Fastned is offering free charging at all of its UK hubs today as it warns that the UK’s new zero VAT rate on domestic electricity will deepen the UK’s already stark ‘driveway divide’.

From today (1 October 2026), VAT on home energy falls from 5% to 0% across England, Scotland and Wales, while public charging remains at 20%. The six-month cut means drivers who can charge at home will benefit from lower VAT while those reliant on public charging will continue to pay the higher rate.

It is estimated that the 20% VAT difference alone for public charging can amount to more than £270 per driver over the course of a year.

Research by Fastned, one of the UK’s leading networks of ultra-rapid charging hubs, has found the majority of the population say this disparity is unfair.

The company has teamed up with Ginny Buckley, founder and editor-in-chief of Electrifying.com, to call on the Government to level the playing field on VAT for EV charging and ensure drivers without access to home charging are not left paying more.

Tom Hurst, UK country director at Fastned, said: “There is already a driveway divide between electric vehicle users who can charge at home and those who can’t, which risks making the switch to electric harder for millions of people. Today’s VAT change makes this divide even more striking.

“An electric car should be an option for everyone, regardless of whether you have a driveway, which is why, through our ‘Fastned is MY driveway’ campaign, we’re turning our network into a nationwide driveway for EV drivers and calling on the Government to level the playing field by bringing VAT on public charging down to zero.”

Among drivers who do not currently own a fully electric vehicle, 57% say cutting VAT on public charging to 0% would make them more likely to consider buying an EV.

Three in five (61%) UK drivers say they weren’t aware of the difference in tax treatment between home and public charging and two-thirds (68%) said they felt it was unfair and penalised those without driveways. As a result, six in 10 (60%) drivers say they would support government action to bring public charging VAT down to 0%.

To combat this disparity, Fastned is becoming the ‘UK’s  driveway for the day’ by offering motorists a free £25 charging credit, equivalent to the average cost of a public charging session, at all of its 41 charging hubs across the UK.

From 1 October, drivers can use the code VAT2026 in the Fastned app to claim £25 charging credit, approximately equivalent to the average cost of a public charging session at Fastned. The discount code is valid until 23:59 on 2 October 2026 and drivers will have three days to use the charging credit once applied to their account.