Over 12,500 streets request access to on-street EV charging

Demand for on-street electric vehicle (EV) charging continues to grow across the UK, with more than 12,500 streets now registered as needing access to EV infrastructure through Vauxhall’s Electric Streets of Britain campaign.

Launched in August 2023, the campaign was created to address a key barrier to EV adoption – charging access for the 40% of UK households without a driveway. Since its inception, the initiative has allowed drivers to register charging needs via electricstreets.co.uk, with data shared with charging partners char.gy, Connected Kerb and SureCharge, and made accessible to councils nationwide.

According to new research from Vauxhall and low-carbon transport experts Cenex, 22.9% of British households are now within a four-minute walk of a charge point – up from 19.6% in 2024. This represents an increase of 300,000 households with nearby charging, putting infrastructure supply 1.5 years ahead of current demand.

Even remote areas have seen progress. The Isles of Scilly, which had no coverage in 2024, now report 65.9% infrastructure coverage, while local authorities like Redbridge and Wrexham saw growth of 39.1% and 26.1% respectively.

Despite the momentum, significant gaps remain. The report found 243 councils with low charger coverage relative to EV uptake, with rural areas in Wales, Scotland and the East particularly underserved. Additionally, only two-thirds of the infrastructure needed over the past year was actually deployed. Experts estimate 110,000 more chargers are required near homes to meet projected demand by 2030.

Government initiatives like England’s LEVI Fund and Scotland’s EV Infrastructure Fund aim to deliver 106,000 new chargers, while Vauxhall’s FOI research shows the number of councils with a dedicated EV policy officer has grown from 31% in 2023 to 51% in 2025.

Vauxhall MD Steve Catlin said: “While the ongoing rise in councils who have policy officers dedicated to overseeing charging is encouraging, the 12,500 registrations we have received to Electric Streets shows there is no silver bullet to provide a quick fix for drivers. We need to make sure all parties are pulling in the same direction to maintain the momentum we have seen over the past two years.”