THERE are now 5,829 public chargepoints in the South West, a 26 per cent boost compared to July 2024, the Future of Roads Minister confirmed.

On Thursday, July 24, Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood also confirmed there was a boost of 1,217 public charge points to the region in the past year.

The new charge point numbers follow last week’s announcement that drivers will soon enjoy discounts of up to £3,750 on new electric cars, on top of a £25m boost to help more drivers charge at home and save up to £1,500 a year when switching to electric.

Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood said: “Just last week we announced record discounts to help make EV ownership a reality for thousands more people, alongside making it easier to charge at home so more drivers can run their EV for as little as 2p a mile.

“Today’s charge point figures show that, alongside lowering upfront costs, we’re also making fantastic progress towards expanding our charging network across the South West, helping put range anxiety firmly in the rear-view mirror.”

The new regional numbers come as national public charge point figures hit record levels of more than 82,000 across the UK.

The government said it is investing £4.5 billion to make it cheaper and easier to own an electric vehicle, while backing British carmakers to create jobs and drive investment, as part of its Plan for Change.

It also said the sustained growth in the charging network in all four corners of the country shows it is firmly on the side of drivers, coming on top of a record £1.6 billion to tackle potholes and keeping the 5p fuel duty freeze until spring 2026, saving the average motorist between £50 and £60 a year.