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EV & Sustainability

On-street EV charge points see fastest-ever growth in 2026 – Zapmap

Nationwide, there are now 121,171 EV charge points, 38,959 of which are on-street.

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The number of on-street electric vehicle (EV) charge points increased by 18% year-on-year in the first half of 2026 according to Zapmap, marking the fastest-ever period of growth.

Nationwide, there are now 121,171 EV charge points, 38,959 of which are on-street.

In total, 5,119 EV charge points were installed in the first half of 2026.

H1 2026 saw a 37% year-on-year increase in the number of ultra-rapid chargers, with speeds of over 150kW.

The UK now has 13,996 ultra-rapid charge points.

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In the rapid and ultra-rapid categories, the fastest-growing region was Northern Ireland, with a 24% year-on-year increase in charge point numbers, followed by the North West (21.7%), the East of England (21.6%) and the East Midlands (21.1%).

108 charging hubs were introduced in H1 2026, for a total of 1,034, representing 11.7% year-on-year growth.

Melanie Shufflebotham, co-founder and chief operating officer at Zapmap, said: “At a time of so much activity in the charging industry, it seems counterintuitive that the growth of the charging infrastructure is lower than we have been used to over the past couple of years.

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“This shifting growth landscape reflects a transition from the rush to secure prime locations into the next phase of development, combining more considered  expansion and a growing number of network mergers and acquisitions.

“Charge point operators are learning and focusing on what the data shows about EV driver preferences and usage patterns and we’re seeing this reflected in the numbers.”

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Jade Edwards, head of insights at Zapmap,  said: “The growing focus of charge point operators on utilisation rather than primarily on deployment will ultimately be good news for EV drivers, ensuring that the right chargers are installed in the right locations.

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“Ever-increasing charger power is a story we’ve seen unfolding over the past twelve months, opening up the potential for faster charging sessions and therefore increased usage across the same number of EV chargers.

“Meanwhile, several factors are driving shorter term data fluctuations: network operators are responding to Public Charge Point Regulations by tightening up the quality of data flowing into eMSPs like Zapmap, poorly performing chargers are taken out of public use, while other chargers temporarily drop out of view  while transferring from one back office or network to another.”

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