Government Commits £63 Million to Expand EV Charging Access

The UK’s Transport Secretary says it’s about to get “easier and cheaper” to buy electric vehicles, as the government rolls out a new £63 million funding package aimed at boosting the country’s EV charging network.

Speaking on Sunday, Heidi Alexander shared the government’s plans to make switching to electric cars more affordable. The newly announced £63 million will be directed toward councils and other organisations, helping them expand access to charging stations in both public and residential areas.

But that’s just the start. Officials are also finalising details on a much larger £700 million subsidy program designed to reduce the upfront cost of purchasing a new electric car. Still, the funding doesn’t quite match the £950 million previously promised by the Conservatives for motorway charging infrastructure—a plan that the current Labour government shelved last month, citing a lack of proper financial backing by their predecessors.

Alexander said on Sunday, “We do need to make it easier and cheaper for people to buy an electric vehicle. So today we’re announcing a really big investment, £63m in charging infrastructure across the country – £25m for councils.”

The new subsidies will likely favour UK-manufactured EVs. That’s expected to benefit carmakers like Nissan, which is preparing to launch a new version of the Leaf from its Sunderland plant. But support will be focused on drivers purchasing lower-cost models. That means premium vehicles, such as Teslas or the upcoming electric Range Rovers and Land Rovers, may not be eligible for the same level of financial assistance.

Part of the new funding will be used to install additional public charging stations. A portion of the money for local authorities will go toward practical improvements in residential neighbourhoods, such as digging shallow gullies under pavement to allow residents to run charging cables from their homes to their parked cars. An additional £30 million will be allocated to support vehicle depots, including those used by services such as the NHS.

This all builds on a broader commitment made by Chancellor Rachel Reeves last month. At the latest spending review, she pledged £400 million for EV infrastructure over five years. That investment is part of a wider £1.4 billion fund aimed at encouraging the switch to electric vehicles across the board.

So far this year, around 20% of new cars sold in the UK are electric, according to data from Zap Map. While EV sales have increased by roughly 240% since 2021, they still account for less than 5% of the total number of vehicles on the road. The government hopes to increase that significantly, setting a target of 28% for new car sales this year. That said, flexible rules mean the actual target sits closer to 22%, according to the think tank New Automotive.

It’s worth noting that EV subsidies aren’t new. The original purchase grants were introduced by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition back in 2011, at a time when EVs were a rare sight and model options were limited. However, those grants were scrapped by the Conservatives in 2022, citing concerns about cost and the perception that they mainly helped wealthier households—a move that drew sharp criticism from the automotive industry.

Separately, the government has also committed £2 billion over the next five years to accelerate the UK’s manufacturing of zero-emission vehicles and related technologies, a clear signal that the push for a greener transport future is gaining momentum.

Jonathan Reynolds, the business secretary, said: “We’re helping British carmakers get to the front of the pack by working hand in hand with investors to build a globally competitive electric vehicle supply chain in the UK.”