This map shows where to charge an electric vehicle on the UK’s best driving routes

It’s likely that this summer will largely be spent in the UK, so what better way to make the most of it than packing up the car and heading for some of the beautiful scenery the British Isles has to offer?

Based on recent figures, it is also likely that many will be loading up the Sat Nav ahead of their journey in an electric vehicle (EV). Official government figures from the start of 2021 put over 150,000 zero-emission battery electric vehicles on the UK’s roads – an increase of almost 100,000 since 2019. Plug-in hybrid and range-extended electric vehicles have also seen a significant increase, with government figures placing the number registered at around 185,000.

In order to help those with electric vehicles this summer, hiyacar has collated 22 of the most beautiful driving routes in the UK and calculated how many publicly accessible electric vehicle charging points are on each journey.

The scenic journey with the most EV charging points per mile was the B2306 route from Crawley to Brighton, with 23 charging points on the 24 mile journey. The A23 is the more usual road to take, but opting for the B2306 will allow drivers to admire the glorious West Sussex countryside.

This was followed by the A591 from Kendal to Grasmere in the Lake district, which has 16 charging points on the 18 mile journey. In third place was the Causeway Coastal Route in Northern Ireland, which has 45 places to charge a car on the 137 mile journey which includes the famous Giants Causeway and historic Dunluce Castle.

Here are the ten journeys with the most EV charging points per mile:
1. Crawley to Brighton, South East (B2306), 23 charging points, 22 miles
2. Kendal to Grasmere, Lake District (A591): 6 charging points, 18 miles
3. Causeway Coastal, Northern Ireland: 45 charging points, 137 miles
4. The Devon Coast, South West (Topsham to Torcross): 10 charging points, 45 miles
5. Pendle Witch Trail, North West (Lancaster to Barrowford): 7 charging points, 35 miles
6. Military Road, Isle of Wight (St Catherines Lighthouse to Freshwater Bay): 2 charging points, 11 miles
7. The Dragon’s Spine, Wales (A470) (Cardiff to Colwyn Bay): 30 charging points, 180 miles
8. Cotswolds, South West (Chipping Campden to Stroud): 6 charging points, 40 miles
9. North Norfolk Coast, East Anglia (Kings Lynn to Mundesley): 8 charging points, 62 miles
10. Atlantic Highway, South West (Bridgwater to Truro): 20 charging points, 156 miles

One of the most popular driving routes in the UK – the North Coast 500 – starts and ends at Inverness Castle but has the fewest charging points per mile. The incredible route links many features in the north Highlands, including ancient fortresses, stately castles, hidden coves and the white sand beaches of Achmelvich – but the remote nature of the journey means there is only 19 charging points on the 516 mile road trip, so EV drivers have to be tactical with their top ups on this epic route.

Some journeys included didn’t have any charging points at all. The B3135 from Cheddar to Ashwick – which goes through Cheddar Gorge, England’s deepest natural canyon – is undoubtedly one of the most scenic routes in the world. There are no EV charging points on this route, however, if drivers head 7 miles to Rooks Bridge from Cheddar they will be able to charge up there.