The map shows the UK cities best prepared for the EV switchover

New research has ranked the UK’s best and worst cities in terms of accessibility for EV drivers.

London emerged as the most electricity-friendly, although closely followed by a number of other highly rated cities across the country.

Cardiff was considered the least prepared city for the electric vehicle (EV) switch, which picked up speed after the government promised to ban sales of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030.

Saga Insurance’s analysis looked at charging point availability, off-street parking (for installing charging points at home), and charging costs in 20 cities across the country.

It also took into account the area’s clean air policy and the number of low-emission vehicles already operating in the area.

London received the maximum score for its off-street parking and was highly rated for its charging point density, although it ranked fourth lowest for the existing popularity of electric vehicles.

Its 24/7 Ultra-Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) achieved the maximum score, a feat also matched by Glasgow, Edinburgh and Birmingham, all of which have implemented similar policies.

Surprisingly, the capital also scores above the national average when it comes to charging costs.

Belfast is by far the best as it currently has free electric car charging across Northern Ireland.

But the city only came 11th overall, as it is said to have very few charging points, virtually no off-street parking and no clean air zone policy.

Coventry was found to have the best availability of charging points, which helped it finish fourth overall.

Glasgow in third place and Newcastle-upon-Tyne in second both did well on most measures.

The city with the highest acceptance of low-emission vehicles was already Portsmouth, which finished seventh overall.

Despite a similarly high number of green vehicles, Reading comes in relatively poorly at 11th place, largely due to high charging costs.

Cardiff, at the bottom, has the highest charging costs, very low availability of charging points and below-average off-street parking.

Saga also surveyed 1,529 drivers on their feelings about switching to greener cars.

Half said their city was ill-equipped when it came to charging points, although more than two-thirds said they plan to switch to an electric car in the near future.

Despite the charging obstacles in many cities, opponents most often cited the cost of electric cars as the reason for their opposition.

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