Recommendation 4

The Department has put in place regulations to improve consumer experience, but some drivers pay significantly more than others to charge their vehicles. In 2023, the Department introduced the Public Charge point Regulations to address early consumer concerns around price transparency, payment complexity and reliability. Public charge points also need to provide a range of live data, including whether they are available to use. It is too early to say whether these regulations are working in practice, and localised issues or non–compliance may emerge. The Department’s ongoing consumer research may also find new concerns that could require intervention. Drivers who have no option but to rely on public charge points pay significantly more to charge their vehicles, in part due to higher value added tax being charged, typically 20% compared to 5% VAT, which particularly affects those without access to off–street parking. While the Department monitors the costs of different charging behaviours and has made efforts to widen access to cheaper private home charging, it was unable to describe how these differing costs fall on different groups in society. Should these differential impacts not be understood and remedied, different and sometimes disadvantaged groups will face inequalities in the cost of driving. recommendation As part of its Treasury Minute Response, the Department should set out: a. How it will monitor the impact of the Public Charge point Regulations, including at the local level. b. How it will monitor the cost of public charge point use by different groups in society. c. How the issue of VAT on public charging points will be considered by HMT and the Department.