Major supermarkets around the UK have dramatically increased the number of electric car chargers in a shift towards cleaner vehicles.
New data has found that the number of electric vehicle charging points at supermarkets has soared by a third over the last 18 months.
Between January 2024 and June 2025, supermarkets added more than 1,000 chargers at 260 locations, bringing the total number of chargers to just under 4,000.
Five per cent of all EV chargers across the country are now found at supermarkets, with major retailers making efforts to increase the number of chargers available to shoppers.
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Major supermarkets are installing an increasing number of EV chargers across the UK
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PA
The research, from Zapmap and the RAC, revealed that approximately 1,878 locations now offer charging facilities for electric vehicle owners.
This is equivalent to 14 per cent of all 13.407 supermarkets, although this also includes stores without parking.
Aldi was found to have the biggest growth in the number of EV chargers over the last year and a half, mainly down to its partnership with Shell Recharge.
Tesco remains the largest overall charging network with more than 1,400 chargers across 633 locations, with the retailer often offering Clubcard offers to incentivise drivers.
The supermarket’s partnership with EV charging operator Pod and Vauxhall aims to become the UK’s largest retail EV charging network.
This is backed by an offer from Vauxhall, with customers who purchase a new car or van from a retailer issued with a free year of charging credit at Tesco and across the Pod charging network.
While Morrisons has seen very little growth in the number of chargers at its stores over the last 18 months, it has the largest proportion of stores in its estate.
Only 35 per cent of Lidl stores have chargers, although it has recently signed an agreement with Pod to extend its EV offering.
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Asda’s rollout of electric car chargers has stalled in recent months, with less than two per cent of stores providing chargepoints.
Simon Williams, head of policy at the RAC, 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 RAC’s “charging league”, installing five devices at two supermarkets across its 900 stores. Co-Op and M&S are also slowly increasing their number of chargers.
Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Marks and Spencer are focused on providing rapid charging stations at a minimum of 89 per cent of their stores.
Mr Williams called for supermarkets and major retailers to continue the installation of new chargers to help drivers have confidence in electric motoring.
Melanie Shufflebotham, founder and COO of Zapmap, said it was integral for supermarkets to continue investing in the technology.
She added: “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.”