Gridserve tops list of best places to charge an EV
Gridserve has been rated as the UK’s best public charging provider in new analysis of the best and worst places to charge an EV in the UK.
Gridserve’s Electric Highway network and its Electric Forecourt service stations topped the ratings
What Car? asked 2,800 electric and plug-in hybrid car drivers which of the UK’s 12 largest electric car charging providers was best and found Gridserve’s Electric Highway network and its Electric Forecourt service stations came out top with an overall rating of 85.2%.
Instavolt slotted in second place. Although its network of car park-based charging points doesn’t offer the fastest charging speeds, the units are extremely reliable and offer simple contactless payment. It achieved an overall score of 85.1% and was one of only four providers to gain a 100% rating for ease of payment.
In third place was Fastned (84.0%), rated highly for its quick, hassle-free top-ups at dedicated sites along major routes that are undercover and have access to handy facilities. It would have finished even higher if it weren’t for its limited national coverage.
The other end of the customer satisfaction chart showed the importance of keeping EV chargers properly maintained. Charge Your Car gained the lowest score of all 12 providers (55.5%), with less than half of those who’d used it rating it as good for reliability, while Geniepoint and Charge Place Scotland didn’t fare much better, with both scoring just 57% for dependability.
What Car? said the investigation highlights how vastly different the quality of service can be at different public charging networks. It added that new electric vehicle-only forecourts are transforming the charging experience, and becoming the blueprint for future fuel stations.
Editor Steve Huntingford added: “As more people switch to electric cars, demand for convenient, pleasant public charging locations will only increase, and our research shows that you need to plan ahead and pick the best providers to find the best charging solutions.”
Zap-Map also revealed its annual public charging network satisfaction rankings earlier this month, with Fastned and MFG EV Power coming in joint first place.
The full What Car? results:
| Company | Accessibility and location | Charging speed | Ease of payment | Reliability | Value for money | Overall rating |
| 1 Gridserve | 73.4% | 95.0% | 100% | 67.6% | 90.0% | 85.2% |
| 2 Instavolt | 74.0% | 85.0% | 100% | 81.5% | 85.0% | 85.1% |
| 3 Fastned | 66.5% | 90.0% | 100% | 91.4% | 72.0% | 84.0% |
| 4 Ionity | 68.8% | 100% | 65.0% | 72.4% | 85.0% | 78.2% |
| 5 Tesla | 81.9% | 65.0% | 67.0% | 94.3% | 69.0% | 75.4% |
| 6 Osprey | 66.9% | 85.09% | 100% | 73.9% | 49.1% | 75.0% |
| 7 Mer | 66.5% | 75.0% | 65.0% | 72.7% | 75.0% | 70.6% |
| 8 BP Pulse | 60.5% | 90.0% | 59.5% | 52.4% | 850.0% | 69.6% |
| 9 Pod Point | 72.8% | 60.05% | 65.0% | 69.7% | 80.0% | 69.5% |
| 10 Charge Place Scotland | 70.1% | 64.8% | 75.5% | 56.5% | 80.0% | 69.4% |
| 11 Geniepoint | 59.7% | 59.7% | 75.0% | 56.8% | 75.0% | 65.2% |
| 12 Charge Your Car | 50.7% | 60.0% | 65.0% | 47.0% | 55.0% | 55.5% |
The ratings were based on five important criteria: accessibility, charging speed, ease of payment, reliability and value for money. What Car? staff also visited at least one charging point for each of the 12 different companies to gain a snapshot of how good they were, based on the same criteria. Both data sources were used to create a unique overall rating for each provider.
Natalie Middleton
Natalie has worked as a fleet journalist for nearly 20 years, previously as assistant editor on the former Company Car magazine before joining Fleet World in 2006. Prior to this, she worked on a range of B2B titles, including Insurance Age and Insurance Day. Natalie edits all the Fleet World websites and newsletters, and loves to hear about any latest industry news - or gossip.
