Welcome to Electric Road’s ‘Top 5 Public Charging Networks’ Summer 2023 in association with Xcite Car Leasing.
At Electric Road, our key objective is to be as useful as we possibly can be for those considering their first or next electric car and related products & services.
Good public charging networks are really important for most electric car owners regardless of whether they have a home charging unit or not. This is because of the mixed experience some owners have had using the UK infrastructure to-date with reliability, ease of use and payment methods being the key areas of frustration.
Owner Ratings
Based on owner feedback from over 4,000 Top 5 EV Surveys received up to and including 30th September 2023, Electric Road has extracted the top 5 highest-rated public charging networks in the UK. Within the review forms, all owners are asked to list their top 5 public charging networks. From this, we have added up the number of times a particular company has appeared within the Top 5 EV Surveys and the results are below.
We hope this summary of EV owners’ opinions will help you in your understanding of public charging networks. Given how quickly the UK charging infrastructure is growing, the ‘Top 5 Public Charging Networks’ will be updated each quarter ensuring you have the latest owner feedback from Electric Road.
Top 5 Public Charging Networks
1. InstaVolt
InstaVolt is our winner once again with owners loving their reliability and ease of use in particular.
About InstaVolt
All InstaVolt chargers cost £0.75 per kWh to use, with no need to worry about unexpected connection or membership fees. In other words, there are no surprises when you pay. We believe EV driving should be for everyone, therefore you won’t need to worry about memberships or RFID cards when charging with InstaVolt.
(as published on their website, October 2023)
Here’s what some of our owners say about InstaVolt:
‘InstaVolt is way ahead and I only really use them as I have had problems with most others.’
Jaguar I-PACE 2019, Keith G. Read the full Owner Review here
‘InstaVolt are stand out excellent public chargers for us. Just so simple to use, swipe your debit card and charge, very easy!’
Polestar 2 2021, Ross Jones. Read the full Owner Review here
‘We have definitely had our best experiences with InstaVolt with best reliability and easiest to work out what to do.’
Nissan LEAF Tekna 40kWh 2018, Mark Thompson. Read the full Owner Review here
‘…they are a great speed, reliable, normally in good locations for food or a break consistently & consistently brilliant.’
Peugeot e-2008 GT Premium 50kWh 2022, Simon M-B. Read the full Owner Review here
Find your new electric vehicle today with Xcite Car Leasing!
2. Pod Point
About Pod Point
Pod Point is one of UK’s leading providers of electric vehicle charging. Since forming in 2009, we have manufactured and sold over 211,000 charging points** across the UK. We’ve also developed an extensive public network connecting EV drivers with 9,200+ charging bays** at locations including Tesco, Lidl and Center Parcs.
We install smart home charging points for customers of major automotive brands including Audi, BMW, Hyundai and KIA while our Workplace and Fleet customers include countless high profile companies like Skanska, DPD, DHL, Evri and EDF. We also work with top property developers and managers like Barratt Homes, Taylor Wimpey, Redrow and Bellway to wire up their developments.
Through our network of home, workplace and public charging points we have powered over 745 million miles* of electric driving.
* In 2023 and as of 30th June 2023.
**As of 30th June 2023.
(as published on their website, October 2023)
Here’s what some of our owners say about Pod Point:
‘Pod Point – I only use 50kW charges when on long journeys as they’re very quick for a full charge; they cost a bit more but well worth it. Most of the charge points are very easy to use.’
Citroen E-C4 2021, Paul. Read the full Owner Review here
‘Pod Point – easy to use, great app.’
Ford Mustang Mach-E ER AWD 2022, TrevorHenna. Read the full Owner Review here
‘Pod Point is by far the most readily available public chargers around my area. Most are free and are 7kW chargers but I have found a couple of 22kW free chargers which is amazing and I use every morning.’
Tesla Model Y Long Range 2022, Will. Read the full Owner Review here
Find your new electric vehicle today with Xcite Car Leasing!
3. GRIDSERVE
About GRIDSERVE
GRIDSERVE is a forward-thinking, technology-enabled sustainable energy business. We are committed to delivering net zero transport at the speed and scale the climate crisis requires to prevent global temperature rises exceeding 1.5°C of warming.
We #deliver net zero transport through our pioneering and multi award-winning Sun-to-Wheel platform: developing, delivering and operating world class customer-focused electric vehicle charging networks powered by solar energy and batteries. We support the success of our networks and the EV transition through driving the uptake and success of electric vehicles with GRIDSERVE Car Leasing
.
Everything we do is underpinned and connected by a technology-agnostic, proprietary data platform that grows and improves every day.
(as published on their website, October 2023)
Here’s what some of our owners say about GRIDSERVE:
‘GRIDSERVE – fair price and customer service.’
KIA Soul EV First Edition 64kWh 2020, Soul. Read the full Owner Review here
‘GRIDSERVE because they are contactless (i.e. you don’t need an app or RFID card). They are also reliable.’
Skoda CITIGOe 2020, Pauline. Read the full Owner Review here
‘GRIDSERVE for speed and cost per kWh.’
Peugeot e-2008 2021, Nathan P. Read the full Owner Review here
Find your new electric vehicle today with Xcite Car Leasing!
4. IONITY
About IONITY
Andreas Atkins, Country Manager UK & Ireland, stated:
“Our goal is to support customers travelling long distances in electric vehicles, where reliability, speed and power of charge is of the highest importance. To hear that customers are saying we are among the most reliable, easy-to-use and fastest chargers in the UK means we are doing our job of making e-mobility an obvious and accessible option for everyone. This year marks accelerated expansion for IONITY in the UK, so we can continue to grow and better serve customer demand for fast EV charging.”
Here’s what some of our owners say about IONITY:
‘IONITY – easy to use and reliable.’
Ford Mustang Mach-E ER AWD 2021, KrystynaS. Read the full Owner Review here
‘IONITY – (I’m) only interested in fast charging, reliability and simplicity (no proprietary RFIDs, logins etc).’
MG5 EV 2020, Paul. Read the full Owner Review here
‘IONITY – they are super-fast chargers.’
Polestar 2 Dual Motor 2022, Nick. Read the full Owner Review here
Find your new electric vehicle today with Xcite Car Leasing!
5. Osprey
About Osprey
We are picky about choosing the highest-quality sites, in what we assess to be the best locations. With charging stations spanning the Scottish Highlands to the Cornish Coast, we offer a comprehensive network of electric car charging points, designed to meet the needs of all electric vehicle drivers.
We believe charging your EV should be simple. We charge you for the amount of electricity you take, much like petrol or diesel. With the largest offering of accepted payment types, including contactless, you can pay for your charge the way you want to.
(as published on their website, October 2023)
Here’s what some of our owners say about Osprey:
‘They have excellent customer support.’
MG5 EV Long Range Exclusive 2021, Olivarus. Read the full Owner Review here
‘Osprey for reliability and ease of use.’
KIA e-Niro 4 64kWh 2020, Gill Nowell. Read the full Owner Review here
‘Osprey have never let me down yet.’
Renault Zoe GT Line 50kW 2021, Kevin. Read the full Owner Review here
Find your new electric vehicle today with Xcite Car Leasing!
