The UK’s public electric vehicle charging network grew to 121,171 chargers across 46,731 locations by the end of June 2026, marking a 10% year-on-year increase according to the
The UK’s public electric vehicle charging network grew to 121,171 chargers across 46,731 locations by the end of June 2026, marking a 10% year-on-year increase according to the latest mid-year data from Zapmap.
The first half of 2026 saw 5,119 new public EV chargers installed, driven heavily by council Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) contract rollouts and a nationwide push for high-powered highway hubs.
Zapmap said the growth picture reveals a developing focus on two key areas: meeting the needs of the next wave of EV drivers, who may not have off-street parking, and providing high-powered charging throughout the strategic road network to support longer journeys.
With some 40% of UK households lacking off-street parking, on-street residential chargers saw the highest year-on-year growth at 18%, totalling 39,859 devices.
En-route locations, designed for drivers looking to recharge their vehicle as quickly as possible on longer journeys, now extends to 13,711 EV chargers and has grown 15.2% year-on-year.
The number of charging hubs across the country – defined as sites with eight or more rapid or ultra-rapid devices – now stands at 1,034, with 108 of them being added to the Zapmap database in the first half of 2026. Significant new hubs since Zapmap’s last quarterly update include Gridserve’s latest Electric Super Hub at Moto Lymm Services on the M6, comprising 24 ultra-rapid chargers.
In parallel, the figures show the charging network is pivoting toward ultra-rapid charging options of 150kW and above, which surged by 37% year-on-year to reach 13,996 chargers. Meanwhile, rapid chargers continue to see the lowest growth rate of all power bands, as devices are upgraded to higher power ratings with the potential to deliver a faster charging experience for EV drivers.
Destination charging, where people charge when stopped, rather than stopping to charge, covers several use cases, from retail sites through gyms and restaurants to theme parks. This category now extends to 62,609 EV chargers, representing 5.7% year-on-year growth.
While slow chargers under 50kW make up the majority of destination sites, operators are increasingly installing high-powered devices at locations where drivers stay for less than four hours. This shift is feeding into the wider nationwide boom in ultra-rapid infrastructure.
Local authorities are beginning to convert Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) funding allocations from the Government into major regional deployment contracts, according to the Zapmap data.
The majority of local authorities and combined authorities have now received allocations from the LEVI fund, although many are still at the tender, commercial contract and planning phases.
This use case has seen the highest recent year-on-year growth, but Zapmap says further acceleration is likely as contracts translate into chargers in the ground.
LEVI contract announcements over the past quarter include Hampshire County Council selecting Believ to deliver possibly the biggest LEVI contract signed to date, bringing 17,180 public EV chargers to the region supported by £6.6m of public funding.
Char.gy has won a deal to roll out over 1,500 public EV chargers across the Isle of Wight, backed by £1.625m of LEVI funding. The on-street charging expert has also been selected by Reading Borough Council to deliver its LEVI infrastructure, with plans for 2,600 chargers around the borough.
Simultaneously, Zapmap’s statistics show progress in the regional distribution of high-powered chargers this year. Nine out of 12 geographical areas of the UK now have over 2,000 50kW+ chargers and four of those have over 3,000. Of particular note, Northern Ireland (24%), the North West (22%) and East of England (22%), are the regions with the strongest year-to-date growth in high-powered chargers.
Melanie Shufflebotham, co-founder and COO at Zapmap, said that while overall infrastructure growth feels slower than the frantic pace of the last two years, the industry is maturing.
“This shifting growth landscape reflects a transition from the rush to secure prime locations into the next phase of development, combining more considered expansion and a growing number of network mergers and acquisitions. Charge point operators are learning and focusing on what the data shows about EV driver preferences and usage patterns and we’re seeing this reflected in the numbers.”
Jade Edwards, head of insights at Zapmap, said the growing focus of charge point operators on utilisation rather than primarily on deployment will ultimately be good news for EV drivers, ensuring that the right chargers are installed in the right locations.
She added that temporary data fluctuations are occurring as operators comply with Public Charge Point Regulations, while poorly performing chargers are taken out of public use and other chargers temporarily drop out of view while transferring from one back office or network to another.
