More than 90% of UK councils have successfully installed at least one public electric vehicle charger, but half of them still fail to offer any on-street charging access.

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request conducted by Vauxhall revealed that while total infrastructure has scaled up significantly, a major regional divide remains for drivers without private driveways.

The study, carried out between May and July 2026, shows that the number of councils offering on-street charging for drivers has risen slightly over the past three years, now standing at 39% compared to 31% in 2023.

Meanwhile, 32% of councils now have a published strategy for on-street residential charging, while almost half (46%) have a dedicated policy officer for EV charging – a rise of 15 percentage points compared to 2023, when 31% of councils had this role.

However, 50% of councils still do not offer any on-street charging for drivers in their local area. While this is an improvement compared to the 66% of councils that had zero on-street chargers in 2023, it highlights the continued need to ensure drivers without driveways are not left behind in the UK’s electrification journey.

And regional disparity is still a concern, with over 70% of on-street chargers installed across the country up until the end of 2025 being found in London alone.

The new research comes as Vauxhall enters its fourth year of its ‘Electric Streets of Britain’ initiative, launched in 2023 to support the 40% of drivers without access to a driveway in finding practical charging for EVs.

The scheme invites drivers to register the need for on-street charging to be installed near them in order to help understand where the demand for infrastructure lies across the country. To date, over 13,000 streets have been registered for needing on-street charging near them. This information has since been shared with Vauxhall’s Electric Streets of Britain partners – Char.gy, Connected Kerb and Kerbo Charge – to help inform their installation strategies and ensure charging access is provided for those who need it most.

Vauxhall also highlighted the city of Coventry as a blueprint for what regional collaboration can achieve. Partnering with Connected Kerb, Coventry Council has established one of the largest public networks in the country, boasting over 1,856 active charging sockets.

Since Electric Streets of Britain launched, over 900 Connected Kerb sockets have been installed that are a 15-minute walk or less from a postcode registered as needing charging access through Electric Streets.

Eurig Druce, Vauxhall managing director, said: “The continued rollout of EV charging infrastructure is essential to giving drivers the confidence to make the switch to electric.

“It’s encouraging to see that more than 90% of UK councils now have at least one public charger in their area, but the focus must now be on ensuring the right chargers are installed in the right places to best meet the needs of motorists.”

Druce emphasised that for the estimated 40% of British households without access to off-street parking, a robust on-street network is a critical requirement for a fair transition to EVs.

“By working together across local government, charging providers and industry, we can ensure infrastructure is delivered where it will have the greatest impact, making electric vehicle ownership practical and accessible for more drivers across the UK.”