‘Charging divide’ risks fair shift to EVs, warns drivers’ group

A new survey of drivers has found overwhelming satisfaction among EV owners, but warned that charging cost and access problems still pose a major barrier to some making the switch.

The Steer the Conversation report from drivers’ body EVA England highlighted ongoing concern that drivers without off-street parking could be left behind in the EV transition due to a widening “charging divide”.

The annual survey of drivers found that 95% of EV owners would recommend an electric car to friends and family, and 69% felt that the public charging network had improved over the past year. Nearly 9 in 10 (87%) owners with driveways also reported that their EV was “much cheaper” to run than a petrol or diesel car.

However, just half of EV drivers without a driveway agreed. The EVA warned that without more support, this problem could put millions of drivers, particularly in urban areas, off switching to electric.

The EVA found that one in four EV owners in urban areas reported not owning a home charger, compared to just 8% of suburban drivers and 5% of drivers in rural areas.

Drivers without their own chargers have to rely on a combination of on-street residential charging and larger, more expensive public charging hubs. According to the EVA, the average cost of public charging is 48p/kWh but can go as high as 98p/kWh at the most expensive devices. By contrast, home charging can cost as little as 7.5p/kWh on the best tariffs.

One EV driver told the report’s authors the situation was “deeply unfair”. They said: “With the exception of public charging costs, EVs are great to drive. But they still need to vastly improve the infrastructure and drastically reduce the cost of public charging, which, currently, is obscene.”

Another said “an EV makes no financial sense for people who don’t have access to home charging”.

EVA England chief executive Vicky Edmonds said the findings highlight both progress and a pressing challenge: “Drivers are clearly loving their EVs, but these results highlight a growing inequality that can’t be ignored. Those who can charge at home are saving money and driving the change, while those who can’t are facing higher costs and fewer options. The ‘charging divide’ is now one of the biggest barriers to a fair transition.

“If this transition is to be truly fair, affordable and accessible, it must work for every driver, wherever they live and whatever their circumstances. The driver’s voice needs to be at the centre of how we build the electric future.”

The Government recently announced plans to cut red tape and costs around alternative on-street charging. Its plans would remove the need for planning permission for cross-pavement gullies to run charging cables from a home to the kerbside. However, EVA England said that such solutions can cost up to £3,000, adding more costs for owners without off-street parking.

The report also surveyed drivers of hybrids and pure ICE vehicles for the first time and found positive attitudes towards EVs among many, but similar worries around public charging. Among petrol and diesel drivers, two thirds (66%) said they are considering a switch to electric; while 62% of hybrid vehicle drivers said their next purchase would be fully electric. However, while 60% of ICE drivers without a driveway said they would never consider an EV.

The EVA report comes shortly after research by retailer Evans Halshaw found that when part-exchanging their car, 80% of EVs owners stuck with electric and a quarter of PHEV owners switched up to a pure EV.