Public charge points must offer contactless payments

Regulations have now come into effect requiring that all new public charge points (8kW and above) deployed after 24 November 2024 and all public charge points of 50kW and above must offer contactless payment.

The rule is part of the Public Charge Point Regulations 2023, which was published last year to ensuring consistent and positive public experiences of using charge points.

A public charging network will become increasingly vital as the UK transitions to electric vehicles (EVs), as those without off-street parking and on long journeys will be reliant on public charging.

The regulations build on four key areas of the customer experience to ensure: consumers can easily locate the right public charge point, consumers can pay easily, consumers can be confident charge points are in good working order, and consumers are able to compare prices across multiple charge points.

A charge point operator must now also provide a free to use, staffed telephone helpline that is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for consumers. The contact details for the helpline must be displayed prominently on or at the charging site for all public charge points they are responsible for.

The regulations state that the network of rapid charge points must be, on average, reliable for 99% of the time. This must be in effect within two years, 24th November 2026.

Regarding pricing, a charge point operator must ensure that the total price for charging an electric vehicle through a public charge point is clearly displayed in pence per kilowatt hour either on the charge point or through a separate device which does not require a person to have entered into a pre-existing contract with the charge point operator.