EV charging planning trends
EV charging's share of UK planning applications reached its highest since 2016 in the 12 months to September 2026, 41% above three years earlier.
EV charging applications since 2016
EV charging applications in every 10,000 planning applications, over the 12 months to each month
How this is measuredA dip, then a new high
The EV charging share reached 50 in every 10,000 applications in the 12 months to August 2024 and eased to 46 by August 2025. It has since climbed to 61. The EV charging planning index stands at 2,226: 22 times its 2016 share.
Highest in the North East
Over 2023 to 2025 the North East had 55 EV charging applications in every 10,000, against 48 across the UK. London had 42 and Northern Ireland the fewest, 29. Barnet leads all councils with 332 since 2016.
Q3 2026 against a year earlier
Councils received 709 EV charging applications in Q3 2026: 69 in every 10,000 applications, against 50 in Q3 2025, a share of all applications 39% higher than a year earlier.
EV charging applications each quarter
709 in Q3 2026, against 544 a year earlier.
Out of every 10,000 applications
As a share of every application: 69 in every 10,000 in Q3 2026, against 50 a year earlier.
Where EV charging applications concentrate
By region
EV charging applications in every 10,000 planning applications, 2023 to 2025
Councils with the most
Applications since 2016
-
Barnet
London · 61 in every 10,000 332 -
Hammersmith & Fulham
London · 84 in every 10,000 180 -
Cornwall
South West · 21 in every 10,000 159 -
Leeds
Yorkshire and Humber · 27 in every 10,000 157 -
North Yorkshire
Yorkshire and Humber · 23 in every 10,000 154 -
Wiltshire
South West · 25 in every 10,000 144 -
City of Edinburgh
Scotland · 27 in every 10,000 134 -
Manchester
North West · 48 in every 10,000 129 -
Oxford
South East · 65 in every 10,000 126 -
Somerset
South West · 21 in every 10,000 122
Latest EV charging applications
- 2 Wells Cottages Robin Hood Road Elsenham Essex Erection of short post and fitting of EV charging point adjacent to front driveway and installation of underground cable from consumer unit in front hallway,
- B&Q Carmarthen - Pensarn, Unit 1 To 3, Parc Pensarn, Llangunnor, Carmarthen Installation of electric vehicle charging points – comprising chargepoint upstands, supporting electrical equipment, including a substation, cabinet infrastructure and electrical cabling
- Snooty Fox The Snooty Fox, Haslett Avenue East, Three Bridges, Crawley Certificate of Lawfulness for the proposed installation of three electric vehicle charging stations alongside an associated substation and feeder pillar, in accordance with Class E of the Town and County Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015
- Flats 1-3, Carrington Works, Laundry Lane, Milford-on-Sea Change of use and conversion of three flats to a single dwelling; ev charging point
- 14A Glebelands Road, Prestwich, Manchester Creation of a new driveway including new vehicular crossing ; Removal of part of the front boundary wall; Installation of electric vehicle (EV) charging point
- 51 Emma Place Plymouth Installation of EV charger internally within front porch to facilitate pavement channel charging
How often are they refused?
Of 8,459 received 2016 to 2024 and decided, 9.3% were refused, close to the 11.3% for all applications.
Refusal rate by year
Decisions, applications received 2016 to 2024
- Approved or refused8,459
- Refused9.3%
- Withdrawn before a decision816
- All applications11.3% refused
Questions
How many EV charging planning applications are there in the UK?
Councils have received 14,253 since January 2016, 2,648 of them in the 12 months to September 2026. Their share of all applications is the highest since 2016.
Which councils receive the most EV charging applications?
Barnet, Hammersmith & Fulham and Cornwall have received the most since 2016.
How often are EV charging applications refused?
Of 8,459 received 2016 to 2024 and decided, 9.3% were refused, close to the 11.3% for all applications.
Do these figures count chargers installed?
No. They count planning applications that mention EV charging. In England much charging equipment can be installed under permitted development without an application. These figures count proposals made to councils, not chargers in use.
About Plota
Plota is the UK's most visited planning search, according to Similarweb. It shows every new planning application from every UK council, read daily from 390 planning registers, with past applications back to 2016 from more than 420 registers, including those of councils since merged. It also covers planning committee decisions, HMO licences and premises licences.
How this is measured
What needs an application
England widened permitted development for off-street charge points on 29 May 2025, so some installations that once needed an application no longer do.
Methodology
- What is counted: planning applications to UK councils whose description names EV charging or a close variant of the words, by the date each council received them. These are planning applications, not completed schemes; the largest energy and infrastructure projects are consented nationally rather than by councils, so they sit outside these counts.
- How matches are checked: we read the 200 most recent EV charging applications and 20 from every year since 2016 to confirm each one belongs.
- Topic counts leave out, by design, works to trees and applications that only discharge conditions, amend an earlier permission or approve reserved matters, which follow a scheme already counted. Everything else is counted.
- A share is the number out of every 10,000 applications over the previous 12 months. Each topic is a number in every 10,000 planning applications, so trends compare when overall planning activity changes; the share still moves when either the topic's count or the total does. The EV charging planning index sets the 2016 share at 100, so 200 means twice as common as in 2016.
- Source: the planning registers of every UK council, January 2016 to September 2026, read on 9 November 2026.
- Planning is seasonal, so each quarter is compared with the same quarter a year earlier.
- Year on year: each topic's and theme's share of all applications in Q3 2026, against Q3 2025, at every council we hold. A share is the number in every 10,000 applications. Shares compare across councils and years; raw counts do not.
- Left out of the topic shares: Birmingham's applications from June to September 2026: a validation backlog at the council since June 2026: of 685 reference numbers it issued in September, its register lists 288. The same months a year earlier are left out too, so every comparison covers the same councils.
- Refusals: applications received 2016 to 2024 and decided, at councils whose published decisions pass our checks against their decision notices. Approvals and refusals count; withdrawals do not. "All applications" means every decision of that kind at the same councils over the same years. Applications received from 2025 are added once most are decided.
- Download the data (CSV): every topic and theme, each quarter since 2016.
Sources
- England widened permitted development for off-street EV charging outlets, upstands and equipment housing from 29 May 2025. legislation.gov.uk