World Environment Day: The UK cities with the most interest in EVs

To celebrate World Environment Day, Nationwide Vehicle Contracts has found the UK cities that are going green with their vehicles and those that aren’t.

With an average search increase for electric vehicle-related terms of 18%, London has the highest interest of all UK cities analysed, and as the city with the highest number of electric vehicle charging stations with 13,436, this is unsurprising.

Wolverhampton came in second place with a 12% increase over the last 12 months as the West Midlands has the fourth-highest number of electric vehicle charging stations. Edinburgh completes the top three with an 11% increase. According to the Edinburgh Government website, there are plans in place for there to be ‘44 electric vehicle charging bays which should be ready by to use by summer 2023’, as the city prepares for the increase in demand.

On average, the search trend around EVs over the past 12 months has decreased by a huge 91% in Oxford, as they become the UK city with the largest decline. According to the Oxfordshire Government website, ‘current predictions are that at least 1 in 5 cars on Oxfordshire’s roads will be fully electric by 2030.’ As of April 2023, the South East region of England has the second-highest number of charging stations, has demand declined year-on-year as more Oxford drivers have already made the switch?

Nottingham and Leicester have also seen a significant reduction in EV search demand with -68% and -54% respectively. Interestingly, both of these cities are part of the East Midlands, a region of the UK with the sixth-lowest number of electric vehicle charging stations.

According to ZapMap, ‘As of the end of April 2023, there are now over 760,000 fully electric cars on UK roads and a further 490,000 plug-in hybrids.’

Keith Hawes, automotive specialist and Director of Nationwide Vehicle Contracts, said: “The electric vehicle market is ever-growing, however, a number of factors can influence someone’s decision on purchasing or leasing an electric vehicle, from common misconceptions to certain cities being more prepared with a high volume of charging points. As the nation gears up to focus more on EVs for 2030 and Governments increase the availability of charging stations, we expect to see demand and interest increase across the board.”