Chargers are appearing at supermarkets, such as these at Tesco in Taunton. Picture: Google

Supermarkets supercharging EV points for customers

Paul JonesSeptember 21, 20250 Comment0

ELECTRIC vehicle (EV) drivers looking for a place to top-up their battery have more options at supermarkets, according to new data.

The number of EV charging points at stores across the country has increased by more than a third (34%) in the last 18 months, according to data analysed by Zapmap and the RAC.

Between January 2024 and June 2025, UK supermarkets added 1,001 EV charge points at 260 locations, with the total number of supermarket charge points now standing at 3,917 – meaning five per cent of the UK’s 83,851 charge points are now located at shopping venues.

Of the total number of EV charge points installed in the last 18 months, 596 were rapid or ultra-rapid units.

In the EV supermarket charging league, Aldi tops the table for the biggest growth in chargers over the last 18 months, thanks to its new partnership with Shell Recharge.

From 199 units in 2023, the supermarket chain has almost tripled the number of units at its stores to 592, adding 393 chargers by June 2025.

Tesco remains the largest overall charging network, with 1,409 charge points across 633 locations, however, both Aldi and Lidl overtook Morrisons in the last 18 months, with Aldi in second position and Lidl third with 411 units at 349 locations.

Morrisons still has the largest proportion of stores in its estate providing charging facilities but has seen little growth in charger provision over the period.

A total of 332 Morrisons stores out of 497 offer EV charging.

Next in line, with 35% of stores with charging points, is Lidl, followed by Waitrose at 24% and Aldi at 19%.

Sainsbury’s has also shown significant growth over the period, having invested in its own Smart Charge network of ultra-rapid chargers (150kW+).

It now boasts more than 375 charge points across 105 locations, more than double the 157 units in place at 56 locations in 2023.

Meanwhile, Asda’s EV charging rollout has stalled, with fewer than 2% of supermarket locations providing charging for its customers.

Differing approaches to charging provision are evident across the sector; Morrisons (99%), Sainsbury’s (91%) and M&S (89%) are almost exclusively focused on providing rapid-charge points, while others are taking a more mixed approach providing both rapid and low-powered options.

Supermarkets to watch, according to the data, with a small but growing provision, are Co-op and M&S.

Iceland has also introduced EV charging at a small number of stores for the first time, installing five devices at two supermarkets across its 900-location estate.

RAC head of policy, Simon Williams, said: “A perceived lack of public charge points is one of the main reasons drivers give for not planning to get an EV next time they change their car.

“It’s therefore extremely encouraging to see so many supermarkets doing what they can to bust this myth by installing hundreds more charging units at locations across the UK.

“Iceland has entered the charging league for the first time ever, while our analysis shows giants like Sainsbury’s and Morrisons are focused almost exclusively on providing rapid and ultra-rapid charge points.

“These higher-powered charge points are a crucial piece of the puzzle, especially for drivers that either don’t want to spend long shopping, or that don’t have their own off-street parking space at home so have to rely on public charging.

“We now need to see every retail chain doing what it can to maintain momentum by increasing the number of stores that offer EV charging.

“Faster installations from retailers, coupled with more financial incentives like the Government’s Electric Car Grant, will help boost the number of drivers ready to make the switch to electric motoring.”

Zapmap founder and chief operating officer, Melanie Shufflebotham, said: “Supermarkets continue to be a very popular choice for EV drivers to charge up, especially for those without home charging, as our annual survey of EV driver sentiment shows.

“It’s great to see major supermarket chains continuing to invest in this area, with a significant increase in charging provision since our last report.

“We’ve long been advocates of charging when you can rather than when you need to, and these locations, especially those providing high-powered charging, offer just that.

“For retail sites, including supermarkets, we also know that EV provision has a significant positive impact on traffic and dwell-times, so meeting the needs of the EV drivers of today and tomorrow makes strong commercial sense.

“The rollout of the Sainsbury’s Smart Charge network is a significant shift in approach, and it will be interesting to see whether other supermarkets follow suit and how the picture evolves as demand grows and customer preferences settle.”

A Department for Transport (DfT) spokesperson added: “We’re bringing down the cost of going electric and giving people the confidence that they can charge up easily, whether they’re at home, at work, or out and about.

“With 100,000 new charge points on the way, backed by government funding, we’re making sure no one’s left searching for a plug.

“It’s brilliant to see supermarkets stepping up too so drivers can top up while they shop. It’s all about making EVs part of everyday life and showing just how easy the switch can be.”