Motorway services and hubs are the most used public charging locations among EV drivers, new Zapmap research reveals.

Motorway services remain the most popular charging locations. Image credit: Gridserve

Its newly published Annual Charging Insights Report 2024 reveals 53% of drivers now report using charging hubs, up from 47% last year in the fourth year of growth, and highlighting their rising appeal as convenient en-route charging options.

Motorway services remain the most popular charging locations, with 58% of respondents topping up there. Conversely, the use of supermarket car parks has dropped to 32%, diminishing in popularity as free charging options have been removed.

The study, conducted during October 2024, also shows that charging on the public network remains essential. While 79% of respondents have a dedicated home charger, 51% of EV drivers use the public network at least once per month, reflecting the continued importance of public infrastructure.

The growth in hub usage reflects the increase in availability of rapid and ultra-rapid charging hubs – defined as locations with six or more rapid (50kW-149kW) or ultra-rapid (150kW+) chargers – over the past year. Zapmap stats show that currently there are 486 rapid charging hubs across the UK which are open to all EVs. This represents an increase from 264 hubs at the end of 2023, meaning that there have been 222 new charging hubs made available across the UK since the beginning of the year.

Overall satisfaction with the public charging infrastructure continues to grow. Six out of 10 (61%) of respondents said public charging infrastructure had improved over the past year. This reflects both the improvement in reliability and the significant overall growth in charging infrastructure, which has increased by 38% over the last 12 months.

However, the average rating for public charge experience satisfaction was 64 out of 100, suggesting that there is still room for improvement.

And the study reveals that EV driver satisfaction remains high, with little appetite to return to ICE vehicles.

Drivers gave their EVs an average satisfaction score of 87 out of 100, highlighting the cost-effectiveness (78%), environmental benefits (73%), and better vehicle performance (65%) as the key reasons for owning an EV. Fewer than 3% of EV drivers expressed interest in switching back to internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.

Jade Edwards, head of insights at Zapmap, commented: “With motorway services and EV charging hubs now dominating as the most popular charging locations, our survey data shows how driver preferences are aligned with infrastructure investment. As the UK transitions to electric, with now over 1.3 million BEVs on our roads, it’s good to see EV drivers reporting an increase in satisfaction with the charging infrastructure.

“However, to further improve on this, it is more important than ever for reliable, accessible, and efficient charging options to be available in the right locations to support this transformation.”

Now in its seventh year, the survey attracted 3,746 respondents, all of whom drive fully electric vehicles (BEV-only; PHEVS excluded). The survey covers a wide range of topics, including the proportion of EV drivers with access to home charging, the most popular charging locations across the UK, and the key factors influencing where and how drivers choose to charge their vehicles.

Key findings from the report are online here.