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The UK is one of the most EV-ready countries in Europe, but concerns remain over a shortage of charging facilities, according to Leaseplan.
The leasing company has published its latest EV Readiness Index, which ranks the UK third out of 22 European countries, behind only Norway and the Netherlands.
The UK recorded high scores for both the number of EVs registered, and government incentives, with a range of tax benefits and subsidies praised for helping to bring the cost of the vehicles down.
However, as with all the other European countries, chargers were named as a barrier to adoption. In particular, the availability of fast chargers along UK motorways was found to be significantly lower than needed.
The UK Government recently announced a target for at least 300,000 public chargers to be available by 2030.
Commenting with the release of the rankings, Leaseplan UK managing director Alfonso Martinez said: "EV sales have skyrocketed in the last two years, with battery models now accounting for almost one in five new vehicle registrations. More than ever drivers are choosing to go electric as they look to reduce their carbon footprint and bring travel costs down. Yet, the severe shortage of public chargers we're facing here in the UK is now undermining all this good work. It is still a nightmare to charge!
"The government now needs to deliver on its promise to invest £1.6 billion to expand the UK's charging network. With only 30,000 charge points available at present, most of them in towns and cities, there is a huge risk that drivers who want to go EV will be too scared to make the switch.
"We need greater access to reliable and affordable public charge points now, not just in 2030, and these need to be highly visible so that tomorrow's EV drivers can make the switch with confidence."
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