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EV owners prefer charging at home rather than at public charging points – research

Over half the drivers surveyed said they found it difficult to solely rely on public charging points.

New AutoMotive figures (John Walton/PA)

Even with an ever-growing charging network, EV owners say they cannot live without home charging, according to new research.

A survey of 2,800 electric vehicle owners, conducted by independent leasing, fleet management and vehicle outsourcing business, Zenith, was the biggest survey in the UK for EV drivers and their living experiences.

The research found that only 14% of owners use public charging points as their main energy source and 69% primarily use off-street charging.

Nissan Ariya France Adventure
(Jon Reay)

However, despite the lack of confidence from the UK’s public charging network, the research revealed that 82% of EV owners expect the charging infrastructure to improve over the next three years.

Tim Buchan, CEO of Zenith said: “The number of battery EVs on the road has increased rapidly, so it is no surprise that building a public charging network to support it was going to be a huge undertaking.

“Progress is being made, with the number of charge points growing 46 per cent in January 2024 compared to last year.”

To help with the EV transition, Zenith is calling for lower taxes, a faster roll-out and a better service to help drivers charge and have a more pleasurable experience in owning an all-electric vehicle.