Has the UK simply hit a serious EV tipping level? There are nearly twice as many public chargers than petrol and diesel pumps

The UK may have hit an important milestone in its transition to electrified cars in recent weeks.

According to new data published by the Department for Transport on Friday, there are now 116,052 public EV charging point connectors available as of 1 January 2026.

What’s the significant of this statistic? 

It is almost twice the number of petrol and diesel pumps.

This is based on a relatively basic calculation of there being 8,329 fuel stations and 7.3 pumps typically per forecourt.

By multiplying those two figures, the DfT says the total volume of fuel pumps is 60,802.

EV advocates have celebrated the milestone as a ‘major tipping point’ that shows that ‘electric cars have become mainstream’.

New DfT says there are now 116,052 public EV charging point connectors across the UK, which is almost double the 60,802 petrol and diesel pumps

The DfT’s report said: ‘Based on estimates of industry data, there are now considerably more EV chargers than fuel pumps across the UK.’

Tanya Sinclair, CEO of the EVUK think tank, said the milestone ‘reflects steady, policy-led progress’.

She told Daily Mail and This is Money: ‘The charging network has been scaling because the market has clarity and drivers have confidence. 

‘However, the comparison with fuel pumps is symbolic and not something we should read into, because of course it doesn’t consider home chargers, and a good charging network is as much about reliable, well located chargers as it is about absolute numbers.’

Matt Davies, founder and director of Octopus Electroverse, dubbed it a ‘defining moment for UK charging’ and said it shows that ‘electric is now mainstream’.

Yet, latest car sales figures show that confidence in EVs could be waning.

Electric car sales took a sector-shuddering dip last month with registrations rising by just 0.1 per cent.

Some 29,654 EVs were sold in January, which is only 20 more battery cars than were registered in the same month in 2025.

With car sales across all fuel types rising 3.4 per cent to 144,127 units, it means EVs represented only 20.6 per cent market share in January, figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders showed.

This is the lowest market share since April 2025 and well below the 33 per cent binding sales targets set out by the government’s Zero Emission Vehicle mandate.

Official data also shows that seven in ten EVs entering the road last year were registered by fleets and businesses incentivised by huge tax breaks on electric cars, meaning private buyers represent a fraction of sales and reflect the limited public demand for battery-powered models.

The motor trade body forecasts that EV market share will reach 28.5 per cent this year, due to increasing model choice, improved ranges and last year’s re-introduction of electric car grants.

However, experts believe the Chancellor’s announced pay-per-mile tax on electric cars – due to come into force in 2028 – has already started to weigh heavy on appetite.

While the charging point network is growing, electric car sales have stalled. In January, sales of EVs grew just 0.1% and around 70% of registrations are by fleets and businesses

Ginny Buckley, the chief executive of dedicated EV website Electrifying.com, said the total number of public EV charging sockets make for welcome reading but fails to consider the existing postcode lottery electric car owners face.

‘Westminster has more chargers than five major northern cities combined,’ Ginny told us. 

‘Not a single area in the UK’s top ten charging hotspots is in the North, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

‘Drivers don’t charge nationally, they charge locally. The real test isn’t whether there are more plugs than pumps on paper, it is whether every driver, wherever they live, can charge easily and with confidence.’

Chargepoint location website Zapmap claims there are more than one million EV devices across the country when including chargers installed at owners’ homes and at workplaces.

Earlier this week, the Government confirmed that it would extend grants to help drivers save up to £500 off the price of a charger. However, a huge proportion of people are ringfenced from accessing the grant.

Labour confirmed that it is only available to renters, flat owners, residential landlords, and households with on-street parking.