Your Guide to Free EV Charging in the UK
Summary
In this guide, we’ll take a closer look at the topic of free electric car charging in the UK, exploring the locations where it’s most common, the best ways to access free charging, and how access to free charging can differ from conventional paid public charging.
The Number of Free EV Charging Points in The UK
While free EV charging points make up a small percentage of the UK’s public charging network, there are still over 2,300 locations nationwide where you can charge your car at no cost.
According to data from leading EV charging point map Zapmap, at the end of 2024, there were approximately 4% of the UK’s 59,000 EV charging points offering free charging. With Zapmap ranking as one of the most exhaustive databases of EV charging points in the country, this represents roughly 4% of all publicly available charging points in the UK.
A further breakdown of the data shows that the majority of these free charging points (1,986 charging points, 84.4%) are in the “fast” category, with the next largest category being slow, at 323 charging points, 14% of the total. There’s even 45 free rapid chargers in Zapmap’s database, representing 2% of the total.
While some drivers are fortunate enough to live near a free rapid charger, this class of free EV charging is on the decline. In November 2022, there were around 283 rapid chargers in the UK that could be accessed free of charge, more than five times the number currently available by Zapmap’s figures.
Given this, it’s not a good idea to bank on free charging solutions if you tend to rely on rapid charging for your usual driving habits - as while free rapid chargers can be a convenient perk, their limited availability and declining numbers mean they’re not a reliable solution for regular EV charging, especially for those who frequently rely on rapid charging for long journeys or daily commutes.
Where To Find Free EV Charging Points
Just like paid EV chargers, there’s a wide range of locations where you can access free charging for electric cars, with new charging stations being installed all the time anywhere where there’s space for an electric vehicle to park.
Having said that, there are certain kinds of establishments where free EV charging stations tend to be more prevalent, which can be worth checking first if you’re looking for free EV charging in your local area.
These locations include:
Supermarkets and shopping centres
Many supermarkets, shopping centres, and other retail establishments install EV charging stations as a way to attract more customers. These destination charging points are intended to be used by EV drivers while they spend time shopping, with the increased foot traffic into their stores helping to offset the cost of maintaining their free EV charging stations.
Attractions
Leisure attractions often join free EV charging networks in the UK as a way of broadening their audience and attracting more paying customers. When you check many popular EV charging map apps, you’ll usually find free EV charging stations in the car parks of pubs, museums, theatres, cafes, National Trust properties and other kinds of attractions.
Because these places cater to customers who tend to spend several hours at a time in the establishment, they tend to have a slower rate of power transfer compared to the free EV chargers found at supermarkets and other retail businesses. However, this will all depend on the charging network the business has partnered with and their own policy when it comes to maintaining their public chargers.
Hotels and B&Bs
Businesses in the hospitality sector like hotels and B&Bs are increasingly installing EV charging points in their parking facilities to accommodate guests who may want to charge their vehicles during their stay. While the majority of these charging points won’t be available unless you’re a paying guest, these kinds of free EV chargers can be useful if you’re planning a road trip in your EV and want to make sure you’re planning stops where you’ll be able to keep your battery topped up.
Public and Private Car Parks
Though they may not be in the majority, you’ll also be able to find some free EV charging stations in parking facilities, especially if they’re near retail parks and other attractions that a local authority may want to generate interest in. Like with other kinds of locations, the owners of these facilities often use their free EV charge points as a way to appeal to EV drivers and attract more customers.
Which Areas Have The Most Free EV Chargers?
As EV charging is still a relatively young technology, and setting up public charging infrastructure can be made easier or harder based on various factors, the accessibility to free EV charging stations can vary greatly depending on your area.
According to Zapmap’s most recent data, South East England currently leads the nation in the concentration of free charging points, with more than 438 free devices. The region with the second-highest concentration is Scotland, which has 286 free EV charge points, closely followed by greater London, which has 268.
A large proportion of Scotland’s free EV charging stations are operated by ChargePlace Scotland, a government-backed EV charging network that supports local authorities in making EV driving more accessible.
Currently, the UK regions with the least free EV charging points are the Isle of Man, Channel Islands, and Northern Ireland, with 10, 11, and 14 free EV charging locations respectively.
