EU charging network outpaces electric car sales growth, with public charging points reaching 1.1 million

According to a new analysis by Transport & Environment (T&E), the build-out of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the European Union has run ahead of growth in electric car sales. By the end of 2025, drivers in the EU had access to 1.1 million public charging points, five times the 2020 figure.

The expansion reflects the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR), which sets a minimum public charging requirement for each member state: at least 1.3 kW of public charging capacity for every registered battery electric vehicle. Data from the end of March 2026 show every EU country except Malta has met that target, and total EU infrastructure exceeds the regulation's minimum by 180 percent.

Meanwhile, the growth rate in battery electric vehicles slowed from 67 percent to 35 percent between 2023 and 2024, while the growth rate in charging points rose from 34 percent to 37 percent over the same period. The largest remaining gap concerns ultra fast chargers on major routes: in June 2026, 79 percent of the TEN-T core road network met the requirement for stations of at least 150 kW every 60 km.