Are you ready for the UK’s new regulations for public EV charging? And are you confident you know what’s required? Here’s a handy guide to get you up to speed.
Overview of the new requirements:
The new requirements came into force in November 2023 and aim to ensure a “consistent and positive” experience for EV drivers using public charge points across the UK.
The regulations focus on four key areas:
- Helping drivers to easily locate public charge points
- Ease of payment for charging sessions
- Improving the reliability of charging networks
- Ensuring transparency of pricing, allowing drivers to easily compare the prices offered by different charging networks
Who does this affect?
All charge points that are accessible to the public must comply with the regulations, including those that are free to use for any period of time*.
The charge point operator (CPO) is responsible for meeting the requirements of the new regulations. This could be the charge point owner or a third party operator, like Road.
(A person or company who owns a public charge point but is not responsible for management, operation and maintenance is not considered a CPO).
What are the new requirements?
- Pricing must be displayed clearly in pence/kWh, with immediate effect.
Other requirements with a longer timeframe for compliance include the following:
From November 2024:
- Contactless payment New public charge points of 8kW and above and existing charge points of 50 kW and above must offer contactless payment. The maximum price of a charging session must be displayed clearly in pence per kilowatt hour.
- 99% reliability Rapid charge points must be 99% reliable, measured as an average across each charge point operator’s rapid network, with uptime published on the operator’s website.
- Helpline A free to use 24/7 staffed telephone helpline must be available and advertised at all charge points.
- Open data Charge point operators must use the Open Charge Point Interface (OCPI) to hold and open their data.
From November 2025:
- Roaming Drivers must be able to pay for their charging session using at least one charge card, such an E-Flux or Road charge card, or via an app.
Penalties for non-compliance
Compliance will be monitored by the Office for Product Safety and Standards, which can impose fines of up to £10,000 for failure to meet the requirements set out in the new regulations.
How Road can help
At Road, we help CPOs across the UK and EU comply with legislation including the Public Charge Regulations 2023 (UK) and the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR), which has similar requirements for EU CPOs.
Our platform enables seamless EV charge point management, and is compatible with all regulatory requirements. We are proud of the reliability of our platform, which at 99.99% uptime exceeds the level stipulated by the new regulations. Find out more on how we can help you comply with the new UK charge point regulations by contacting us today
*Public charge points that are available to the public free of charge are not required to offer contactless payment.
