Newport’s public electric vehicle charging network has powered more than 1.1 million miles of journeys over the past year, as demand for EVs continues to grow across the city.
Latest figures from Newport City Council show the city’s publicly available charging points supported more than 1.1 million miles of travel during the last financial year, a significant increase from the 600,000 miles recorded in the previous 12 months.
The growth has been driven by the expansion of Newport’s charging network, which now includes more than 220 public chargers available for residents and visitors.
The increase comes as electric vehicles become an increasingly popular choice for motorists. Electric cars accounted for one in three new car sales across the UK in 2025, while analysis by Auto Trader found that the average price of a new electric car is now lower than that of a new petrol vehicle. The study also found that one in four used electric vehicles sold through the platform cost less than £15,000.
With the UK Government planning to phase out the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 and requiring all new vehicles to be zero emission by 2035, Newport City Council says it is preparing for future demand by continuing to expand its charging infrastructure.
The council says many residents, particularly those living on terraced streets without driveways, rely on public charging facilities.
Currently, more than half of Newport households without off street parking are within a five minute walk of a public charger. The council aims to increase that figure to 80 per cent by March 2027.
Council officials say bringing charging points closer to residential areas can help reduce reliance on more expensive rapid charging facilities and make EV ownership more affordable.
The charging network also offers overnight charging rates from 39p per kWh, meaning a typical electric vehicle can be fully charged for around £19.50.
As part of its efforts to expand charging options, Newport City Council has trialled a range of solutions designed to suit different types of neighbourhoods.
Alongside conventional charging points, around 120 lamppost and bollard style chargers have been installed through a partnership with Urban Fox.
The authority has also been testing Kerbo Charge technology, which allows residents without driveways to safely run charging cables from their homes to their vehicles through specially designed channels built into pavements.
A second phase of the trial is due to begin soon and will include additional options aimed at supporting residents with lower mobility.
Newport is also home to what the council says is Wales’ first electric vehicle wheelchair accessible parking bay, located at Kingsway car park.
Residents who would like to see a charging point installed on their street are being encouraged to come forward.
The council is planning to install a further 200 lamppost and bollard style Urban Fox charging points and is inviting residents to help identify priority locations.
Anyone wishing to have their street considered for the first phase of the programme should email their name and address to [email protected] before Tuesday 30 June.
According to the council, usage data shows that most charging points installed following resident requests are being used within 48 hours of becoming operational.
Drivers can find their nearest public charging point using the Zap-Map service.
