EV chargers at supermarkets up by a third in 18 months

The number of electric vehicle (EV) chargepoints at UK supermarkets has increased by a third (34%) since the start of last year, according to new research.

Analysis by the RAC and charger locator service Zapmap found 1,001 chargepoints were installed across 260 locations between January 2024 and June 2025.

That brought the total to 3,917.

Ultra-rapid units

Nearly three in five supermarket EV charger locations offer rapid or ultra-rapid units, which the RAC described as “a crucial piece of the puzzle”, particularly for drivers who do not want to spend a long time shopping or rely solely on public charging.

Some 5% of all public UK chargepoints of any speed are located at supermarkets.

An estimated 1,876 supermarkets provide EV charging, which is equivalent to 14% of all supermarkets, including those without a car park.

RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “A perceived lack of public chargepoints is one of the main reasons drivers give for not planning to get an EV next time they change their car.

“It’s therefore extremely encouraging to see so many supermarkets doing what they can to bust this myth by installing hundreds more charging units at locations across the UK.

“We now need to see every retail chain doing what it can to maintain momentum by increasing the number of stores that offer EV charging.

“Faster installations from retailers, coupled with more financial incentives like the Government’s electric car grant, will help boost the number of drivers ready to make the switch to electric motoring.”

Invest

Zapmap founder and chief operating officer Melanie Shufflebotham said: “It’s great to see major supermarket chains continuing to invest in this area.

“We’ve long been advocates of charging when you can rather than when you need to, and these locations, especially those providing high-powered charging, offer just that.

“For retail sites, including supermarkets, we also know that EV provision has a significant positive impact on traffic and dwell-times, so meeting the needs of the EV drivers of today and tomorrow makes strong commercial sense.”

A spokesperson for the Department for Transport said: “We’re bringing down the cost of going electric and giving people the confidence that they can charge up easily – whether they’re at home, at work, or out and about.”