The UK Department for Transport has published an independent review into the cost of public electric vehicle charging, the department confirmed on 28 October 2026. The report, titled Independent report: Cost of public electric vehicle charging review, examines the price drivers face when using the public charging network and sets out recommendations intended to reduce those prices.
The review is described as independent and has been released by the Department for Transport. Its stated remit is to assess the cost of charging electric vehicles on the public network across the United Kingdom and to propose measures that would lower charging prices for users.
The publication date given by the department is 28 October 2026. The review document is presented as an assessment of current charging costs and includes a set of recommendations aimed at reducing the financial burden of public charging on motorists.
Scope of the review
The independent report focuses on the public charging network and the costs encountered by drivers when using it. The department’s summary indicates that the review considers the structure and level of charges on that network and seeks practical steps to bring prices down.
The report is positioned as an evidence-led instrument for policy and regulatory consideration. By setting out recommendations, it aims to inform stakeholders across government, industry and the wider motoring public about potential adjustments to the way public charging is priced.
Recommendations and intended outcomes
The Department for Transport’s release states that the review provides recommendations to reduce charging prices. The published summary frames those recommendations as measures to lower the cost to users of the public charging network rather than as statements of immediate government policy.
The document is presented as a contribution to the ongoing debate about access to affordable charging infrastructure, with the aim of making public charging more affordable for those who use it.
The release of the report is likely to prompt close attention from charging-network operators, electricity suppliers, motoring groups and regulators. Each of those groups will be interested in how the recommendations might affect pricing structures, commercial arrangements and customer experience.
The Department for Transport has made the report available under the title Independent report: Cost of public electric vehicle charging review, dated 28 October 2026. Readers and stakeholders seeking the detailed findings and the full set of recommendations are directed to the department’s published document for the complete analysis and any annexes.
The review’s publication adds to the body of material available to those concerned with the transition to electric vehicles and the practicalities of delivering reliable and affordable public charging. It sets out the case for closer examination of how public charging is priced and offers a package of recommendations intended to reduce those prices, according to the department’s summary.
The department’s announcement frames the review as an independent assessment that sheds light on the charges motorists face when using the public charging network and presents potential routes to lower those charges. Further reaction and any policy response to the recommendations will depend on the assessment of the report’s findings by government, regulators and industry participants.