EV charging experts have warned that just financial support from the UK Government is “not enough” to accelerate on-street charging.
New analysis from Electrifying.com reveals a north-south divide across England on charging provision, which it said “risks undermining the UK’s ambition for a national switch to electric vehicles”.
Five northern cities, including Liverpool, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield, have just 2,485 public chargers despite a population of 2.7 million people.
At the same time, Coventry only has 350,000 residents but 2,578 chargers. Westminster has 2,746 chargers, meaning a single London borough is better served than five of the country’s biggest cities.
According to Ginny Buckley, the chief executive of Electrifying.com, the investment must be matched with consistent national guidance to help local authorities install chargers in the right locations.
Such a move would end Britain’s “growing charging postcode lottery”, the company said.
Ginny Buckley, Chief Executive of Electrifying.com, said:
“The scale of the disparity is impossible to ignore. Coventry has over 750 chargers per 100,000 people, every one of the Northern Five has fewer than 100, and Westminster tops the chart with more than 1,300 per 100,000. Not a single area in the top ten is in the North, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
“This isn’t about geography – it’s about consistency. Some councils are innovating with charging gullies and street solutions, while others can’t get schemes off the ground. We urgently need a joined-up, national approach that gives local authorities the guidance, expertise and confidence to install the right chargers in the right places. Without that, the EV transition will be fair for some – and impossible for others.”
“Coventry is a standout example of what’s possible: its collaborative, focused approach to charging rollout shows how effective local leadership can deliver rapid, reliable infrastructure at scale.
“Even where chargers exist, public confidence remains low. In a survey over 11,000 UK drivers conducted with Electrifiying.com and the AA, 60% told us they believe public charging infrastructure is unreliable, while just 6% agree there are enough public chargers in the UK.”
John Lewis, CEO, char.gy, said:
“Coventry is proof that rapid rollout isn’t a London-only story, it’s what happens when a council has clarity, capability and committed partners. Many other areas want to deliver the same, but they’re held back by a variety of factors, such as planning and grid capacity.
“Funding matters, but it doesn’t fix these bottlenecks. If we want to end the postcode lottery, we need to give every council what Coventry already has: the confidence and capacity to get chargers in the ground quickly and in the right places.”
