EV readiness: Best and worst places in the UK to own an EV, new data reveals

New data reveals the best locations to switch to electric vehicles

• Dudley, West Midlands, is the best town to switch to an EV with 98% of charging points for free and the fastest charging time in the UK

• In contrast, Peterborough in East England is the 10th best place in the UK to switch to an EV

• Despite having the highest number of EV charging points in the country, 79% of EV chargers in London require payment, while in Liverpool, this figure is as high as 81%

• Connor Campbell, expert at Independent Advisor Car Insurance, provides his tips for saving on insurance for electric vehicles

The 10 Most Incentivised UK Towns and Cities for EV Ownership

*More densely populated areas such as London are less likely to have high output chargers due to infrastructure challenges. More remote areas are more likely to have the newest infrastructure and chargers. Please see the full dataset here.

Dudley is the best town in the UK to switch to electric, with a final EV readiness score of 8.13 out of ten. Whilst it may only have 83 EV chargers (2,398 people per charger), 98% of those are free to use, helping residents save money on charging costs. The charging points in the town are also amongst the fastest in the UK on average (2 hours 29 minutes) – proving cost and speed a large selling point for Dudley’s EV infrastructure.

In second place is Nottingham, with a final score of 7.87 out of ten. Despite lengthy average charging times for EVs, the city is amongst the top 10 in the UK for charger availability (1,135 people per charger). Not only that, but people living in Nottingham can also enjoy an impressive 98% of free charging points.

Slough‘s average power output of chargers, and over one hour quicker charging time than Nottingham places it as the third best city for EV ownership (7.70 out of ten). The high percentage of free charging points distribution (95%) also makes up for its disappointing spread of charger availability (2,824 per charger).

The 10 Least Incentivised UK Areas for EV Ownership

Overall, Blackpool is the town most struggling to encourage the public to change to electric, with an EV readiness score of only 1.81 out of ten. The Lancashire seaside town has just 14 charging points available, equating to more than 17,000 residents per charger.

Despite the hurdles, drivers in Blackpool have waits of 3 hours and 21 minutes to charge their electric vehicles – 33 minutes less than those in nearby Preston, where the charging time averages 3 hours and 54 minutes.

Huddersfield placed second worst within the rankings thanks to an EV readiness score of just 1.98 out of ten. Charging time is significantly lower in the Yorkshire town (2 hours 20 minutes), which can be attractive for those looking to switch to an EV. However, there are nearly 10,000 residents per EV charger (15), but, more discouragingly, just 20% of these offer free charging.

Middlesbrough‘s high waiting times for EV charging (4 hours 36 minutes) places it as the third most struggling to encourage the public to change to electric. Also contributing to its low EV readiness score of 2.01 out of ten is the low percentage of free charging points on offer (21%).

Across the 88 towns and cities analysed, on average 70% of charging points are free. Huddersfield is also the third worst area for access to free charging, beaten only by Hastings (11%) and Liverpool (19%).

EV vs Combustion Engine: Which is Cheaper to Insure?

Please note: Each set of cars is ordered by total number of registrations in Q3 2023, from most to least.

To help those considering switching to an electric vehicle, Independent Advisor Car Insurance compared insurance quotes for the five most popular electric and combustion cars by registration (Q3 2023).

Despite starting prices for these popular electric vehicles being higher, it is possible to get car insurance that costs roughly the same as a similarly popular combustion car. However, at the top end electric car insurance does start to creep up, with the most expensive EV quote almost £300 higher than the costliest combustion quote.

Connor Campbell, expert at Independent Advisor Car Insurance, provides his tips for saving on insurance for electric vehicles:

“Electric cars are more expensive to insure because they’re more expensive to buy. However, as they become more popular, EV prices will become more competitive, which should then bring down the cost of car insurance. For example, our findings show that the most popular electric cars receive comparable quotes to their combustion counterparts.

“If you’re considering making the switch to an electric car, there are steps you can take to save on insurance:

• Consider your driving habits: If you’re only using an electric vehicle for short trips and not for frequent long drives, you might not need a long-drive range model. This can help you choose a cheaper model, consequently helping you to save on insurance.

• Research for the best prices: Shop around, look out for the best deals and compare prices when choosing your electric vehicle. Comparing car insurance premiums is a tricky business, which is why car insurance calculators can help.

• Consider pay-per-mile insurance: If you’re using your electric vehicle only for short trips, paying for the miles you drive can result in significant savings.

• Keep a good driving record: Insurers see you as a low-risk driver if you keep your driving record clean, and practice safe driving habits such as looking out for speed limits, safe cornering, avoiding hard braking and mobile phone usage while driving.

• Build up your no-claims bonus: sometimes it’ll work out cheaper to pay for a small repair, than to make a claim that could reduce your no-claims discount.

• Look for incentives: EV charging availability and free charging points, like this study has shown, can positively impact the price you pay to maintain your EV.”

Visit Independent Advisor Car Insurance for more insights from our expert editorial team.