Charging your electric car on the supermarket run just got a lot easier
September 12, 2025 by Siobhan Doyle
Car changing is a big deal
Charging your electric car while grabbing the weekly shop is becoming easier than ever, thanks to a surge in supermarket chargepoints across the UK.
Own an electric car or thinking of getting one? Supermarkets have ramped up their EV chargepoints by a third in the past 18 months, making it simple to charge up your car while you shop.
Between January 2024 and June 2025, 1,001 new chargers were added across 260 supermarket sites, bringing the total to 3,917, according to new data from Zapmap and the RAC. This means supermarkets now host around 5% of the UK鈥檚 83,851 public chargers.
More fast charging on offer
Almost 600 of the new devices are rapid or ultra-rapid chargers, which is ideal for topping up in the time it takes to do a shop, the new figures have found. In fact, nearly six in 10 supermarkets offering charging now have these faster options available.
For drivers without home charging, this expansion is a big deal. Supermarkets are easy to find, have convenient parking, and are often regular weekly destinations.
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The supermarket charging champions
The data shows clear winners when it comes to growth:
- Tesco still leads the pack overall, with 1,409 chargers at 633 sites.
- Aldi has been the fastest mover, nearly tripling its provision through a partnership with Shell Recharge. It now has 592 chargers, up from 199 just 18 months ago.
- Lidl sits in third place with 411 chargers at 349 stores.
- Morrisons still offers the highest proportion of its estate with charging (67% of stores), though it hasn鈥檛 expanded much recently.
- Sainsbury鈥檚 is on the rise, doubling its charging network to 375+ units as part of its own ultra-rapid Smart Charge rollout.
Other names edging forward include the Co-op, M&S, and even Iceland, which has introduced chargers for the very first time.
Why does this matter?
Industry experts say the growth helps bust one of the biggest EV myths: that charging is too difficult or inconvenient.
鈥淎 perceived lack of public charge points is one of the main reasons drivers give for not planning to get an EV,鈥 said RAC鈥檚 head of policy, Simon Williams. 鈥淚t鈥檚 extremely encouraging to see supermarkets stepping up with hundreds more chargers across the UK.鈥
Meanwhile, Zapmap鈥檚 Melanie Shufflebotham added that supermarkets are a natural fit for charging: 鈥淭hese sites are convenient, popular, and good for business. Drivers charge while they shop, and retailers benefit from longer dwell times.鈥
What does this mean for you?
The government has promised 100,000 new charge points, supported by funding schemes, to make EV ownership easier and cheaper. Supermarkets will play a crucial role in this rollout. And while free EV charging points are dwindling, there鈥檚 still a chance to find them using apps such as Zapmap.
As the Department for Transport put it: 鈥淚t鈥檚 brilliant to see supermarkets stepping up so drivers can top up while they shop. It鈥檚 all about making EVs part of everyday life.鈥
So, if you drive an electric car 鈥 or are thinking of making the switch 鈥 you鈥檒l find it easier to recharge during your supermarket run, especially with more rapid chargers cutting wait times.
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