Zero-emission miles deliver cleaner air, less strain on the NHS, and lower costs across other treasury balance sheets. It is time for the UK Government to stop penalising drivers who rely on the public network.
GRIDSERVE and Fastned both stripped the 20% VAT off their entire UK public charging network on Thursday 30/09/26.
Those are bold statements with a serious point: paying 20% tax on public charging while domestic electricity benefits from 0% VAT is an unfair tax penalty on the millions of drivers and commercial fleets without a driveway.
Blaming Charge Point Operators for high rapid-charging rates misses the reality on the ground. Behind every plug, CPOs are absorbing spiralling costs: surging standing charges, brutal grid connection fees, civils, hardware, ground rents, rising merchant rates, and routine maintenance. They aren’t profiteering; they are fighting to keep infrastructure viable.
Levelling the playing field isn’t about losing tax revenue, it’s about fixing an active disincentive for everyone with or without off street parking to go electric. Zero-emission miles deliver cleaner air, less strain on the NHS, and lower costs across other treasury balance sheets.
It is time for the UK Government to stop penalising drivers who rely on the public network.
Cut VAT on public charging to zero.
The EV Cafe perspective
Sam:
The point of reducing the price by the equivalent of 20% on October 1st was to clearly demonstrate the unfair disparity between off-street and on-street charging. Operators face massive stacked costs—from wholesale energy to cable theft that costs tens of thousands per incident. If government cuts VAT, operators like GRIDSERVE have pledged to pass every penny directly to the consumer."
Sara:
This divide hits everyday drivers hard. We urgently need employers to step up with workplace and destination charging—especially using onsite solar—so staff on terraced streets or without driveways can charge at near-cost parity instead of being forced onto expensive rapid networks or sticking with petrol."