- Bolton is the worst area in the UK to own an electric car with more than 8.3 charging points per 100,000 population
- Walsall ranks as the second worst with 8.4 charging points per 100,000 people, whilst Southend-on-Sea ranks as third
- Milton Keynes, Coventry and Brighton are revealed as the best places in the UK to own an electric vehicle
A new study has revealed that Bolton is the worst area in the UK to own an electric car.
The study by International Drivers Association, analysed the number of electric car charging points on ZapMap and ONS data to establish which area in the UK with a population of more than 100,000, has the highest and lowest number of charging points per 100,000 population.
The worst area in the UK to own an electric car is revealed to be Bolton, which has the lowest number of accessible charging points per population with only 8.3 per 100,000 available. With a total of 24 public charging devices across the area and a population of 288,248, Bolton is the area with the least access to charging points for electric vehicle owners.
Walsall is the second-worst UK area for owners of electric vehicles with a population of 286,716 and only 24 charging points across the area. This equates to 8.4 public charging devices per 100,000 – the second lowest number of all areas analysed.
The South-East area of Southend-on-Sea has the third-worst rate of charging points for electric vehicle owners with only 9.8 charging points per 100,000. The seaside location has a population of 182,773 and 18 total public charging devices, three of which are rapid chargers.
| The worst areas in the UK to own and electric car | ||
| Area | Rank | Number of charging points per 100,000 people |
| Bolton | 1 | 8.3 |
| Walsall | 2 | 8.4 |
| Southend-on-Sea | 3 | 9.8 |
| Dudley | 4 | 11.8 |
| Stockport | 5 | 12.2 |
| Wigan | 6 | 12.4 |
| Oldham | 7 | 14.3 |
| Stoke-on-Trent | 8 | 14.4 |
The data found that Milton Keynes is the area in the UK with the highest number of charging points per 100,000 people, at 137.3. This comes as a result of 371 total charging points in the area and a population of 270,203. The area also boasts the highest number of rapid charging devices at 121.
The second-best area in the UK to own an electric vehicle is Coventry which has 127.8 charging points per 100,000 people. The area has a total of 485 charging points, significantly more than Milton Keynes, but with a population of 379,387, this means that the area provides slightly less accessibility to charging points than Milton Keynes.
Brighton ranks as the third best area to own an electric vehicle in the UK. The Southern city has 117.9 charging devices per 100,000 people as a result of 344 public charging devices and a population of 291,738. Brighton also has the third highest number of charging points at 344, just below Coventry and Milton Keynes.
Taking the fourth spot is London with 109.9 charging points per 100,000 and Dundee being the fifth best borough to own an electric vehicle with 87.4 charging devices per 100,000 people.
| The best area in the UK to own and electric car | ||
| Area | Rank | Number of charging points per 100,000 people |
| Milton Keynes | 1 | 137.3 |
| Coventry | 2 | 127.8 |
| Brighton | 3 | 117.9 |
| London | 4 | 109.9 |
| Dundee | 5 | 87.4 |
| Oxford | 6 | 71.2 |
| Bedford | 7 | 60.1 |
| Sunderland | 8 | 57.2 |
| Nottingham | 9 | 56.7 |
| Chesterfield | 10 | 56.2 |
A spokesperson from International Drivers Association commented on the findings: “The UK’s charging infrastructure still has a way to go despite the many benefits that electric vehicles have to offer. It will be fascinating to see, particularly as fuel costs continue to rise, how the electrical charging landscape continues to evolve over the coming years.”
