75% of councils still lack accessible on-street EV charging
New research finds accessibility is improving, but not at the rate most would expect
Three-quarters of local authorities in the UK still don’t have any accessible on-street electric car charging points, according to new research that highlights the barriers still faced by disabled drivers.
The study found that 75 per cent of councils do not provide any on-street EV chargers that have either been specifically adapted for disabled drivers or meet the British Standards Institution’s PAS 1899:2022 accessibility standard.
One glimmer of hope from the data acquired by Vauxhall under Freedom of Information requests is that the number of local authorities that do have accessible chargers has increased in the past year.
Of the 194 councils that responded to Vauxhall’s FOI requests, 49 said they now have accessible on-street charging points, up from 24 in 2025. Plus, the number of on-street EV chargers located within disabled parking bays has more than doubled since 2024, increasing from 105 to 245.
In total, approximately 15 per cent of on-street chargers are now specifically adapted for disabled drivers, while 14 per cent conform to PAS 1899:2022 accessibility guidance.
However, the availability of accessible chargers also still varies dramatically, depending on where you are. For instance, Vauxhall found just 43 on-street charging points suitable for disabled drivers in the North West and 14 in Scotland, compared with 2,131 in London.
Eurig Druce, managing director of Vauxhall, said: “If the UK is to bring everyone on the electrification journey, accessible charging needs to become the standard, so going electric is a practical and viable option for all drivers.
“As more people switch to electric vehicles, accessibility must be built into public charging from the start, not treated as an afterthought,” he added.
Vauxhall conducted this research as part of its ongoing Electric Streets of Britain campaign, which aims to support drivers without access to off-street parking where they could charge an EV, leaving them at the mercy of the UK’s public charging network.
The British brand says since it launched the initiative in 2023 more than 12,500 streets have been nominated, with more than 500 respondents saying they require disabled access to off-street parking.
Vauxhall continues to share this data with councils to help inform future charging strategies. More than half of the councils that responded to Vauxhall’s FOI said their charging strategies include considerations for disabled and elderly residents.
Get even more from Auto Express, follow our channels...
• Google
• Reddit
• Whatsapp
