New data suggests that the UK could miss targets to install enough electric car chargers to help drivers have confidence in the switch away from petrol and diesel vehicles.
Fresh research suggests that the UK will have 170,000 chargers by the end of the decade, based on last year's growth rate.
Previous suggestions from the Government during Boris Johnson's tenure stated an expectation of 300,000 public chargers "as a minimum" by 2030.
The "Taking charge: the electric vehicle infrastructure strategy" report even suggested that "there could potentially be more than double that number".
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Figures from the Department for Transport and Experian estimated that there would be 10 million electric cars on the road by the end of the decade.
It acknowledged that the 300,000 charger estimate was "highly uncertain" given consumer charging behaviour and preferences.
The report added that future chargepoint technologies would influence the number of public chargers, especially with the rollout of rapid and ultra-rapid chargers.
The latest research from Zapmap shows there are 118,321 electric vehicle chargers across the UK, as of the end of February 2026.
Experts have suggested that the UK will miss a goal of installing 300,000 EV chargers by 2030
|PA
Across the UK, there are 45,561 charging locations, with 89,842 devices for drivers to use. Just under 1,600 chargers were installed last month.
Shell Recharge Ubitricity is the largest chargepoint operator in the UK, with 14,461 devices, many of which are found at lampposts in residential areas.
The Department for Transport recently stated that the 300,000 charger goal was not a Government target, but rather an estimate of how many there could be.
It instead recommended using a range between 280,000 and 720,000 from the 2022 report, which has previously been used to measure progress against the demand estimate.
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There are more than 118,000 electric car chargers across the UK
| PAThe most recent estimate from the DfT, completed in 2024, now suggests an estimated charging demand range of 250,000 to 550,000 in 2030.
Simon England, founder and GAP insurance expert at ALA Insurance, said: "The industry looked at early adoption figures and assumed the tipping point was closer than it actually was.
"The truth is, until charging infrastructure feels as reliable as a petrol station and purchase price is within reach of ordinary buyers, most drivers will stick with what they know."
Chancellor Rachel Reeves committed an additional £100million in the recent Autumn Budget, building on £400million of funding committed in the 2025 Spending Review.
More than one million electric car chargers are installed at homes and workplaces across the UK
| CORDThe Labour MP also allocated £100million of resource funding for local authorities and public bodies to support the training and deployment of specialist staff to install public chargers.
Zapmap states that there are more than one million chargers installed at homes and workplaces across the UK.
The 2030 deadline to have between 250,000 and 550,000 chargers will align with the ban on sales of new petrol and diesel vehicles.
Between 2030 and 2035, some low-emission hybrid vehicles and electric cars will be on sale, while only zero emission vehicles will be sold from 2035.