Less than a fifth of EV buyers would be comfortable relying solely on public chargers for recharging, new research has found.

What Car? said the research suggests declining buyer confidence in public charging, potentially due to the ongoing cost of living and energy price crisis

What Car? surveyed 1,207 in-market buyers, of which 156 (12.9%) were in the market for a fully electric vehicle, and found 93.6% of EV buyers will be able to charge their car at home overnight, with 84.3% already owning or looking to install a wallbox charger.

When asked if they would be comfortable owning an electric car if they could only use public chargers to recharge their car, just 17.7% of electric vehicle buyers said yes.

The figure is down from 25.3% in August 2022, when What Car? conducted the same research among 265 EV buyers, suggesting declining buyer confidence in public charging.

What Car? also explored latest feedback on reasons for not going electric. Nearly half (47.2%) of the 1,051 in-market buyers surveyed said EVs were too expensive for their consideration, while 41.6% said the public charging network wasn’t good enough for their needs. A lack of home charging possibility was quoted by 23.5% while poor vehicle range was highlighted by 15.9%.

Latest Zap-Map charging figures show there were 38,982 electric vehicle charging points across the UK at the end of February 2023, up 33% YoY and spread across 23,066 charging locations and with 63,984 connectors.

Of this figure, a total 7,426 charging devices were rapid and ultra-rapid, across 4,170 locations and with 15,598 connectors. Since February 2022, there has been an 82% increase in the number of ultra-rapid devices across the country.

Data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) shows registrations of fully electric cars were up 19.1% year-to-date in February 2023.

Steve Huntingford, editor, What Car?, said: “The lack of adequate charging infrastructure is still cited as one of the key reasons for buyers not making the switch. Though the rate of chargers is growing, with further investment only recently announced, more needs to be done to support the buyers looking to make the switch, especially with the 2030 and 2035 targets looming.

“This week’s Spring Budget will likely cover a lot of ground, but support for electric vehicle buyers and manufacturers, as well as the UK’s charging infrastructure, shouldn’t be left out.”