Zapmap
Zapmap: Android | iOS is the UK’s most popular free EV charging app, and with its rich functionality it’s not hard to see why. The intuitive interface allows you to locate charging points anywhere in the UK, then filter these sites based on their accessibility, pricing, nearby facilities, and other variables.
Zapmap isn’t associated with any single charging network, which allows it to collate charging points from various different providers. This means you can enjoy a greater variety of choice compared to some other apps, and always find the best option for your needs.
The app’s handy route-planning feature allows you to plan longer road trips around the availability of charging points, and ensure you can make it to your final destination without experiencing range anxiety. It also has an online community made up of hundreds of thousands of drivers, giving you a platform to check other drivers’ experiences with different charge points and make decisions backed by more detail.
PlugShare
PlugShare: Android | iOS is a close competitor of Zapmap, with both apps providing useful info on EV charging options from a range of different providers, combined with a user community that lets you check out other drivers’ experiences with specific charge points, and share your own reviews to help others.
The app’s filters give you plenty of ways to search for the EV charge points that are right for you, sorting by variables such as charging provider, plug type, and charging speed, as well as a category specifically for Tesla Superchargers.
The main difference between PlugShare and Zapmap is that while Zapmap only collates data on UK charging networks, PlugShare has a more international focus that allows you to locate free EV charging stations anywhere in the world.
Google Maps
While Google Maps: Android | iOS isn’t strictly an EV charging app, it is a leader in general navigation apps, and has steadily become more aligned with the needs of EV drivers as hybrid and electric vehicles have become more and more popular.
Today, Google Maps gives you options to search for charging points based on key variables like the charging station’s location, charging speed, and the available connection types.
While it’s lacking the community features of PlugShare and Zapmap, many drivers appreciate the simple, familiar user interface of Google Maps, which doesn’t require you to get accustomed to EV-specific features or learn a whole new navigation format.
Octopus Electroverse
Octopus Electroverse: Android | iOS is another app that catalogues charging points from a number of different providers, including EVBOX, Osprey, Shell Recharge, and more.
The app’s key selling point is that it allows you to purchase charging from various different networks directly through the app, rather than having to create multiple accounts, apply for an RFID card, or take other additional steps associated with some providers. The app can also be used either standalone via your smartphone, or through built-in infotainment software like Android Auto or Apple Carplay.
Octopus Electroverse also offers two different subscription plans, Octopus Go and Intelligent Octopus Go, which offer 5% and 8% discounts on charging through the app respectively. When you can’t access public EV charging free, these memberships can help to make your charging more economical provided that you use public charging on Octopus’s networks often enough.
What’s The Cheapest Way To Charge My Electric Vehicle?
The cheapest possible way to charge any electric vehicle is to stick to free EV charge points as much as possible. However, with these kinds of chargers being a minority, and some restrictions on the free chargers that are available, this may not always be practical to meet your regular charging needs.
When free charging isn’t available, there are still certain habits you can adopt to help make EV charging as cheap as possible.
Some best practices to remember include:
- Getting a home EV charger installed and relying on your own energy supply rather than public chargers as much as possible.
- Taking note of public charging providers that offer dynamic pricing, and making a point of charging at off-peak times.
- Getting familiar with how long your car takes to charge at different power categories, and trying to use the lowest charging speed possible for a cheaper rate per kWh (kilowatt hour).
- Looking into community charging services like CoCharger to buy charge from other drivers in your area and offset the cost of relying on the public network.
Where To Find Rapid And Ultra-Rapid Chargers
According to Zapmap’s latest data, the overall number of free EV chargers in the UK has declined year-on-year.
Though we may see a resurgence in free charging apparatus as electric vehicles grow in popularity, for the time being, you may want to ensure you’re getting the most from your local free chargers by focusing on those charging stations in the rapid and ultra-rapid category.
As rapid and ultra-rapid chargers are often designed to accommodate en-route charging more than longer charging sessions at slower-speed charging points, you’re more likely to find these at motorway service stations, roadside break areas, and other locations where drivers might be looking for a quick top-up.
For more information, be sure to check out our complete guide to rapid EV charging.
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