RAC: Electric vehicle charge points at supermarkets increase by a third in 18 months
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5% of all UK charge points are located at supermarkets Six in ten
of all supermarket EV locations now offer high-powered charging
facilities Aldi and Sainsbury's have seen the highest growth, with
both focusing on rapid charging provision The number of electric
vehicle (EV) charge points at supermarkets has increased by a third
(34%) in the last 18 months, according to new data analysed by
Zapmap and the RAC.* Between January 2024 and June...Request free trial
The number of electric vehicle (EV) charge points at supermarkets has increased by a third (34%) in the last 18 months, according to new data analysed by Zapmap and the RAC.* Between January 2024 and June 2025, UK supermarkets added 1,001 EV charge points at 260 locations, with the total number of supermarket charge points now standing at 3,917. This represents a 34% rise on the 2,916 that were in place at the end of 2023 – meaning five per cent of all the UK's 83,851 charge points are now located at supermarkets.** Of the total number of EV charge points installed in the last 18 months, 596 were rapid or ultra-rapid units. While this is less than the 655 installed in 2023, it still means almost six-in-10 (58% – 1,088) of all supermarket EV locations now offer higher-powered charging facilities. A greater number of supermarket sites than ever before are offering charging facilities for battery-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. Approximately 1,876 locations now provide EV charging, up by 16% from 1,616 at the end of 2023. This is equivalent to 14% of all 13,407 UK supermarkets, including those without parking.*** The EV supermarket charging league In the EV supermarket charging league, Aldi tops the table for the biggest growth in chargers over the last 18 months, thanks to its new partnership with Shell Recharge. From 199 units in 2023, the supermarket chain has almost tripled the number of units at its stores to 592, adding 393 chargers by June 2025. While Tesco remains the largest overall charging network with 1,409 charge points across 633 locations, the major discount grocers are making their way up the table. Both Aldi and Lidl overtook Morrisons in the last 18 months, with Aldi in second position and Lidl third with 411 units at 349 locations. Morrisons still has the largest proportion of stores in its estate providing charging facilities but has seen little growth in charger provision over the period. 332 Morrisons stores offer EV charging out of a total 497, representing 67% of all its sites. Next in line, with a comparatively low 35% of stores with charging provision, is Lidl which now operates its own chargers following the end of its partnership with Pod, followed by Waitrose at 24% and Aldi at 19%. Sainsbury's has also shown significant growth over the period, having invested in its own Smart Charge network of ultra-rapid chargers (150kW+). It now boasts over 375 charge points across 105 locations, more than double the 157 units in place at 56 locations in 2023. Meanwhile Asda's EV charging rollout has stalled with fewer than 2% of supermarket locations providing charging for its customers. Differing approaches to charging provision are evident across the sector; Morrisons (99%), Sainsbury's (91%) and M&S (89%) are almost exclusively focused on providing rapid charge points, whilst others are taking a more mixed approach providing both rapid charging and low-powered options. Supermarkets to watch, with a small but growing provision are Co-op and M&S. Iceland has also introduced EV charging at a small number of stores for the first time ever, installing five devices at two supermarkets across its 900-location estate. RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “A perceived lack of public charge points is one of the main reasons drivers give for not planning to get an EV next time they change their car. It's therefore extremely encouraging to see so many supermarkets doing what they can to bust this myth by installing hundreds more charging units at locations across the UK.**** “Iceland has entered the charging league for the first time ever, while our analysis shows giants like Sainsbury's and Morrisons are focused almost exclusively on providing rapid and ultra-rapid charge points. These higher-powered charge points are a crucial piece of the puzzle, especially for drivers that either don't want to spend long shopping, or that don't have their own off-street parking space at home so have to rely on public charging. “We now need to see every retail chain doing what it can to maintain momentum by increasing the number of stores that offer EV charging. Faster installations from retailers, coupled with more financial incentives like the Government's Electric Car Grant, will help boost the number of drivers ready to make the switch to electric motoring.” Zapmap founder and chief operating officer Melanie Shufflebotham said: “Supermarkets continue to be a very popular choice for EV drivers to charge up, especially for those without home charging, as our annual survey of EV driver sentiment shows. It's great to see major supermarket chains continuing to invest in this area, with a significant increase in charging provision since our last report. We've long been advocates of charging when you can rather than when you need to, and these locations, especially those providing high-powered charging, offer just that. “For retail sites, including supermarkets, we also know that EV provision has a significant positive impact on traffic and dwell-times, so meeting the needs of the EV drivers of today and tomorrow makes strong commercial sense. The rollout of the Sainsbury's Smart Charge network is a significant shift in approach, and it will be interesting to see whether other supermarkets follow suit and how the picture evolves as demand grows and customer preferences settle.” A spokesperson for the Department for Transport said: “We're bringing down the cost of going electric and giving people the confidence that they can charge up easily—whether they're at home, at work, or out and about. With 100,000 new charge points on the way, backed by government funding, we're making sure no one's left searching for a plug. “It's brilliant to see supermarkets stepping up too so drivers can top up while they shop. It's all about making EVs part of everyday life and showing just how easy the switch can be.” > Interactive version of the above chart: https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/V17Hs/1/ > Interactive version of the above chart: https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/eZjCz/2/
ENDS Notes to Editors The power ratings that are tracked are defined as Slow/Fast (<50kW), and Rapid/Ultra-rapid (50kW+). *Data taken from the Zapmap database of public charging points analysed from 1 January 2023 – 30 June 2025 **Department for Transport: Monthly total number of electric vehicle public charging devices available in the UK, 1 August 2025 ***As above ****Data taken from supermarket websites including those without parking facilities:
*****56% of drivers said they wouldn't buy an EV due to a perceived lack of public charging points. The RAC's Report on Motoring, section 4.2, A further electric car slowdown, page 42
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