Supermarket EV Chargers Surge By 34% In Just 18 Months

UK supermarkets have significantly expanded their electric vehicle (EV) charging provision, installing 1,001 new devices over the past year and a half, according to fresh analysis from Zapmap and the RAC.

This represents a 34% rise, taking the total to more than 3,900 chargers across roughly 1,870 supermarket sites. Put another way, five per cent of all charge points in the UK are now located at supermarkets, and 14% of supermarkets offer facilities for EV drivers.

A major shift has also been seen in the type of chargers available. Almost 600 rapid or ultra-rapid units have been added during the same period, meaning six in ten supermarkets now provide higher-powered charging – a step change from the slower units that once dominated.

Sainsbury’s and Morrisons, in particular, are investing heavily in rapid charging infrastructure, but it’s Aldi that has emerged as the fastest-growing supermarket for EV charging, largely due to its partnership with Shell Recharge. It has installed 393 new devices in the past 18 months, tripling its network to nearly 600 units.

Tesco still holds the largest share overall, operating 1,409 chargers across 633 stores, though Aldi and Lidl have both overtaken Morrisons to take second and third place, respectively. Sainsbury’s has also expanded quickly with its Smart Charge network of ultra-rapid devices. More than 375 chargers are now available at 105 sites – more than double the number available a year and a half ago. This puts the chain just behind Morrisons in the league table.

By contrast, Asda’s progress has stalled, with fewer than 2% of its outlets currently offering charging facilities. RAC head of policy Simon Williams said the growth was vital to support drivers considering the switch to electric, “A perceived lack of public charge points is one of the main reasons drivers give for not planning to get an EV. It’s therefore extremely encouraging to see so many supermarkets doing what they can to bust this myth, installing hundreds more charging units.”

Melanie Shufflebotham, co-founder and COO of Zapmap, said the trend made both practical and commercial sense: “We’ve long been advocates of charging when you can, rather than when you need to, and these locations, especially those providing high-powered charging, offer just that.

For retail sites, including supermarkets, we also know that EV provision has a significant positive impact on tariff and dwell times, so meeting the needs of the EV drivers of today and tomorrow makes strong commercial sense.”