Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to increase the number of electric vehicle charging points installed in (a) small towns and (b) rural communities; and whether she plans to take steps to ensure they are evenly distributed beyond major cities.

The Government is committed to accelerating the roll-out of affordable charging infrastructure so that everyone, no matter where they live or work, can make the transition to an electric vehicle. As of February 2025, the Government and industry have supported the installation of 74,334 publicly available charging devices, up 35% on this time last year. There was particularly strong growth in rural areas last year, with chargepoint numbers increasing by 45% in 2024.

The £381m Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund will support the installation of at least 100,000 local chargepoints across the country. LEVI funding allocations factored in the proportion of residents that are in rural areas. This meant local authorities in rural areas were allocated additional funding compared to urban ones.