In Zapmap’s annual electric vehicle (EV) charging survey, the Fastned network, which offers many devices at each site and high-power charging hubs, has been ranked best.
In its sixth year, Zapmap’s annual EV charging survey—to which over 4,000 drivers of electric cars responded—is the source of the league table.
Fastned and MFG EV Power shared the top spot in the Zapmap rankings the previous year.
In order to better account for the differences in scope and operation between the networks that are primarily supporting the development of on-street or destination chargers and those that are primarily focused on quick or en-route charging, Zapmap has created two sets of network rankings for the first time.
Next week, the on-street and destination charging provider rankings will be revealed.
The top scorer in this year’s 2023–24 rankings will once again receive an accreditation as the “Best EV Charging Network,” and the other four will be named “EV Driver Recommended.”
But Zapmap is also launching a brand-new “Up and Coming Network” accreditation for the first time.
Each network is ranked out of a possible five stars based on the respondents’ overall satisfaction ratings, which are collected as part of the survey and used to determine which ones they often use.
Additionally, they scored the networks’ dependability, usability, customer service, value for money, and payment methods in relation to their degree of satisfaction.
This year’s winner of the “Best EV Charging Network” award is the Fastned network, which received special praise for the dependability and user-friendliness of their charging network.
“We are absolutely delighted that EV drivers have voted us the UK’s favourite EV charging station for the second year in a row,” stated Tom Hurst, UK national manager of Fastned.
It’s a true acknowledgment of how crucial it is to give EV drivers the high-quality charging experience they merit. Our dedicated and industrious crew is now fully committed to making sure you soon get to see even more of our distinctive yellow canopies.
“Local governments and grid operators are strongly informed by these evaluations that ultra-rapid EV charging is here to stay in the UK. And that with the correct assistance, it can only get stronger.”
This year’s runners-up, MFG EV Power and Osprey Charging, are two networks that are likewise concentrated on implementing high-speed charging hubs across the country.
For the 2023–24 rankings, both networks receive the designation “EV Driver Recommended,” joining Ionity and InstaVolt, which come in at fourth and fifth, respectively.
“This year has seen continued growth in the number of new electric cars registered, and in parallel significant growth in the charging infrastructure that many drivers depend upon,” stated Melanie Shufflebotham, co-founder and chief operating officer of Zapmap.
The findings of our yearly EV poll show that many EV drivers continue to have concerns about charger availability and dependability.
“For this reason alone, these rankings and our accreditations as the ‘Best EV Charging Network’ are significant. They offer direct input from electric vehicle drivers and serve as a reliable indicator of which networks are more dependable.
According to Shufflebotham, the division of the rankings into two categories is a reflection of the market’s growth, which has seen a significant increase in participants and specialisation.
“We anticipate that all charge point networks will stay committed to offering EV drivers a dependable, user-friendly charging experience in addition to an increased number of chargers,” she stated.
ChargePlace Scotland, which comes in seventh overall, won first place in both customer support and value for money because a large portion of its vast network of charging stations is still free to use. BP Pulse and GeniePoint are now in reverse order at the bottom of the rankings, with the former in 10th place and the latter in 11th.
The two networks, which together manage a sizable number of charging stations around the nation, performed worse in terms of usability and dependability—aspects that both operators are actively trying to enhance.
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Developing Network
In addition, Zapmap has created a new category this year called “Up and Coming Network,” which is intended for networks that performed well enough to rank at the top of the table but did not receive the required number of responses from EV drivers in the poll.
This year’s “Up and Coming Network” on the rise is Evyve, a brand-new network with 220 devices and over 100 charging stations throughout the UK—the majority of which are more powerful devices.
Head of Zapmap’s insights, Jade Edwards, stated: “These en-route network rankings help to give clarity on how the UK’s charging infrastructure is developing, not least because they highlight where improvements can be made at this high-powered end of the charging spectrum and what networks are performing well.”
It is evident that the degree of Zapmap customers’ pleasure with any particular network is largely determined by how dependable and user-friendly the UK’s en-route charging networks are. Priorities should be given to these two elements in all public charging networks in the United Kingdom.
In fact, Zapmap’s yearly assessment reveals that although a large number of en-route networks offer a dependable, user-friendly service, some still need to improve. The public charging infrastructure needs to be made as easy and dependable as feasible for electric automobiles as they become more and more commonplace.