UK councils urged to improve accessibility for electric car drivers with disabilities
July 08, 2025 by Siobhan Doyle
Car changing is a big deal
New research by Vauxhall highlights major gaps in accessible charging infrastructure.
If you’re a driver with a disability thinking about switching to an electric car, finding a place to charge it might not be as easy as you’d hope – especially if you rely on on-street parking.
That’s because over a third of UK councils still don’t offer any public EV chargers that are accessible for disabled drivers, new figures from Vauxhall show. This includes chargers that meet the national standard for accessibility, known as PAS 1899:2022, which was developed to make EV charging work for everyone, including wheelchair users.
These findings come from a Freedom of Information (FOI) request sent to local authorities. And out of 289 councils that responded, 111 said they don’t have a single on-street charger that’s been adapted for disabled users.
What’s more surprising is that this number hasn’t budged since last year, even though the overall number of on-street chargers across the UK has jumped by 27% over the same period.
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“We can’t leave disabled drivers behind”
Vauxhall’s new research is part of its Electric Streets of Britain campaign which aims to improve access to electric car charging, especially for the 40% of UK households that don’t have driveways or off-street parking.
Steve Catlin, managing director at Vauxhall, says the lack of accessible chargers is a big problem. “If we want everyone to be part of the UK’s switch to electric cars, we need to make sure the infrastructure works for everyone. That includes disabled drivers, especially those who can’t charge at home.”
Currently, accessible chargers only make up 2.2% of all on-street EV chargers in the UK. That’s the same as last year, despite the growth in total charger numbers.
Meanwhile, a report from the Motability Foundation (which supports disabled drivers) estimates that 1.35 million people with a disability in the UK will rely on public EV charging by 2035. However, many are already feeling left out.
65% of Motability Scheme customers say they’ll only switch to an electric car if they absolutely have to, and 45% say finding public charging nearby is just too difficult, their latest research has found.
These everyday problems are simple fixes
It’s not just about whether a charger exists, but whether it can actually be used. The Public Accounts Committee recently raised concerns about charge points with heavy cables, awkward placement, or kerbs that make them nearly impossible to use for someone in a wheelchair.
“We hear from customers every day who are struggling with the move to electric. Public charging is their biggest concern. If this doesn’t change, we risk leaving thousands of people behind,” said Andrew Miller, chief executive of Motability Operations.
Vauxhall is helping people speak up
To tackle the issue, Vauxhall launched electricstreets.co.uk. Here, anyone can log a request to have an EV charger installed near them, and flag if they need one that’s accessible.
So far, more than 12,000 streets have been added to the database, and over 150 people have already requested disabled-access charging near their homes.
Vauxhall also says it’s working with councils to share this data and encourage more inclusive planning for future charging infrastructure.
The company has been a partner of the Motability Scheme since 1977 and offers a range of electric cars, including the Corsa Electric and Astra Electric, through the scheme. In fact, it was the top-selling brand on the Motability Scheme in 2024.
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