Fastned and MFG EV Power rated best EV charging networks

Fastned and MFG EV Power jointly topped Zap-Map’s annual public electric vehicle (EV) charging network satisfaction rankings.

Now in its fifth year, the league table comes from Zap-Map’s annual EV charging survey conducted in September 2022. The survey, which is the most established and comprehensive survey of EV drivers in the UK, saw record responses from more than 4,300 EV drivers.

This year, Zap-Map is again awarding a ‘Best EV Charging Network’ accreditation to the top scorers, with the others in the top five also receiving an ‘EV Driver Recommended’ title.

As part of the survey, respondents rated their overall satisfaction for the networks they use regularly, which is then used to rank each network out of a maximum of five stars. They also rated their level of satisfaction with the networks in five key areas: reliability, ease of use, customer support, value for money, and payment options.

In joint-first place overall this year are two ultra-rapid networks, Fastned and MFG EV Power. The two networks – which both provide hubs with multiple chargers each location – scored particularly highly for reliability and ease of use, and they both secure the ‘Best EV Charging Network’ badge.

Taking third place this year is rapid network InstaVolt, while Connected Kerb and Osprey come in joint fourth – meaning all three networks earn the ‘EV Driver Recommended’ title.

The table below shows the full list of Zap-Map users’ most popular public EV charging networks in the UK.

Zap-Map user ratings for UK public EV charging networks


This year there are six new entrants to the league table. European operator Fastned, which has recently been expanding its UK charging network, has opened a handful of ultra-rapid hubs this year – and enters the list in joint-first place.

On-street provider Connected Kerb has shot into joint-fourth position, after rapid growth this year has seen its network expand to more than 1,000 chargers. Zap-Pay partner Mer also makes the league table for the first time, coming joint-seventh alongside Pod Point and ubitricity.

Be.EV, VendElectric and Dragon Charging are new entrants to the league table too, coming in at joint-10th, joint-12th, and joint-15th respectively.

It is also worth highlighting that ChargePlace Scotland – which holds joint-12th place overall – takes first place for cost, thanks to many of its extensive network of charge points currently being free to use.

Significantly, two networks to have slipped down the table since last year are GRIDSERVE Electric Highway and GeniePoint. From joint-fifth last year, GRIDSERVE Electric Highway now comes in at joint-10th, while GeniePoint has dropped from 11th place last year to 19th position overall. The two networks, which both operate a large number of chargers across the country, came lower down in terms of reliability than last year – an area both operators are working hard to improve upon.

Melanie Shufflebotham, Co-founder & COO at Zap-Map, said: “Already this year we’ve seen huge change across the industry, from strong EV sales through to high growth in ultra-rapid infrastructure, and of course significant price fluctuations at the charge point due to rising energy costs.

“Despite this, it’s clear that factors such as reliability and ease of use continue to be the most important in contributing to a good charging experience. These should be top priorities across all the UK’s public charging networks.

“However, the Zap-Map survey shows that while many networks provide a dependable, easy-to-use service, others have room for improvement. As EVs increasingly enter the mainstream, it’s crucial that collectively we make public charging as simple and reliable as possible.”

Tom Hurst, Fastned’s UK Lead & Network Development Manager, said: “We are incredibly honoured to be voted joint-top CPO for 2022, particularly given that this award is decided by our customers. That means everything to us, and validates the efforts of our design, construction, and operations teams – all of whom are dedicated to rolling out the best customer experience possible through the EV revolution. EV drivers have rightly set the bar high, and we will continue to do our best to exceed expectations as we exponentially grow our UK network.”

Ed Chadwick-Till, EV Director at Motor Fuel Group, commented: “We’ve been working really hard to improve user experience over the last 12 months, so it’s great to see that our customers think the hard work is paying off.

“Our aim is simple: to make charging easy, reliable, and convenient. We believe we deliver this through our ultra-rapid hub format, and thanks to continued customer support we’re planning to accelerate our roll-out for 2023. We’re thrilled to be voted the UK’s joint favourite charging network – thank you to all who voted for us.”

Coming in third place was InstaVolt, with CEO Adrian Keen commenting: “I’m once again delighted that InstaVolt has had such a strong showing in the annual Zap-Map driver survey.

“The results this year really demonstrate the increased competition in the industry, and ultimately it is the consumer who will benefit through greater network coverage, reliability, and ease of use.

“Such great progress in just 12 months shows that the networks are really ramping up their efforts and will be ready for 2030. InstaVolt is playing its part by targeting 10,000 chargers by 2032 across the UK.”

With a rating of 3.5 stars each, on-street charging network Connected Kerb and rapid charging network Osprey share fourth spot this year.

With nearly 1,200 on-street charging devices across the country, Connected Kerb has grown quickly over the past year – and enters the league table for the first time. This growth is only set to continue, with the network recently securing up to £110 million from Aviva Investors in order to support its plans of delivering 190,000 on-street EV chargers by 2030.

Chris Pateman-Jones, Connected Kerb CEO commented: “We are delighted to achieve such a high position in the Zap-Map rankings, a feat which is testament to the hard work and continued innovation of the Connected Kerb team.

“We are focused on remaining a trusted provider of reliable, affordable and accessible charging infrastructure solutions as we grow our network and fulfil our mission to bring sustainable mobility to everyone.”

With more than 350 rapid and ultra-rapid across the UK, Osprey has committed to creating safe, accessible charging points – and recently launched a newly designed charge point to make this commitment a reality. The network has also partnered this year with British Garden Centres, and opened an important new hub at Paisley Pear in Northamptonshire.

Feedback highlighted the reliability of Osprey chargers and the space provided at its new chargers. As with other rapid providers, survey respondents highlighted high prices, but perhaps the best description is this one: “good locations and tend to work well.”

Ian Johnston, CEO at Osprey Charging, commented: “Osprey is delighted to be awarded the title of Recommended Network for the second year running by Zap-Map, recognising our commitment to building a reliable, accessible and easy-to-use rapid EV charging network.

“Between 2022 and 2023, Osprey will quadruple the size of its network to over 1,000 rapid chargers, and this recommendation from Zap-Map once again shows that we are building infrastructure that customers trust for their journeys.”

Network stats: 

  • More than 325+ rapid charging devices, 20 ultra-rapid devices and 8 fast devices across 206 locations
  • National network located at high-quality sites such as Marston’s pub/restaurant chain, including recently opened Paisley Pear hub at Brackley
  • Zap-Pay launch partner, offering simple cross-network charging  

Image and table courtesy of Zap-Map.

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