EV charger rollout in UK slows amid political uncertainty and rise in installation costs

Lobbyists say the public charging network has doubled over the past three years, with rapid charging growing quickest of all. Photograph: Matt Cardy/Getty Images

The UK’s rollout of electric vehicle chargers has slowed amid challenging cost pressures and uncertainty over government sales targets.

Charger companies installed 5,100 public charge points in the first half of 2026, pushing the total to 121,171, according to Zapmap, a data company. That was a 10% increase on the same point a year before – well below growth rates above 40% in 2024.