Public electric vehicle (EV) charging which is cheaper than petrol could boost demand for EVs by nearly 50%, according to YouGov polling commissioned by ChargeUK.
The polling of 2,130 people for the EV charging industry association reveals the proportion likely to buy an EV climbs from 25% to 37% if public charging is cheaper than petrol – a 48% increase.
The figure is above the government’s headline target of 33% of new car sales in 2026 being electric (lower when flexibilities for manufacturers are accounted) and is just below the 38% target for 2027.
It also challenges a case for weakening the ZEV Mandate targets, indicating the UK Government “has a significant policy lever still to pull in cutting public EV charging prices”, ChargeUK said.
ChargeUK is urging the UK 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.
It follows the news of Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s first policy, which reduced domestic charging costs by removing VAT from electricity bills.
But the move also increases the disparity with public charging – the difference in VAT between public charging versus home – from 15 to 20% on those who cannot charge domestically.
In April, ChargeUK published analysis that public EV charging prices were below petrol due to the rising costs of fuel from the conflict in Iran – urging the UK Government to secure cheaper charging for the longer-term.
Charging an electric vehicle on a standard public charger remains cheaper than petrol whilst charging on an ultra-rapid remains more expensive.
A typical 80 to 20% 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.”
Image courtesy of Green Car Guide
