Coventry now best place to own EV in the UK, overtaking Sunderland
Following new EV statistics released by the government last week, Coventry has been named as the best place in the UK to own an electric vehicle (EV), overtaking the former EV capital of the UK, Sunderland, which finished in second place.
With nearly 750,000 new EVs registered in 2021, personal finance guidance and comparison website Forbes Advisor has researched where in the UK is the best place to own an EV, so potential drivers can make an informed purchase.
The research used data from 20 of the most populated cities in the UK and ranked each city based on four EV metrics: cost of charging an EV at home, number of standard and rapid EV charging points per 100,000 people, and the number of rapid charging points per registered EV in the area.
Based on this data, each location was assigned an ‘EV Accessibility Rating’ out of 80, with Coventry coming out on top, scoring 70/80, and Portsmouth ranking lowest with a score of 27/80. London scored 49/80.
Glasgow has made the biggest improvement in its EV infrastructure over the past year, increasing the number of charging points per 100,000 people by 18.5% and installing 10 new rapid charging points. The investment has resulted in the Scottish city jumping from 16th in the UK to 9th.
The average cost of charging an EV was taken into account, with Belfast by far the cheapest city to run an electric vehicle. However the Northern Irish capital only has 15.5 charging points per 100,000 residents. Liverpool was discovered to be the priciest place to drive an EV, with the average cost to charge a 60 kWh battery coming out at £14.62.
Says Kevin Pratt, car insurance expert at Forbes Advisor:
“Sales of electric cars are booming, and we can expect to see more EVs on the road as we approach the 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel-powered vehicles. But that means we need to see an acceleration in the number and distribution of charging points so that drivers can enjoy easy access to the power they need. It’s good to see cities across the UK getting to grips with the issue.”
The 10 best cities to own an EV, with their ‘EV Accessibility Rating’ are:
- Coventry – 70
- Sunderland – 67
- Newcastle – 63
- Leeds – 56
- Middlesbrough – 52
- London – 49
- Reading – 49
- Sheffield – 46
- Glasgow – 44
- Cardiff – 39
More information on the best cities to own an EV can be found here – https://www.forbes.com/uk/advisor/car-insurance/ev-does-it-uks-top-cities-for-electric-vehicle-ownership/
