UK hits public charging landmark as device numbers jump 32%

The UK now has more than 75,000 public EV charging devices after a record year of growth.

Data from Zapmap shows that in February there were a total of 75,675 public charge points at the end of February 2025  – a 32% year-on-year increase compared to February last year, when 57,290 devices were recorded.

The UK’s landmark 75,000th public EV charge point is part of a new Ionity hub featuring eight ultra-rapid chargers capable of delivering up to 350kW of power, along with four rapid devices able to deliver up to 75kW of charge. All have been installed at the Village Hotel in Bristol.

The device’s installtion reflect’s the UK’s commitment to improving its public EV charge point infrastructure. Last year, the country saw a record rate of EV charge point installation with particularly strong growth in the ultra-rapid segment (150kW+), which has seen an increase of 74% in installations since the end of February 2024.

Should the government’s Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate regulations remain unchanged, Zapmap anticipates that the UK’s EV infrastructure will continue its strong trajectory.

Projects funded by LEVI (Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure) will come to fruition during the second half of the year, as will a high number of on-street public EV chargers. It is expected that operators will focus on improving EV charge points by focusing on reliability and simplified payment systems.

“Having 75,000 public charge points available, across the different charging use cases, is a significant milestone for the UK EV market,” said Melanie Shufflebotham, Zapmap co-founder and COO. An extensive network of public charging helps drive confidence for the next wave of drivers who will be making the switch to electric over the next few years.

“As the infrastructure continues to grow, Zapmap’s focus is to make sure that EV drivers have access to the best up-to-date information so they can find and pay for public charging with confidence.”

Vicky Read, the CEO at ChargeUK was equally optimistic about the UK’s progress in its in public charging infrastructure. She did, however, urge the government to not change its ZEV mandate.

“A successful transition to EVs depends on world-class charging infrastructure being deployed ahead of demand,” she said. “Today’s announcement is yet more proof that ChargeUK’s members are getting on with the job, with the public network having grown by 37% in 2024.

“Now is not the time for complacency. Millions more EVs will be sold in the coming years, so we need to keep the momentum going with ChargeUK’s members having committed to invest £6 billion by 2030 to do just this.

“Though translating investment into chargers requires a supportive policy environment. That means a strong and stable ZEV mandate and positive steps to address barriers to affordability and deployment, such as equalising VAT, a solution to rising standing charges, and the speeding up of grid connections.”

The Zapmap news was not the only positive for the UK EV sector in February 2025. Throughout the month, EVs grabbed a 25.3% market share of all new cars registered compared to 17.7% during the same period in 2024.