There are just 12 electric vehicles to every public charging point in Wales 

ZenAuto compared the latest Department for Transport data on EV per local authority and publicly available charging points per local authority 

EV drivers in both Pembrokeshire (3) and Gwynedd (3) are likely to find it easiest to charge up close to home 

 
Almost half of UK motorists (46%) are put off from switching to an electric vehicle as they believe there are not enough charging points in their area¹. However, analysis of the latest Department for Transport data² reveals that drivers only actually have to ‘share’ a public charger with an average of just 21 other EVs across the UK, and this is even lower in Wales with one charger for every 12 e-cars.

The car leasing experts at ZenAuto, discovered that many motorists see access to charging points as being a big barrier to switching to an electric vehicle, so they wanted to find out just how justified this concern is. They compared new figures on the number of publicly available charging points per local authority area with the number of electric vehicles registered to that area. They then used this to calculate where there is the lowest and highest number of EVs for each charging point. 
 

	Country	Total EVs	Total Charging Devices	Ratio of EVs to Public Charging Points
1	Wales	12,438	1,055	12:1
2	Scotland	37,805	2,816	13:1
3	Northern Ireland	7,542	345	22:1
4	England	554,656	24,159	23:1
UK as a Whole	621,564	28,375	22:1

Within Wales, both Pembrokeshire and Gwynedd came out on top with a ratio of just three EV to every public charger. Powys (5), Blaenau Gwent (5) and Carmarthenshire (6), all followed.  

	EVs to Chargers – Lowest Ratio by Welsh Region
1	Pembrokeshire	3:1
2	Gwynedd	3:1
3	Powys	5:1
4	Blaenau Gwent	5:1
5	Carmarthenshire	6:1

Drivers in the Welsh capital, Cardiff, voiced their concerns about switching to an electric vehicle in 2022, with almost half of (47%) worried about the number of public charge points available to them within a reasonable distance of their home.  

These concerns may be unfounded though, as the ratio of EVs to public charge points within the Welsh capital is currently only 17 to one, which is well below the UK average (22 to one). Of course, this only takes into consideration vehicles registered to this specific area, not those travelling in from other places. 

Outside of Wales, Greater Manchester sat at the bottom of the UK table with 113 EVs to every charger at this time. Hertfordshire (50 EV to one) and West Yorkshire (48 to one) made up the top three.

However, these figures could be high due to business fleets which may consist of multiple EVs registered to a single address but actually located in different areas of the UK. 

ZenAuto also asked non-EV drivers if, alongside any concern about charging points in their area, there was anything else that was putting them off switching over. Two-thirds (68%) said they were put off by the initial cost of the vehicles, with over half (58%) saying prices would need to significantly reduce for them to buy in the next six months.  

  

Twelve per cent stated that whilst they are eager to become an electric car owner now, they simply can’t afford to do so at present.  

A third (32%) claimed their knowledge of EV benefits and features had improved ‘somewhat’ in the last year, while around one in ten (11%) felt their knowledge has improved ‘significantly’.  

Just 4% said they don’t expect to have an EV before the Government bans the sale of new petrol of diesel cars in 2030.  

Vicky Kerridge, Head of Consumer Experience and Brand at ZenAuto, added: “Our research revealed just how many motorists are concerned about being able to charge up an EV close to home or work, so we wanted to offer reassurance that actually, in many areas, there are more than enough chargers to go around at this time. 

“Of course, we more people switch over then the ratio will change, but there are also more chargers being added each month too – local authorities seem to be very aware of just how important it is to ensure that the infrastructure in their area meets demand. 

“We’re also trying to support anyone eager to make the switch, by offering a free home charger with selected EV models. This should ease a lot of the worry out being able to charge up your vehicle day-to-day.”