The UK’s EV charge point infrastructure grew 19.1% last year after more than 14,000 new charge points were installed.

New data from Zapmap reveals the public charging network rose to 87,796 devices (116,052 EVSEs) at 45,033 locations that include en-route, destination and on-street charging.

Melanie Shufflebotham, co-founder and COO at Zapmap, said overall charging infrastructure installations were lower than the record-breaking figure for 2024 but said last year had been marked by targeted areas of focus with both public and private sectors “giving thought to shaping the EV market to best meet driver needs”.

Ultra-rapid devices – delivering charging speeds of 150kW and above – along with charging hubs continued to record the highest growth in 2025. There are now 9,893 chargers in this power band; up 41% on December 2024.

The number of charging hubs across the country – defined as six or more rapid or ultra-rapid devices at a single location – now stands at 748, an increase of 39% over the past 12 months.

Zapmap’s statistics show strong regional growth taking place outside of London and the South-East throughout 2025, especially with regard to rapid/ultra-rapid (50kW+) chargers: the North West has seen impressive year-on-year growth of more than 35% in these high-powered chargers, with the East of England, Wales and Northern Ireland all recording around 29% growth in this power band; albeit Northern Ireland starting from a low base.

Shufflebotham said the growth in ultra-rapid charging not only provided convenience and confidence to existing EV drivers but, due to their typically visible locations, was also giving the next wave of drivers confidence to go electric.

The data also shows a trend towards more rapid / ultra-rapid charge points at destination charging locations, although many destination chargers are still low-powered, sub-50kW charge points. Combined with on-street charging, also predominantly sub-50kW, there are 69,861 charge points in this category, representing just under 80% of the total.

In terms of on-street charging, there were 7,659 new additions in 2025, bringing the total to 33,177. The capital continues to lead the way for on-street charging, with the majority of these chargers (24,026) located in Greater London. The growth in on-street provision throughout both Greater London and the rest of the UK is very comparable at around 30% year-on-year for both.

The latter half of 2025 saw many announcements around the award of LEVI (Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure) contracts, designed to deliver local charging, typically on-street, especially in areas where charging at home isn’t an option.

But Zapmap noted that the tender and commercial contract process for these awards is taking longer than initially expected and said such announcements were not yet translating into a significant increase in charging infrastructure figures.

The latest charging statistics follow publication of the SMMT new car figures that show another year of record sales of new pure electric cars in 2025. Some 473,348 fully electric cars were sold in the UK last year, accounting for more than 23% of all new cars sold in 2025, up from 19% in 2024.

Zapmap also released its annual driver survey findings last month, revealing an average satisfaction rating of 88% for drivers of electric cars, with fewer than 3% saying they would return to a petrol or diesel car. The survey shows around 80% of EV drivers charge at home, from the c.1.3 million home chargers installed in driveways, but 51% of EV drivers use the public network at least once per month, reflecting the continued importance of public infrastructure.

The survey showed some concerns remain over public charging but average satisfaction with the infrastructure has increased to 69%, with 60% of respondents believing that the public charging infrastructure has improved over the past year.

In parallel, Zapmap data also reveals that by the end of 2025, nearly four million successful charge sessions were completed in a month, compared to c. 2.5 million at the same point last year. This reflects both the improvement in reliability, growing familiarity and the growth in the charging infrastructure over the last 12 months.

Zapmap’s Melanie Shufflebotham said: “As we move into 2026, we look forward to LEVI fund awards translating from contracts into near-home charging provision, to increase equitable access for those without access to off-street parking. As the Government’s dedicated innovation fund to address concerns around timely access to grid connections takes effect, we can expect to see benefits to the charging infrastructure both in congested, high-demand areas and rural areas with limited grid infrastructure.”

ChargeUK – the business group for the charging sector – said the figures were hugely positive.

Vicky Read, chief executive, ChargeUK, went on: “But the overall charge point number only gives us a part of the picture – our sector is focused on installing the right kind of charging in the right places. Which is why the rollout of ultra rapid charging is especially pleasing to see. The widespread coverage across key UK roads means that EV drivers can take long journeys with increasing confidence.

“The slower rollout of on-street charging is largely accounted for by the delays to the Government’s LEVI funding scheme, but we are anticipating to see lots more volume on that front in 2026 into 2027 – with a stated aim to deliver 100,000 local low power chargers for those who cannot charge at home.

“As we enter the Government’s review into the cost of public charging in the first half of this year we hope to see action taken to reduce the cost burdens on charge point operators, which will both help to unlock further investment to speed up deployment and bring down driver prices. Clear and stable EV policy, including no further wavering on EV sales targets, will also continue to be critical.”