West London's postcode area is the capital's EV hotspot home to over 40% of the city's total electric car population

• An investigation by climate solutions charity, One Home, shows that the West London postcode area (W) is the capital’s pure electric car hotspot with over 32,000 registered EV cars on its streets.
• London’s eight postcode areas are ranked by the number of pure electric cars and show a West-East divide in registrations.
• Across the rest of the UK, Stockport is the country’s most plugged-in postcode area with almost 98,000 electric cars registered.
• The study also highlights worrying disparities in electric car ownership across the UK with EV deserts emerging in the north of England and Scotland.
• OneHome CEO is calling on the UK Government to cancel or delay the planned road tax for EVs in 2025 insisting it will widen the gap in EV ownership.

(24 September, 2024) An investigation into electric car ownership by climate solutions charity, One Home, today reveals that London’s famous ‘W’ postcode area – home to the well-heeled neighbourhoods of Kensington, Holland Park and Notting Hill – is officially the city’s EV hotspot with over 32,000 registered pure electric cars on its streets.

Freedom of information (FOI) data* from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) – outlining the amount of pure electric cars registered to each postcode area of the UK – shows that West London is now home to over 40% of the city’s pure electric car population, taking the top spot ahead of the city’s seven other postcode areas.

Statistics also show the emergence of a West-East ownership divide across the capital, with the South West (SW) and North West (NW) postcode areas coming in second and third place with 10,442 and 10,186 pure electric cars, respectively.

The two localities, home to affluent neighbourhoods such as Chelsea, Fulham, Hampstead and Primrose Hill, are ahead of North London (N) in fourth place with 7,690 registered pure electric cars.

While some of those will be registered to fleet companies, the contrast is stark with South East (SE) and East London’s (E) postcode areas, in fifth and sixth place, which include the more disadvantaged boroughs of Lewisham** and Barking and Dagenham***.

The East Central (EC) and West Central (WC) postcode areas have the fewest at 951 and 414 pure electric cars, respectively in seventh and eighth place.

In a list of the UK’s overall top twenty EV hotspots, the Stockport (SK) postcode area is revealed to be in first place with almost 98,000 pure EV cars registered within its boundaries – more than any other UK location.

Meanwhile, with strong disparities in the ownership of pure electric cars across the country, One Home warns that ‘EV deserts’ are being created in less affluent parts of northern England along with rural areas in Scotland and Wales.

In a list of the UK’s top 20 EV deserts* Hebrides (HS) and Lerwick (ZE) in Scotland are in first and second place having the fewest with 133 and 168 respectively.

Whilst the lowest ownership figures can be attributed to lower population density, English postcode areas covering larger towns and cities also feature extensively in the list of top 20 EV deserts. At number seven in the UK list, Halifax (HX) is officially England’s worst EV desert, with just 1,265 registered EV cars.

The FOI data also reveals that the number of pure EVs on UK roads has increased by almost 15% since 2023****, now surpassing the one million milestone in 2024 – with a total of 1,121,001 electric cars registered within the country as of 11 August of this year*.

One Home CEO and leading environmental scientist, Angela Terry said: “The good news is that electric cars are rapidly gaining in popularity with numbers on UK roads surpassing the one million mark in 2024. As new car sales increase, second-hand market prices are becoming more affordable.

However, it’s concerning to see a widening chasm between levels of electric car registration across East and West London.

Electric vehicles must not become the preserve of the wealthy. They are cheaper to run than petrol or diesel cars, and everyone should be entitled to make lifestyle changes which improve levels of air pollution on the streets where they live and reduce their carbon footprint.

I am calling on the Chancellor to scrap or, at the very least, delay plans to impose road tax on electric vehicles in 2025 at the upcoming Budget. Removal of incentives to buy electric cars is absolutely ludicrous and signals a major step backwards for the UK, given the transport sector is still the biggest contributor to our country’s carbon dioxide emissions overall.

EV sales need to increase, not decrease, and drivers, particularly those in less affluent areas, should be helped to make the switch rather than have further financial obstacles placed in their path.”

One Home is a UK charity which aims to help households adapt to a low cost, low carbon lifestyle and provides impartial information and advice on practical solutions that improve people’s lives whilst saving money and reducing carbon emissions. For more information, visit One Home, or download the charity’s energy saving guide.

-ENDS-

*DVLA data obtained through a Freedom of Information request details the amount of pure electric cars registered to every postcode area in the UK – correct as of 11 August 2024, the latest DVLA data available.

** Lewisham is number 18 in the top 20 local authority districts with the highest proportions of older people in income deprivation in the The English Indices of Deprivation 2019 (publishing.service.gov.uk).

***Barking and Dagenham is number five in the list of most deprived local authorities based on rank in the The English Indices of Deprivation 2019 (publishing.service.gov.uk).

****Increase from 978,387 pure EVs (BEVs) at end of 2023, compared to 1,121,001 on 11 August 2024 = increase of 14.5% (2023 figures sourced from Zap Map).

Notes to editors

For more information please contact:

Sam Carlisle at sam.carlisle@causecommunications.co.uk or Jenna Sloan at jenna.sloan@causecommunications.co.uk

About Angela Terry

One Home was founded by Angela Terry MSc MEI, an environmental scientist with over 20 years’ experience in the renewables industry. Angela set up One Home to raise awareness of positive climate solutions and help UK households to adapt to a low cost, low carbon lifestyle. Angela was a pioneer of community energy in the UK as Development Director for Energy4All. She was also Head of Wood Fuel for the Forestry Commission, Policy Manager for RES, and a carbon scientist in New Zealand.

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