The UK’s electric vehicle charging network is growing fast. At the end of April 2026, there were more than 120,000 public EV chargers installed across the country – a network that has more than doubled in size over the past three years. But growth alone does not guarantee performance. As more organisations take on responsibility for charging infrastructure across their estates, a more pressing question is emerging: who is actually looking after these assets?
The answer, in many cases, is nobody in particular.
Research has found that up to 30% of charge points in parts of the UK were out of order at any given time – a figure significant enough that the government moved to legislate. The Public Charge Point Regulations, which came into force in November 2024, now require all rapid charging networks to achieve a minimum 99% reliability standard, with operators required to publish annual performance data. The regulation exists, in part, because the reliability gap had become too visible to ignore.
For facilities managers and asset owners, the implications extend beyond public-facing charge points. Workplace, residential and mixed-use charging infrastructure faces the same physical vulnerabilities as any other fixed electrical asset: damaged sockets, loose connections, degraded protective devices, water ingress, overheating and deteriorating condition over time. These are not software problems. They are maintenance problems – and they are addressable through structured inspection and testing.
Analysis of charging session data indicates that new installations average an 85% first-time success rate, falling to below 70% by year three. Some of that decline will be attributable to connectivity or platform issues that sit with the manufacturer or charge point operator. But a meaningful portion reflects what happens when hardware ages without regular inspection behind it.
Not every fault is an electrical one, and it is worth being clear about where responsibility sits. Firmware upgrades, app faults, platform connectivity issues and manufacturer software problems are typically controlled by the charger brand or charge point software provider – not the site owner or their maintenance contractor. What a qualified electrical contractor can do is identify when a fault is not electrical, carry out the relevant checks, and escalate correctly to the right party. That distinction matters, both for setting expectations and for getting problems resolved efficiently.
Mark Mitchell, Managing Director for PTSG Electrical Services, puts it plainly. “EV chargers are increasingly being treated as set-and-forget assets, but they are fixed electrical installations and they need to be maintained as such. Annual inspection and testing gives you a clear picture of condition, confirms the installation remains safe and serviceable, and identifies defects before they become something more serious. That is the foundation of responsible asset management.”
PTSG Electrical Services delivers planned maintenance programmes for EV charging infrastructure across entire estates, whether that means a small number of units at a single site or a large portfolio spread across multiple locations. The service covers visual inspection, electrical testing, condition reporting, assessment of protective devices, identification of physical defects and remedial recommendations – all carried out to BS 7671 and current EV installation guidance.
As the charging estate grows, treating EV infrastructure as a managed electrical asset rather than a fit-and-forget installation is becoming a straightforward part of estate compliance. The question is not whether inspection is necessary. It is whether it is being done.
