A new survey from Zapmap reveals that while 79% of EV drivers have a home charger, 51% of them still use a public charging network at least once a month.
The chargepoint mapping service’s October survey attracted 3,746 respondents, all of whom drive fully-electric vehicles (BEV-only, PHEVS excluded).
Zapmap found the average rating for public charge experience satisfaction was 64%, which it says suggests there is still room for improvement. However, 61% of respondents said public charging infrastructure had improved over the past year. Zapmap says 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.
The survey found that use of EV charging hubs has grown strongly in each of the last four years, with 53% of respondents now reporting using them, up from 47% last year.
Motorway services remain the most popular charging locations, with 58% of those surveyed topping up there. Conversely, the use of supermarket car parks has dropped to 32%, diminishing in popularity as free charging options have been removed.
Zapmap says 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 there are currently 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.
The survey found that EV driver satisfaction remains high, with little appetite to return to ICE vehicles. Drivers gave their EVs an average satisfaction score of 87%, 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 ICE vehicles.
Jade Edwards, head of insights at Zapmap, comments: “The UK’s public charging network is evolving rapidly to meet the needs of an ever-growing number of EV drivers, and this survey highlights the pivotal shifts shaping the future of mobility and charging. These insights provide guidance for businesses, local authorities and chargepoint operators as they plan for the next phase of infrastructure development.
“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.”
