The Government should accelerate the rollout of EV chargers, tackle regional divides and address inequalities for different groups of drivers, according to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

PAC says the Government must overcome delays for the charging network rollout to succeed

In a report published today, the committee, which examines the value for money of Government projects, programmes and service delivery, said the Department for Transport (DfT) has been slow to address gaps in charge point provision and added that delays in the EV charging rollout should be addressed.

PAC also raised concerns raised over stark regional divide between London and rest of country, amid risk of inequalities in cost and accessibility of driving for disabled drivers and disadvantaged groups.

While the Government is on track to reach the minimum 300,000 points needed by 2030, those installed so far have not been evenly spread across the country. Too few have been installed outside of the South East and London, which currently host 43% of all charge points. The report finds that rural areas may continue to be less commercially viable for operators and could require further government intervention.

It also warns that charge points need to be installed in advance of need and says that patchy availability for electric vehicle charging “plagues large swathes of UK motorways”.

Motorway service areas in particular act as a ‘shop window’ for drivers to feel secure that charge points are widespread. However, approximately a third of the 114 areas had yet to meet DfT’s original ambitions for each to have six ultra-rapid charge points by the end of 2023.

And while the 2020 Spending Review included the announcement of the £950m Rapid Charging Fund, this funding is still not underway, despite already being trialled at 10 sites.

The report also raises concerns around the impact on drivers with disabilities, those without access to off-street parking and disadvantaged groups.

PAC says the interests of disabled drivers have been left behind in the rollout, with no charge points in the UK currently fully compliant with accessibility standards which DfT itself helped to create.

The report also notes that drivers who are reliant on public charge points, in particular those without access to off-street parking, pay significantly more for charging due to higher VAT rates (20% compared to 5%).

The report also highlights delays in the programme designed to support local authorities in England to install charge points where they are most needed. Only 10 out of 78 installation projects had been approved for delivery at October 2024, against a March 2025 deadline. These delays have meant that many local authorities will be procuring for projects at similar times, posing the risk that the market may not have the capacity to serve them all.

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, chair of the committee, said: “We are risking baking a serious injustice into the fabric of a major part of our national infrastructure. Government similarly needs to understand how to remedy financial inequalities for those who have no choice but to use public charge points. Our report therefore challenges the Government – it must move at pace to overcome current delays and encourage take-up, while taking the time to ensure no-one gets left behind in this all-important shift to the future.”

PAC report conclusions and recommendations 

The report sets out six areas of focus and accompanying recommendations.

These include a current clear geographical divide in the location of public charge points – and PAC warns that the DfT’s current measure of the number of ‘charge points per head’ in each region does not reflect variations in charging needs and what is required in the future. The committee has said that as part of its Treasury Minute Response, the department should set out how identifies and assesses sub-regional variability in public charge point need, and how it might use this to see where intervention is needed in future.

It also warns that delays to the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) programme mean that local authorities need further support. The committee has called for an update from the DfT in six months on progress with LEVI, including the number of projects which have completed procurement.

PAC’s third conclusion is that the DfT has been slow to ensure the availability of ultra-rapid charge points at motorway service areas. It wants the department to write to the committee within six months, setting out the steps it is taking to address gaps in ultra-rapid charge point provision across the strategic road network, particularly at motorway service areas.

Next up, PAC says that the DfT has put in place regulations to improve consumer experience, but must monitor the impact of the Public Charge point Regulations, including at the local level. It also points out that some drivers pay significantly more than others to charge their vehicles as VAT on domestic electricity is charged at 5% whereas those using public charge points have to pay 20% VAT. The committee warns that if differential impacts aren’t remedied, different and sometimes disadvantaged groups will face inequalities in the cost of driving. It’s called for the DfT to set out how it will monitor the cost of public charge point use by different groups in society, and how the issue of VAT on public charging points will be considered by the Treasury and DfT.

PAC also warns that the interests of drivers with disabilities have been left behind in the rollout of public charge points. It wants the DfT to set out the outcome of the review of the charge point accessibility standard and what actions it is taking to ensure that charge point accessibility is improved. The committee has also called for the DfT to outline what it is doing to encourage alignment of accessibility standards for charge points internationally.

Finally, the committee says the DfT must now determine what actions are needed for the next phase of the infrastructure rollout in ensuring that the public charging network can meet the needs of all drivers, and “not just enthusiastic early adopters of electric vehicles”. It wants the Government to outline how it is developing its vision for a well-functioning public charging network, and the steps it will need to take next to ensure the network develops in the way intended. PAC has also called for the DfT to set out how it will improve coordination with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero to ensure all major road schemes deliver more charging points.

Industry Reaction

Vicky Read, CEO of ChargeUK 

“The committee has identified many of the same issues that ChargeUK has been working to address in recent years. And the recommendations echo many called for already by ChargeUK in our own research and publications.

Vicky Read, ChargeUK CEO

“Nationally, there are now over 75,000 public charge points and nearly one million overall. Charge point provision is running ahead of demand, but ChargeUK’s members want to roll out even faster, especially in areas where deployment has taken place less quickly than we would like.

“As the report highlights, the keys to ensuring this on a local level are the removal of delivery barriers and the speeding up of funding schemes, such as the Local EV Infrastructure Fund, as well as clarity on the future of the Rapid Charging Fund.

“On accessibility, ChargeUK and its members believe no drivers should be left behind in the transition to EVs. ChargeUK is actively working with Government, Motability and other disability groups to ensure all stakeholders with responsibility for charge point provision, which includes local authorities, private landlords and charging equipment manufacturers, are clear on the steps required to provide accessible charging.

“The sector welcomes the calls by the Public Accounts Committee to work with Government to ensure EV charging is as convenient and affordable as possible. Equalising VAT on public charging and support in reducing rising standing charges, would help widen access to more affordable public charging for drivers across the UK.”

Quentin Willson, founder FairCharge & EVUK advisory board member

Quentin Willson, founder FairCharge & EVUK advisory board member

“The PAC report confirms what every EV driver knows. We need more chargers, faster rollout, cheaper electricity costs and cutting the VAT on public charging.

“Creative solutions like Octopus Electroverse are making the consumer experience simpler and more effective by streamlining payment systems.

“The Government needs to work with industry and drivers to build what has become a critical national infrastructure imperative.

“Charge point operators have done well to deliver 75,000 chargers so far, but they need more help, support and determination from Westminster.”

Dr Andy Palmer, founder & CEO at Palmer Energy

“The report in my opinion misses two vital points. One is the importance of home and work charging or better said, long dwell parking and its integration with public charging.

Dr Andy Palmer, founder & CEO at Palmer Energy

“The second is the adoption of technology such as commercial battery energy storage in conjunction with fast chargers to help regulate the cost of electricity per kWh; and this requires significant improvements in planning and grid connection planning approvals.

“Good progress is being made with public charging deployment, but geographic anomalies exist and the disparity of VAT between public and private charging is a major problem. There are two major inhibitors to adoption of EVs; the high purchase price and the cost of running them. The purchase price is addressed through scale and the presence of a prolific charging network allowing car batteries to be downsized. The cost of charging however must be a material difference to running an ICE – and this is achieved in part by equalising VAT between home and public charging.”-