Zapmap has revealed the winners of its annual public charging network satisfaction rankings, with Fastned once again ranked in first place.

More than 4,000 EV drivers rated the UK’s public charging networks for this year’s research

More than 4,000 EV drivers rated the UK’s public charging networks for this year’s research, which marks the sixth annual survey of Zapmap users’ most popular ‘en-route’ public charging networks in the UK.

As with previous years, Zapmap has awarded a ‘Best EV Charging Network’ title to the top scorer, with the others in the top five also receiving an ‘EV Driver Recommended’ title. However, it’s also introduced a new ‘Up and Coming Network’ accreditation for the first time, tracking those networks that don’t have quite the requisite number of responses from EV drivers in the survey, but whose performance would have put them near the top of the table.

And Zapmap has also produced two sets of network ranking to reflect the difference in scale and operation between networks predominantly focused on rapid or en-route charging, and those that mainly support on-street or destination chargers. The rankings for the latter will be announced next week.

Drivers were asked to rank networks on five key areas: reliability, ease of use, customer support, value for money, and payment options.

First-placed Fastned – which provides distinctive high-power charging hubs with multiple devices at each location – scored particularly highly for the reliability and ease of use of its charging network, and secures this year’s ‘Best EV Charging Network’ badge.

MFG EV Power – which was joint first with Fastned last year – came in second, followed by Osprey Charging. Both networks are also focused on rolling out high-speed charging hubs at a national level and score the ‘EV Driver Recommended’ title for the 2023-24 rankings, alongside Ionity and InstaVolt, which take fourth and fifth place respectively.

Elsewhere, ChargePlace Scotland – which holds seventh place overall – took first place for customer support and also value for money, thanks to some of its extensive network of charge points still being free to use.

At the lower end of the table, BP Pulse and GeniePoint have swapped places, with the former taking 10th position and the latter coming in at eleven. The two networks, which both operate a large number of charge points across the country, came lower down in terms of reliability and ease of use – these are areas both operators are working hard to improve upon.

This year’s research shows availability and reliability of chargers remain a concern for many drivers

Newcomer Evyve was also recognised for its work, taking the lead in Zapmap’s inaugural ‘Up and Coming Network’ category. The network already has over 100 charging locations and 220 devices across the UK, most of them higher-powered devices.

Melanie Shufflebotham, co-founder & COO at Zapmap, said: “This year has seen continued growth in the number of new electric cars registered, and in parallel significant growth in the charging infrastructure that many drivers depend upon.

“The results of our annual EV survey highlight that for many EV drivers, availability and reliability of chargers remain a concern. That’s exactly why these rankings and our ‘Best EV Charging Network’ accreditations are important. They provide feedback directly from EV drivers and act as a solid indication of which networks are more dependable.

“Splitting the rankings into two categories reflects the growing nature of the market, with many more players and more specialisation, so it makes sense to compare similar networks.

“Going forward we hope that all the charge point networks will continue to focus on providing both more chargers and a reliable, easy-to-use charging experience for EV drivers.”

The full list of winners and their ratings is available here.