The rollout of the UK's public electric vehicle (EV) charging network has lost momentum, even as the rapid-charging segment continues to expand strongly. Charge point operators installed 5,100 new public chargers in the first half of 2026, according to data platform Zapmap, taking the UK total to 121,171. That marks year-on-year growth of just 10 percent, down sharply from rates above 40 percent recorded in 2024.
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The slowdown comes as the number of electric cars on UK roads passed two million in April. To keep pace with rising EV ownership and meet the government's target of 300,000 public chargers by 2030, the rate of installation needs to accelerate rather than ease off.
A moving target
Uncertainty over the UK's zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate is one factor behind investor caution. The mandate, introduced in 2023, sets annual EV sales targets for manufacturers. The government has already introduced flexibilities allowing manufacturers to sell more combustion-engine vehicles, and is reportedly considering lowering the 2030 target from 80 percent to as low as 50 percent EV sales.
Jarrod Birch, head of policy and public affairs at industry body ChargeUK: "The public charging network has doubled over the past three years. It is a British success story, funded by private investment made on the certainty of future customers that the government's ZEV mandate provides." He warned however that "the mandate has now been argued over for three years, under two governments," adding that "it is no surprise that investors are hesitating as doubt surrounds the policy once again."
The ultra-rapid exception
Growth was strongest in the ultra-rapid segment, where charger numbers serving motorways and main roads rose 37 percent year on year. These units, delivering more than 150 kW, allow operators to charge premium prices and serve more vehicles per day, making them more commercially attractive than standard or rapid alternatives.
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Zapmap chief operating officer Melanie Shufflebotham: "The installations in the first half of 2026 still represent a steady rollout overall, with high growth in the ultra-rapid segment... The Levi funding has seen an increased number of tenders awarded, and these – generally on-street chargers – have started to be rolled out locally. This, alongside the uplift in councils supporting through-pavement charging, and an increase in local charging at supermarkets, car parks and fuel forecourts, will encourage more and more drivers to go electric."
Figures are drawn from Zapmap's mid-year charging statistics and the Department for Transport's quarterly EV charging infrastructure statistics. (TF)
