New YouGov polling, commissioned by EV charging industry association ChargeUK, has revealed that making public EV charging cheaper than petrol could boost demand for electric vehicles by nearly 50%.

The polling shows that the proportion of people likely to buy an EV jumps from 25% to 37% if public charging is cheaper than petrol – a 48% increase. Under these hypothetical conditions, this figure is above the government’s headline target requirement for 33% of new car sales in 2026 to be electric – which is effectively lower when the flexibilities available to manufacturers are taken into account – and is just shy of the 38% target for 2027.

The findings challenge the case being made for weakening the targets, indicating that government has a significant policy lever still to pull in cutting public EV charging prices. ChargeUK is urging government to take action through its cost of public EV charging review to address the policies pushing charging prices up before it considers weakening EV sales targets.

ChargeUK commissioned YouGov to conduct the nationally representative experimental poll of 2,130 people, asking half of the sample if they were to purchase a new vehicle in the next year how likely it would be to be an EV and the other half the same but with the assumption that public charging prices are lower than petrol.

The results provide insight for the new Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s government, showing that those who voted for Labour in the 2024 General Election are most likely to consider electric if they were to purchase a vehicle in the next year – whether public charging is cheaper than petrol (47%) or not (33%).

They come as Burnham’s first policy in government promises to further lower EV charging costs for those who can charge at home, through the removal of VAT on electricity bills. But in doing so further expands the ‘pavement tax’ – the difference in VAT between public charging versus home – from 15 to 20% on those who cannot charge at home.

2024 Reform UK voters are most likely to be sensitive to public charging prices, with likelihood of EV purchase increasing by 62%, albeit from a low base of 13% to 21.

Younger people are both most likely to be likely to purchase an EV and among the most likely to be sensitive to public charging prices. A baseline of 29% of 18- to 24-year-olds would be likely to go electric, doubling to a majority of 57% if charging was cheaper than fuel.

In April ChargeUK published analysis that public EV charging prices were below petrol for most people due to the rises in fuel costs caused by the conflict in Iran, urging that government should secure cheaper charging for the long-term. This followed the publication of its report ‘Delivering Affordable Charging for All’ in September 2025 which highlighted the policy decisions responsible for driving public EV charging prices up by 38 % since 2025.

While charging an EV at home is considerably cheaper than fuelling a petrol car, for those without access to home charging the calculations are less straightforward. Charging an electric vehicle on a standard public charger remains cheaper than petrol while charging on an ultra-rapid – the most analogous charging method to a fuel forecourt – remains more expensive. However, a typical 80 to 20 per cent charging split between standard and rapid is now almost exactly equal with petrol, and more expensive than diesel, as fuel prices have dropped since the April high.

Jarrod Birch, head of policy and public affairs, ChargeUK said: “The case for weakening sales targets rests on the claim that drivers will not buy electric cars. These results, combined with a post-Iran sales boom, blow a hole in that argument. They show that government has a huge demand lever left to pull, one that they already have a hand on through the public cost of EV charging review.

“Reducing the policy driven cost burden on charging networks and thus driver prices would be a quadruple win. Infrastructure investment unleashed in every postcode, cost of living reduced for millions, energy security strengthened and an auto industry able to comfortably meet its EV targets. Action must be taken before any regressive move is taken to roll them back.”

Vicky Edmonds, chief executive office, EVA England said: “These findings show so clearly that cheaper public charging could unlock significant demand for EVs. The network has grown enormously, but price, reliability and accessibility are absolutely key to persuading more drivers to switch to electric. And most importantly, drivers without a driveway should not have to pay considerably more or receive a worse experience simply because they cannot charge at home. The Government’s current cost of public charging review must put drivers first and make public charging fair, affordable and easier to trust.”

Ian Plummer, chief customer officer at Autotrader, commented: “The electric transition has always been exceptionally cost sensitive – when more affordable new electric models entered the market, drivers flocked to them and similarly when used electric cars reached price parity with petrol equivalents, they became incredibly popular. And conversely, when petrol prices soared, interest in electric cars on our platform rocketed – clearly highlighting that upfront and running costs benefits are essential to persuading consumers to make the switch.

“Soon, our society will face an inbuilt inequality between those who have access to cheaper motoring, because they have at-home electricity tariffs, and those who do not. This data from ChargeUK shows the additional electric demand we could unlock by tackling this inequality, and the cost of public charging review is the best chance for the government to address this, so we must hope they don’t miss their chance.”