Best en-route charging networks revealed in annual Zapmap survey

The Fastned network, which provides high-power charging hubs with multiple devices at each location, has been ranked first in Zapmap’s annual electric vehicle (EV) charging survey.

Now in its sixth year, the league table derives from Zapmap’s annual EV charging survey, which saw record responses from more than 4,000 electric car drivers.

Last year, Fastned and MFG EV Power took joint first place in the Zapmap rankings.

For the first time, Zapmap has produced two sets of network rankings, in order to better account for the difference in scale and operation between those predominantly focused on rapid or en-route charging, and those which are mainly supporting the rollout of on-street or destination chargers.

The rankings for on-street and destination charging providers will be announced next week.

For this year’s 2023-24 rankings, Zapmap is again awarding a ‘Best EV Charging Network’ accreditation to the top scorer, with the others in the top five also receiving an ‘EV Driver Recommended’ title.

However, for the first time, Zapmap is also introducing a new ‘Up and Coming Network’ accreditation.

As part of the survey, respondents rated their overall satisfaction for the networks they use regularly, which is then used to rank each network out of a maximum of five stars.

They also rated their level of satisfaction with the networks in five key areas: reliability, ease of use, customer support, value for money, and payment options.

In first place this year is the Fastned network, which scored particularly highly for the reliability and ease of use of its charging network, and secures this year’s ‘Best EV Charging Network’ title.

Tom Hurst, UK country manager at Fastned, said: "We are absolutely delighted that EV drivers have voted us the UK’s favourite EV charging station for the second year in a row.

“It’s a real recognition of the importance of providing EV drivers with the quality charging experience they deserve. Our hardworking and passionate team are now firmly focused on ensuring you can see even more of our distinct yellow canopies soon.

"These ratings send a strong signal to local authorities and grid operators that ultra-rapid EV charging is here to stay in the UK. And that it can go from strength to strength with the right support."

In second and third place this year are MFG EV Power and Osprey Charging, two networks also focusing on rolling out high-speed charging hubs at a national level.

The two networks earn the ‘EV Driver Recommended’ title for the 2023-24 rankings, alongside Ionity and InstaVolt, which take fourth and fifth place, respectively.

Melanie Shufflebotham, co-founder and chief operating officer at Zapmap, said: “This year has seen continued growth in the number of new electric cars registered, and in parallel significant growth in the charging infrastructure that many drivers depend upon.

“The results of our annual EV survey highlight that for many EV drivers availability and reliability of chargers remain a concern.

“That’s exactly why these rankings and our ‘Best EV Charging Network’ accreditations are important. They provide feedback directly from EV drivers and act as a solid indication of which networks are more dependable.”

Shufflebotham explained that splitting the rankings into two categories reflects the growing nature of the market, with many more players and more specialisation.

“Going forward we hope that all the charge point networks will continue to focus on providing both more chargers and a reliable, easy-to-use charging experience for EV drivers,” she added.

ChargePlace Scotland – which holds seventh place overall – took first place for customer support and also value for money, thanks to some of its extensive network of charge points still being free to use. At the lower end of the table, BP Pulse and GeniePoint have swapped places, with the former taking 10th position and the latter coming in at 11th.

The two networks, which both operate a large number of charge points across the country, came lower down in terms of reliability and ease of use – areas both operators are working hard to improve upon.

Up and Coming Network

This year Zapmap has also added a new ‘Up and Coming Network’ category, for those networks with not quite the requisite number of responses from EV drivers in the survey, but whose performance would have put them near the top of the table.

The en-route ‘Up and Coming Network’ this year is Evyve, a new network that already has over 100 charging locations and 220 devices across the UK, most of them higher-powered devices.

Jade Edwards, head of insights at Zapmap, said: “These en-route network rankings help to give clarity on how the UK’s charging infrastructure is developing, not least because they highlight what networks are doing well, and where there is room for improvement at this high-powered end of the charging spectrum.

“It’s clear that the reliability and ease of use of the UK’s en-route charging networks are key drivers of the level of Zapmap users’ satisfaction with any given network. These two factors should be top priorities across all the UK’s public charging networks.

“Indeed, Zapmap’s annual survey shows that while many en-route networks are providing a reliable, easy-to-use service, others have work to do. Electric cars are entering the mainstream, so it’s vital for the industry to make public charging as simple and reliable as possible.”