Three quarters of local councils provide no accessible on-street EV charging for drivers with mobility problems.
New data shows that the number of authorities providing accessible kerbside devices has doubled in the last year but still represents just 25% of all councils.
Vauxhall submitted a Freedom of Informant request to 413 councils across the UK and got responses from 194 of them. Of those, 49 said they had on-street chargers which met the PAS 1899:2022 accessible charging standard or had been specifically adapted for disabled users. That is up from just 24 last year.
The number of on-street EV chargers located within disabled parking bays has also more than doubled since 2024, rising from 105 to 245. And an estimated 15% of on-street chargers are now specifically adapted for disabled drivers, while 14% conform to PAS 1899:2022 guidance.
While the situation is improving, the data shows a huge amount of work still needs to be done to make charging straightforward for all drivers. It also reveals that accessible charging provision remains uneven across the UK. Vauxhall found just 43 accessible on-street chargers in the North West and 14 in Scotland, compared with 2,131 in London.
Eurig Druce, managing director of Vauxhall, said: “It’s encouraging to see the number of councils providing accessible on-street charging nearly double in the last year. This shows growing recognition of the importance of ensuring disabled drivers can access public charging infrastructure.
“However, our latest research shows there is still more work to do. Three quarters of councils still do not provide chargers that are specifically adapted for disabled drivers or conform to recognised accessibility standards. As more drivers make the switch to electric vehicles, we need to ensure all motorists can easily find and access charge points. As the number of on-street chargers continues to grow, we want to see accessibility considered as standard so that going electric remains a practical and viable option for all drivers.”
The data forms part of Vauxhall’s Electric Streets of Britain campaign, which encourages drivers to register their need for on-street charging near them, and for disabled drivers to highlight where accessible charging is required.
