UK EV Charging Infrastructure Accelerates with New Milestones

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Over the past year, the UK’s electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure has achieved significant expansion, marking a pivotal stage in the nation’s journey towards transport decarbonisation.

According to recent data, the public EV charging network has grown by 23% year-on-year, adding 15,000 new chargers and bringing the total number of units to 86,021 as of October 2025. This means a new charger is being added approximately every 33 minutes. Within this total, there are now over 17,356 rapid or ultra-rapid chargers capable of replenishing an electric car to 80% within 20 to 40 minutes.

Expansion in charger numbers is broadly distributed across regions. The data reveals particularly strong growth in Yorkshire and the Humber, Wales, the West Midlands, and the East of England. From October 2024 to October 2025, public charging devices increased by 23.4% outside London compared to 21.7% within the capital. Additionally, there are now more than 6,000 open-access rapid and ultra-rapid chargers located within one mile of England’s Strategic Road Network, demonstrating concerted effort to support long-distance EV travel.

Earlier in the year, first-half 2025 figures showed the installation of 8,670 new charge points across the UK. a 27% rise compared to the same period in 2024 reaching a total of 82,369 devices across 40,479 locations. High-powered charging hubs have also surged: 136 new hubs (six or more rapid or ultra-rapid chargers per site) were deployed in the first half of the year, lifting the total to 673. Notably, ultra-rapid chargers (150 kW+) increased by nearly 23% in that period, numbering 8,619 units and now outnumbering rapid chargers.

Regional uptake of ultra-rapid infrastructure is also notable: nine out of 12 UK regions now have over 1,200 chargers of 50 kW or more, while six regions exceed 1,500. Particularly strong growth was seen in Scotland (29%) and the North West (21%). Although lower-powered chargers (< 50 kW) still make up nearly 80% of total infrastructure, they remain a critical part of the network, especially for slower or destination-based charging needs. On-street charging has also seen strong momentum. In the first half of 2025, 3,709 new on-street chargers were installed, bringing the total to 29,227. While London remains the leading location for such infrastructure, the rest of the UK is now catching up with a 25% increase outside the capital compared to under 11% within it. Quarterly figures provide further confirmation of this trend. Between July and September 2025, 3,928 new public charge points were added, raising the total number of chargers to 86,021 across 43,507 locations a 22% year-on-year gain. Ultra-rapid chargers (over 150 kW) grew to 9,290 units, 51% more than in September 2024. The number of charging hubs climbed to 663, including 212 new hubs introduced in the last year.

Investment continues at scale. Be.EV invested £2.5 million to expand ultra-rapid charging in London and unveiled its largest hub with 18 × 300 kW chargers at Telford Centre in Shropshire. Zest opened an 18-bay 300 kW facility in Edmonton, serving both local and en-route charging needs. Osprey added 16 × 300 kW chargers near Glasgow Airport, and partnerships between Extra MSA and Ionity have increased charging provision at Cambridge, Cobham, and Peterborough to 24 × 350 kW chargers per site, with future rollouts planned for additional service areas. Policy support is contributing to the rollout. A £25 million Electric Vehicle Pavement Channels Grant has been launched in England to help residents without driveways access home charging, improving affordability and convenience. Earlier, the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund committed to delivering 100,000 new public chargepoints across England to support an estimated need of 300,000 UK-wide by 2030, backed by £6 billion in private investment. What this means: The UK’s EV charging infrastructure is accelerating in scale, speed, and sophistication. A near-tripling of high-powered chargers, escalating hub installations, and diverging regional growth are helping to build driver confidence and enable broader EV adoption. Government funding programmes such as LEVI and pavement grants are critical enablers, while major private-sector investments are translating into tangible charging infrastructure. Looking ahead, continued alignment between infrastructure deployment, regional equity, and technology innovation will be key. With demand rising and EV adoption accelerating, the UK must maintain momentum in expanding accessible, reliable, and fast charging solutions nationwide. Sustainable transport depends on it. Upcoming Events: Net Zero Scotland Projects Conference -16 June 2026, Edinburgh

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