Drivers of electric vehicles have been warned they face a staggering 261 per cent gap in public charging costs across the UK, forcing them to pay different rates depending on location.
It follows a recent study which found that charging points across the UK have failed to sync up with drivers left playing “postcode lottery” to find the cheapest places to power their green vehicles.
Cambridge topped the list as the most expensive city to charge an EV, with drivers paying £45.52 to charge half a battery. This contrasts sharply with Leicester, where the same charge costs just £12.60, making it the cheapest city in the UK for EV charging.
But the dramatic regional disparities have raised serious questions about the accessibility and affordability of the transition to electric vehicles, particularly as the looming Zero Emission Mandate comes into force.
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Reports found a 261 per cent gap in charging prices across the UK
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The ZEV mandate, which was pushed forward five years, requires all new car sales to be electric by 2030, with at least 28 per cent electric this year.
The report revealed that Cambridge’s charging costs were more than three times higher than Leicester’s, highlighting a growing north-south divide in EV affordability. The £45.52 average cost in Cambridge is significantly above the national average of £22.32 for charging half a battery.
This price is also £16 (56 per cent) higher than Wakefield, the second most expensive city at £29.39. For drivers without home charging options, these elevated prices present a major obstacle to embracing electric vehicles.
Findings suggest that southern drivers are paying considerably more to power their electric vehicles compared to their northern counterparts.
Portsmouth and Colchester completed the top five most expensive locations, with charges of £25.47 and £25.74 respectively.
Pamela Murdock, used car expert from Available Car, commented on the findings: “As EV adoption continues to rise, it’s vital that charging infrastructure not only keeps up in terms of availability and speed but remains accessible and affordable for everyone.
“With over a £30 difference between cities for the same charge, the cost of going green is still very much a postcode lottery.”
Several East of England cities feature prominently among the highest charging costs, including Colchester (£25.74), Southend-on-Sea (£29.05) and Chelmsford (£23.98). All these locations sit well above the national average charging cost of £22.32.
Southend-on-Sea also ranked poorly for charger availability, with just 3.8 charging points per 10,000 people within a five-mile radius.
In contrast, the Midlands and North West were found to offer the most affordable charging options for EV drivers, with Leicester leading as the cheapest city at just £12.60 for half a battery charge. Coventry follows at £17.57, with Hereford close behind at £17.76.
Manchester ranked fourth most affordable at £18.46, highlighting the North West’s better value for EV users, with Southampton completing the top five cheapest locations with an average cost of £19.48.
These regional differences create a clear affordability divide, with Midlands and northern cities generally offering more economical charging options compared to southern and eastern locations.
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The research also revealed significant variations in charging times across UK cities, with Wakefield standing out with the quickest average charging time at just 48 minutes, substantially faster than the national average of 3.32 hours.
In stark contrast, Leicester had the slowest average charging time, with EV drivers waiting over 8 hours to charge half a battery. Charger availability also varies dramatically across the country, with Ripon topping the list with 63.1 chargers per 10,000 people within a five-mile radius.
This is more than 30 times the availability in Liverpool, which had just 2.0 chargers per 10,000 people. These disparities in both charging speed and availability further complicate the EV adoption landscape.
