Almost 5.8 million motorists could be delaying the switch to an electric car because of the cost of installing a charger, according to car retailer Motorpoint. The company surveyed 2,000 UK drivers to understand how home charging concerns are affecting EV adoption.
Survey Findings on Charger Costs
Among motorists who don’t currently drive an EV, almost a quarter (23%) said they’d be more likely to go electric if installing a home charger was easier. Getting an EV charger can be a big investment, costing between £800 and £1,200.
More than a fifth of motorists (22%) said they'd be more likely to drive an EV if their property already had a charger installed, according to the data. Recent rule changes by the UK Government are aimed at making it easier.
Grant Support and Expert Insight
The Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Grant offers financial support of up to £500 of the total installation costs for eligible homes without a driveway. Despite that support, more than a quarter (26%) said the cost of installing a charger put them off switching.
Motorpoint’s resident EV expert, Mike Vousden, said: "Some drivers are concerned that charging at home is expensive or complicated, but it’s much cheaper than refuelling with petrol and there are grants and support available to help with installation."
Vousden added: "Government grants and more recent plans to introduce cross-pavement charging for people without a driveway are helping to remove barriers to EV ownership. If we see more progress like this, it'll help motorists feel more confident switching to an EV."
Methodology Behind the Prediction
Motorpoint said its 5.8 million prediction was based on the number of licensed non-EV cars in the UK (32,871,047) multiplied by the percentage of UK homes suitable for EV charging installation (67.2%), then multiplied by its survey results (26%), to give 5,741,774 motorists.
The survey was carried out by SurveyGoo on behalf of Motorpoint, asking 2,015 UK motorists about the barriers to EV ownership at home and how people's homes influenced their ability or willingness to switch to electric. The data was collected in September 2026 and all statistics and findings were rounded to the nearest whole number.
