UK's busiest EV chargers revealed

Zap-Map has highlighted England's most popular public charging locations, with Gridserve's Electric Super Hub in Rugby topping the list.

The electric vehicle (EV) charging app has published its findings based on the analysis of more than 1.6 million charging sessions. 

The rankings reflect the second quarter of 2022 and cover around 70% of the UK’s public EV charging network.

Melanie Shufflebotham, Zap-Map co-founder & COO, said: “With over 500,000 pure-electric cars on UK roads, and the number of EV drivers joining their ranks showing no signs of slowing, high-power charging hubs are becoming increasingly popular, as these five most popular charging locations show us.

“It’s great to see so many people joining the EV community and using these ultra-rapid hubs, not only because they enable longer electric journeys, but ultimately because every EV driver on the road is helping to reduce our carbon emissions.

“It is popular locations such as these that help to provide peace of mind for EV drivers undertaking longer journeys, who know they can easily find a convenient location for a quick boost.”

As of the end of July 2022, there were more than 20,300 charging locations across the UK with almost 33,300 charging devices, according to Zap-Map data.

This represents a 35% increase in the total number of charging devices since July 2021, while there has been a 70% increase in the number of ultra-rapid devices across the country in the same time period.

Gridserve's Electric Super Hub at Moto Rugby tops the list, having opened in April last year. Located just off the M6, it has 12 high-power charging devices, which have both CCS and
CHAdeMO connectors.

Grideserve's Electric Super Hub at Moto Exeter was the second most popular charging site, despite being open for just three months. Located on a popular holiday route, it boasts two fast Type 2 AC chargers, three medium-power,
and twelve 350 kW-capable devices with CCS and CHAdeMO connectors.

MFG EV Power – Newington came third in the ranking. The London site is located next to the A201, between Elephant & Castle and Bermondsey. It feature seven ultra-rapid chargers.

A second London site, this time operated by BP Pulse, comes fourth. BP Hammersmith is just off the A4, between Hammersmith and Barons Court tube stations. With one rapid charging device and four ultra-rapid devices, the hub is the
smallest of the top five, but its location next to the Hammersmith Flyover sees it put to extremely good use, according to Zap-Map.
At number four, bp pulse’s Hammersmith charging hub

Fifth place goes to another Gridserve site, this time it's the Electric Forecourt in Braintree. The Essex hub was the first of its kind and features 30 chargers, which are predominantly ultra-rapid. Located just off the A131, adjacent to Great Notley, the chargers are powered by a canopy of solar panels, as well as Gridserve’s network of solar farms. There’s also a 6MWh battery on site that allows solar energy to be stored.

Toddington Harper, Gridserve CEO, said: “It’s great to see three of our Gridserve Electric Highway locations in the top five most used sites across England. We are committed to building an awesome UK-wide charging network, enabling anyone, anywhere, in any type of EV to take on any journey and have a great customer experience.

“Gridserve Electric Super Hubs and Electric Forecourts help provide EV drivers the confidence they need to undertake any journey, irrespective of what electric vehicle they drive, and charge quickly, reliably, and affordably.

"We’ve launched seven Electric Super Hubs so far this year, including Exeter, through our partnership with Moto plus our Electric Forecourt in Norwich and we will continue to deliver many more locations on the Gridserve Electric Highway throughout this year and
ongoing. This is the sort of action that is necessary to move the needle on climate change, and it’s great to see how the passion and the pace of development within Gridserve is delivering such a positive impact.”

> Interested in comparing electric vehicle data? Check out our EV tool.

> Interested in ensuring the efficient use of EVs. Check out our dedicated editorial sections: Insight & policy | EV news | Charging & infrastructure | Costs & incentives | Benefit-in-kind | EV case studies | EV road tests

> EVs by range

> EVs by their efficiency

> Rapid charging EVs