Zapmap, the UK’s leading charge point mapping service, has published new year-end figures for EV charge point installations in 2024. The figures show another year of record growth in the number of charge points installed across the UK over the past 12 months, with the highest growth being seen in ultra-rapid (150kW+) devices and charging hubs designed for drivers looking to recharge their vehicle as quickly as possible on longer journeys.
More than 20,000 new charge points were installed throughout 2024, bringing the total number across the country to 73,699 — a year-on-year increase of 38%. The rate of installation of charge points has also grown from an average of 1400 per month to 1650 per month.
Charge point growth was particularly strong in the ultra-rapid segment (150kW+), which saw an increase of 84% in installations since the end of 2023. These hubs are being rolled out not only at Motorway Service Areas but also in varied locations such as retail parks, car parks and farm shops, and our survey shows these are proving increasingly popular with EV drivers. There are more than 7,000 150kW+ chargers, with a total of more than 14,000 over 50kW now available, while the number of hubs (six or more 50kW chargers) rose from 264 at the end of 2023 to 537 at the end of 2024.
Last month, the National Audit Office said that the number of public charge points was on track to meet Government targets by 2030. More broadly, Zapmap’s charging statistics show encouraging growth across all the charging use cases from the en-route chargers referenced above to destination and on-street chargers, with progress being made in addressing regional inequalities.
Destination chargers — which enable EV drivers to charge while they stop, rather than stopping to charge — continue to be boosted across the UK. There are 12,000 additional chargers now available at destinations such as restaurants, hotels, retail car parks and leisure areas across the UK.
While the provision of on-street chargers — supporting those EV drivers without off-street parking — has grown, 72% of these chargers are concentrated in Greater London. Many other areas such as Coventry and Liverpool also have good local availability, but overall provision at a local level is still variable. With the LEVI (Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure) government funded projects starting to come to fruition, there should be a more equitable distribution of on-street charging provision towards the end of 2025.
Simultaneously, Zapmap’s statistics show significant progress in the distribution of en-route chargers outside London this year: nine out of 12 geographical areas of the UK now have over 1,000 50kW+ chargers. Wales and the North West continue to be less well covered, although they have made good progress over the course of 2024, while the pace of installations in Northern Ireland continues to lag.
Zapmap’s new charging statistics come alongside news from the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders confirming record sales of new pure-electric cars in 2024. More than 380,000 pure-electric cars were sold in the UK last year, more than 19% of all new cars sold in 2024. This brings the total number of pure-electric cars on the UK’s roads to 1,360,802, up from 978,832 at the end of 2023, representing a 39% growth in the parc.
Zapmap’s annual driver survey, released last month, showed an average satisfaction rating of 87% for drivers of electric cars, with fewer than 3% saying they would return to a petrol or diesel car. Whilst around 80% of EV drivers charge at home, from the 800,000+ home chargers installed in driveways, 51% of EV drivers use the public network at least once per month, reflecting the continued importance of public infrastructure. There remain some concerns, mainly around reliability and availability of public chargers, but 61% of respondents believe that the public charging infrastructure has improved over the past year. In parallel, Zapmap data also reveals that by the end of 2024, over two and a half million successful charge sessions were completed in a month. 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.
Melanie Shufflebotham, Co-founder & COO at Zapmap, said:
“Last year was another record year for charging infrastructure growth with en-route charging points in particular being installed ahead of the growth in electric vehicle sales.
“As we move into 2025, we can expect to see the benefits of the PCPR consumer regulations coming into effect combined with the impact of LEVI funded projects reaching local authorities and bringing more equitable access to charging devices.
“Confirmation on a strong and clear ZEV mandate, following the government’s recently communicated consultation, will also help to bring certainty and confidence to both infrastructure providers and UK drivers that the transition is happening now.”
