Three-quarters of electric vehicle owners say that they are dissatisfied with the charging infrastructure available, new research has revealed

A survey of almost 1,500 Which? members who own an EV or plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) has highlighted the current difficulties with finding a charger that works.

Nearly 75% said they were dissatisfied with the available public infrastructure for charging and 48% said they find it a challenge simply to find a charging point in good working condition.

Four in ten (40%) reported that they have experienced a non-working charger and four in ten (43%) have faced ‘technical issues’ with charging points.

Over 60% said they had experienced an issue making payments, the consumer champion’s poll found.

Which? also asked EV drivers to estimate how far the nearest public on-street charging point was from their homes and 45% estimated that the nearest was more than a 20-minute walk away.

Responding to the survey, Cllr David Renard, Transport spokesperson for the Local Government Association (LGA), said: ‘Electric vehicles will have a growing importance in the country’s journey towards reducing greenhouse emissions from the way we travel. Councils are already working with government and industry on planning and delivering for the ever growing demand for cleaner transport.

‘Reliability and ease of use of the charging infrastructure will be vital to continue attracting more people to make the switch to greener transport. Councils need long-term financial support from government so they can help ensure there are robust and accessible local charging networks to help our communities and businesses to adopt cleaner travel and tackle climate change.’