Which UK cities are most ready for electric vehicles?

If you are going to make the switch to an electric car, you will have to do some research to make sure it will fit in with your lifestyle. The key element to ownership will be charging, but your local authority may also have extra incentives to encourage you to swap to an EV.

Here we’ve listed the top five best cities and regions in the UK for owning an electric car.

1. Westminster –

4.3 chargers per 1,000 people. It’s perhaps unsurprising that London has the highest concentration of chargers compared to its population, perhaps because they are used by both residents and commuters from outside the area. As a result, there are more chargers in Westminster than there are in the West Midlands.

Westminster isn’t just good at providing chargers though. In addition to an exemption to the London Congestion and ULEZ charges, the council will also let you park an electric car for up to four hours and only pay for the first 10 minutes.

2. Orkney Islands – 

1.8 chargers per 1,000 people. Catch a ferry north from John o’Groats and you’ll land in a real haven for electric vehicles. The Orkneys produce a surplus of clean energy from wind and tidal generation, while fuel is expensive compared to the mainland UK. As a result, electric cars are far more popular than in the rest of the UK. Besides the large number of slow and rapid chargers which are low cost, the government also encourages leasing schemes to help drivers swap cars.

It's not just the locals who can enjoy electric motoring – business will let you hire an electric camper van to tour the islands.

3. Milton Keynes - 

In the town centre there are 15,000 parking bays which are free for electric drivers, and you can plug in and charge without it costing a penny. 

4. Coventry –

1.3 chargers per 1,000 people. Coventry’s location right in the heart of the UK motor industry means it is an obvious place to blaze a trail for electric car ownership. The local government is encouraging drivers to make the switch by creating a network of easily-accessible charge points with contactless payment – so there’s no need for apps or membership cards. Business owners can have points installed cheaply and easily, which means the number of chargers in the Coventry area is growing quickly. Expect its chargers/people score to rise rapidly in the next few months.

5. Brighton –

1.2 chargers per 1,000 people. Brighton & Hove is famous for many things, including having the UK’s only Green Party MP. It’s no surprise therefore that it is a pioneer of clean electric transport. The council says it is the biggest hotspot of electric vehicle charging points in the South of England, with 360 charge points, 23 of which are rapid. They’re shared among more than 1,250 plug-in cars registered in the area.

The most commonly used type of charger are clever sockets built in to lamp posts, which maintain the seaside resort’s Victorian ‘street scape’ while fuelling the modern transport revolution.  

So there's certainly no shortage of electric car charging points in London, but you'll need the vehicle to go with it first!

Browse all the electric & hybrid options available at Eden now

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