Year Estimates for 2021. The local authority administrative geographies are from April 2021 and the parliamentary constituency data are from December 2021, available from the ONS Geography Portal.
The Rural Urban Classification (RUC) of a charging device is determined using the device’s Lower Layer Super Output Area (LSOA), which is placed into one of the eight RUC2011 categories. The classification information can be found on the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs website. The administrative geographies can also be found on the ONS Geography Portal.
Data after July to September 2019 reflects charging devices which were available at the end of each quarter. Data previous to this uses charging devices which were available at July to September 2019, but were installed in previous quarters before this. Subsequently, these figures do not include any devices installed before July to September 2019 that were decommissioned or unavailable at the time.
This quarterly statistical series complements 3 earlier releases presenting statistics on observed usage and charging patterns for electric vehicle charging devices funded under various OZEV schemes:
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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 January 2024 (Maps 1 and 2)
| Region | Devices per 100,000 population | 50kW and above per 100,000 population |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 80.1 | 15.1 |
| North East | 60.3 | 14.6 |
| North West | 48.9 | 13.2 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 48.7 | 13.9 |
| East Midlands | 50.4 | 17.1 |
| West Midlands | 69.1 | 18.4 |
| East of England | 56.2 | 14.9 |
| London | 210.5 | 11.9 |
| South East | 66.9 | 15.2 |
| South West | 63.0 | 17.0 |
| Wales | 72.3 | 14.2 |
| Scotland | 83.8 | 21.4 |
| Northern Ireland | 24.4 | 4.1 |
Annex B: Location of charging devices
Table 2 - Location of public charging devices 1 January 2024; percentage and number of devices
| Location | Number of Devices | Percentage of Total |
|---|---|---|
| On street | 20,705 | 39% |
| Destination | 24,121 | 45% |
| En route | 3,581 | 7% |
| Other | 5,270 | 10% |
Annex C: Regional changes table
Table 3 - Change in public charging devices, per region between October to December 2023; percentage and (number of devices)
| Region | Total devices change |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 9.1% (+4,457) |
| North East | 3.9% (+60) |
| North West | 15.0% (+473) |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 5.7% (+145) |
| East Midlands | 10.1% (+225) |
| West Midlands | 6.9% (+264) |
| East of England | 8.1% (+267) |
| London | 9.2% (+1,553) |
| South East | 6.4% (+374) |
| South West | 17.0% (+524) |
| Wales | 9.0% (+185) |
| Scotland | 8.3% (+353) |
| Northern Ireland | 7.9% (+34) |
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