- Without urgent action to tackle affordability, access to EVs will remain out of reach for millions
- The average price of a public charger was 52p/kWh on slow/fast chargers and 76p/kWh on rapid/utra-rapid chargers
- Charging an EV at home typically costs between £4 and £20 for a full charge
Electric vehicle (EV) charging needs to be made more affordable if the UK is going to achieve its zero-emissions goals, according to a new report from Cornwall Insight.
Without urgent action to tackle affordability EVs will remain out of reach for millions of low- and middle income households, putting the government’s goal of reaching 80% zero-emission car sales by 2030 at risk, according to, Tilly Boultwood, analyst, Cornwall Insight said
The report, called Driving Down UK Transport Emissions: Tackling the Key Barriers, found that while 80% of current EV owners benefit from cheaper home charging, around 75% of UK street-side households, particularly in lower-income, urban areas, lack driveways.
Boultwood said that, as a result, these households must rely on more expensive public or workplace chargers if they purchase an EV. According to Cornwall Insight’s EV Insight Service, this can cost more than £1,500 more per year compared to using an off-peak home charging tariff.
The average price of charging an electric car on the public network, as of April 2025 was 52p/kWh on slow/fast chargers and 76p/kWh on rapid/utra-rapid chargers. According to Zapmap, using an average efficiency EV, this equates to 15p per mile and 23p per mile respectively.
In retrospect, charging an EV at home typically costs between £4 and £20 for a full charge, depending on your energy tariff and the size of your car’s battery. This is around 8p per mile.
According to Boultwood, the environmental and financial benefits of switching to an EV are being undermined by expensive public charging, combined with the high upfront costs of EVs, with new EVs costing around 40% more than petrol or diesel alternatives”.
Access to EVs is made harder by second-hand EVs being significantly more expensive than fossil fuel alternatives.”
How will this impact sales of EVs?
While cost is still a hindrance, data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) found that sales of second-hand battery electric cars grew by 5.8% year-on-year in Q1 2025, with a total of 65,850 used battery EVs sold between January and March.
The figures also showed that used EV sales were outgrowing new EVs, which have shot up 35% YoY. Cornwall Insight also said that EVs are gaining momentum across the country, with the UK reaching a record EV market share in 2024.
However, Boultwood said that unless urgent action is taken on subsidies, affordable financing and charging infrastructure, millions will continue to be priced out of the EV transition and government targets are likely to be missed.
To bridge the gap and maintain this momentum, the report has recommended the following:
- Reintroduce targeted subsidies for both new and used EVs, especially for lower-income buyers
- Scale up interest-free loan schemes, like Transport Scotland’s 0% loans for secondhand EVs
- Make public and workplace charging cheaper and more accessible, particularly for households without driveways
- Accelerate the growth of the secondhand EV market, to create more affordable entry points
Boultwood added that affordability is now a “critical barrier” to EV adoption and said that if EVs remain the preserve of the wealthy, the transition to zero-emission transport will be delayed and uneven. As a result, Cornwall Insight has urged the government to intervene.
“Government intervention is essential, not only to subsidise up-front purchase costs, but also to address high purchase costs, but also to address high public charging prices that disproportionately affect those without access to private home charging,” she said.
“The UK has a tremendous opportunity to lead the world in an inclusive and sustainable EV transition. Strong consumer interest and expanding vehicle availability create the perfect conditions for bold actions. With targeted policy action and support, we can ensure the EV transition is both environmentally and socially sustainable.”
The report comes following the announcement that the government has removed planning permission requirements for EVs, saving drivers £1,100 a year compared to petrol and diesel drivers. The update was also extended to businesses.
How many public chargers are there in the UK?
There are 80,998 public chargers across the UK, as of May2025, according to the latest data from Zapmap. This is across 39,773 charging locations, 108,958 EVSE and 115,241 connectors.
Drivers can utilise four speeds or power ratings that are tracked and are defined as slow (3-7kW), fast (8kW-49kW), rapid (50-149kW) and ultra-rapid (150kW+).
The number of public chargepoints in the UK has grown from 28,460 at the end of 2021 to 53,865 at the end of 2023 and more than 73,000 by the end of 2024. Since May 2024, the public network has grown by 30%.
In the graph below, created by Zapmap, drivers can see this growth in practice. It masks the fact that devices with different power ratings provide a significant difference in capacity. ZapMap said that, for instance, while rapid and ultra-rapid chargers only make up around 20% of total devices, they account for around 60% of the total capacity.
