Public EV Charging for Businesses: Why 2026 Matters

Electric cars are no longer a niche, and drivers now expect to charge where they stop, stay and work. For hotels, leisure venues, workplaces and councils, public EV charging for businesses has moved from a nice extra to part of the basic offer, and 2026 is the year the numbers made that clear.

Why is public EV charging for businesses now essential?

Public EV charging for businesses is now essential because electric cars have gone mainstream: 26.2% of new cars registered in the UK between January and September 2026 were fully electric, and more than two million zero emission cars are licensed. Those drivers plan where they stop around charging, so sites without it are easier to overlook.

What the latest figures show

New car sales. In September 2026, 99,201 new battery electric cars were registered, 28.3% of the market, and 26.2% of all new cars so far in 2026 have been fully electric (SMMT, 5 October 2026). For the whole of 2025 the share was 23.4% (SMMT, 6 January 2026).
Cars on the road. At the end of June 2026 there were 2,017,000 licensed zero emission cars in the UK, up 34% in a year (DfT, 23 September 2026).
The direction of travel. Under the government's zero emission vehicle mandate, 33% of a manufacturer's new cars sold in 2026 are expected to be zero emission, rising in later years (gov.uk).
Public charging. There were 121,171 public EV chargers in the UK on 1 July 2026. Scotland had the highest provision of the four UK nations, at 231.6 public chargers per 100,000 people (DfT, 27 August 2026).
Drivers without home charging. In Zapmap's 2025 survey of nearly 4,000 battery electric car drivers, 23% said they had no access to home charging (Zapmap, 15 December 2025), so they rely on chargers at destinations, workplaces and public sites.

What this means for different venues

Hotels and hospitality

Overnight guests are the easiest EV drivers to serve: they arrive, plug in and leave with a full battery. Charging is increasingly something guests check for before they book. Our hotel charging page explains how it works, and designing EV charging around dwell time shows how to size it.

Leisure and visitor attractions

Golf clubs, holiday parks, attractions and garden centres already hold visitors for hours. Charging turns that parking time into something drivers value, and gives them a reason to choose your venue over another.

Workplaces

As staff switch to electric cars, many have nowhere to charge at home. Workplace charging supports them and any company cars, and our article on whether your workplace is ready for employees buying EVs covers the practical steps.

Councils and the public sector

Residents without off-street parking depend on public chargers, and council car parks, leisure centres and offices are natural locations. See our public sector EV charging page for how Connekt works with local authorities. In Scotland, it is also worth reading what the ChargePlace Scotland transition means for sites with chargers.

Is this you?

Guests, visitors or staff have started asking whether you have charging.
Your car park fills for two hours or more at a time.
You are on a tourist route or near a main road with little charging nearby.
You have sustainability targets and want something visible to show for them.

If two or more apply, it is worth a conversation now rather than later.

How to plan public EV charging that works

Step 1: Match chargers to how long people stay

Overnight and all-day stays suit 7kW to 22kW AC chargers; short visits and passing trade suit DC rapid charging. Our guide to choosing commercial EV chargers explains the options.

Step 2: Check your power and plan for growth

A site survey shows how many chargers your connection can support today and how to add more later without starting again.

Step 3: Choose how to pay for it

You can buy chargers outright, share revenue or have them fully funded. For workplaces, the UK government's Workplace Charging Scheme offers up to £500 per socket for installations completed from 1 April 2026, covering up to 75% of costs and up to 40 sockets, and is open until 31 March 2027 (gov.uk). See our funding page and workplace grant application support, and check eligibility for your nation before applying, as support in Scotland can differ from England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Step 4: Make sure someone looks after the chargers

Public charging only builds trust if it works. Connekt's network runs at 99.13% uptime, with up to 96.5% of faults fixed remotely, because uptime matters more than charger count.

A real example: Verdant Leisure

Verdant Leisure, a UK holiday park operator, wanted to meet rising EV ownership among its guests. Connekt managed the project from site surveys to commissioning, installing 20 chargers with 39 connectors across 12 holiday parks, a mix of 7.4kW and 22kW units, with works coordinated to limit disruption to guests. All chargers are backed by 24/7 monitoring and support.

When this isn't the right fit

If your site is used mainly by a handful of staff who all charge at home, or your car park is rarely used for more than a few minutes at a time, public charging may not earn its place yet. In that case, a small workplace installation or simply planning the cabling for later can be the sensible first step.

Frequently asked questions

Do businesses have to install EV chargers?

Most existing businesses are not required to install public EV chargers, although building regulations in parts of the UK can require charging or cabling in new and substantially renovated buildings with car parks. For most venues the case is commercial rather than legal: drivers increasingly choose where to stop based on charging. Check current building regulations for your nation before planning work.

How many electric cars are on UK roads?

At the end of June 2026 there were 2,017,000 licensed zero emission cars in the UK, according to the Department for Transport, up 34% on a year earlier. Almost all of these are battery electric cars. New registrations continue to rise, with 26.2% of new cars sold between January and September 2026 being fully electric.

Can public EV charging make money for my business?

It can, through charging fees and through extra spend from drivers who stay on site while they charge. How much depends on location, usage and the funding model you choose. Our article on whether you can monetise your EV chargepoints looks at the options in more detail.

Is there funding for EV chargers at businesses in 2026?

Yes. The UK government's Workplace Charging Scheme offers up to £500 per socket for installations completed from 1 April 2026, up to 75% of costs and up to 40 sockets, until 31 March 2027. Fully funded models, where an operator pays for installation and shares revenue, are another route. See our funding options for details.

The bottom line

With more than one in four new cars now fully electric, drivers will choose venues that let them charge. Planning public EV charging around how people use your site, with reliable support behind it, turns that shift into an advantage. Book a free consultation and we will assess your site, funding options and installation from start to finish.

This article is general information, not electrical, legal or financial advice. Grant eligibility, regulations and tariffs differ across the UK and change over time; check the current position with a qualified installer or the relevant body before acting.

Last verified: 12 October 2026.