Rapid EV charger grid charges could reach £542 a week in 2027, report warns

Rapid EV charging operators could face fixed grid charges of nearly £542 a week in 2027, according to a new assessment by The Fast Charge in partnership with Zest.

While the actual cost will vary by site, the figure highlights the high price that EV charging operators could soon have to pay – even before a single driver uses their chargers.

That's especially concerning for areas where charging demand is still developing, as operators must weigh up potential customers against substantial fixed costs. It could make new installations harder to justify in less populated areas, where demand may take longer to materialise.

Regional disparity has already been a major issue for the industry for a number of years, with considerable differences in charging infrastructure provision across the country. Rising fixed costs could make those gaps harder to close.

At one Zest charging hub in Birmingham, electricity and grid costs account for 48p of every 58p earned per kWh before VAT, leaving just 10p to cover installation, maintenance, financing and other expenses.

That’s leading some EV charging operators to consider passing on more costs to drivers. That could see rapid charging prices reach £1/kWh in 2027, compared with an average of 79p/kWh in 2026. That would further extend the gulf between the cost of charging between those that can charge at home and those that can’t – something the Government has previously promised to address.

An independent Government review, published in October, separately estimated that fixed network charges had increased by between 83% and 283% since 2021. It also found that rapid and ultra-rapid charging networks had an average energy-based utilisation rate of just 3-4% in 2025.

Some operators are exploring ways to reduce their grid capacity requirements, with Osprey Charging testing battery storage alongside rapid chargers.

Meanwhile, the charging industry is pushing for regulatory reform. Two proposals, DCP 420 and DCP 454, seek to reduce certain fixed network charges for eligible charging sites, although neither has been approved.

However, any reduction would raise questions about whether those costs would simply be shifted elsewhere – potentially onto households and other businesses.