Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 23
23
Accepted
Public Chargepoint Regulations introduced to improve pricing, payment, reliability, and data for motorists
Conclusion
In 2023, the Department introduced the Public Charge point Regulations to address these concerns. These are being introduced over two years to November 2025, but most are already in force. Regulations that are in force include: • Making prices clearer and easier to compare by requiring the maximum price for a charging session to be displayed in a consistent format across charge points • Making it easier to pay, by requiring all rapid charge points and new charge points of 8Kw and above to have contactless payments, and all charge points must have free 24/7 helplines • Improving the reliability of charging, by introducing a requirement that all rapid charge points must meet a 99% reliability standard. • Charge points must provide a range of live data to motorists including where they are located and whether they are available to use, which the Department stated can be aggregated by third party companies to help drivers locate charge points.42
Government Response Summary
The government confirms the Public Charge Point Regulations 2023 are being regulated by the Office for Product Safety and Standards, with ongoing monitoring of compliance and impact, and a review planned within five years.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
4.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation implemented: April 2025 4.2 The department has appointed the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) to act as the regulator for the Public Charge Point Regulations 2023 (PCPR). The department will monitor compliance through reporting from OPSS. In addition, the impact of the PCPR will be assessed through the department’s Technology Tracker, monitoring of open data from chargepoints, and engagement with industry and consumer groups. The PCPR will be reviewed within five years of coming into force, as per section 13 of the Regulations, and the department will publish the outcomes of this review. 4.3 The department already monitors the cost of charging across a range of charging channels, including domestic chargepoints, and fast, rapid and ultra-rapid public charging. This is undertaken on an ongoing basis using publicly available information on electricity tariffs and data purchased from Cornwall Insight on the cost of electric vehicle charging. 4.4 The government will continue to work with HM Treasury to understand the variance in costs associated with public and domestic charging and the extent to which any change in policy might impact the price of public charging, as well as consumer demand for EVs.