July 16, 2026
Taking Charge
A comparative analysis of current and required public EV charging infrastructure in four European cities
Electrifying road transport is an essential part of cities’ shift to zero-emission mobility.
Europe’s cities are already moving in this direction, but the transition can only succeed at scale if charging is reliable, affordable and easy to access, including for people who cannot charge at home.
This briefing examines what it will take for Greater London, Madrid, Paris and Warsaw to build the public charging networks needed to support electrification through 2030 and 2035. It compares the current state of public EV charging across the four cities and models future infrastructure requirements to support electrification at pace.
KEY FINDINGS
- Smart planning can cut the number of chargers cities need to build by more than a quarter, if cities steer charging towards workplaces, destinations and home or private parking where possible, make greater use of higher-power charging, and pair this with a modest reduction in car ownership
- All four cities need major expansion by 2030 and 2035 to meet anticipated demand, but poorly planned growth risks piling pressure onto already crowded streets
- Poor roll-out can reinforce urban inequality: charge points tend to cluster in central, commercially attractive districts, while outer and some lower-income neighbourhoods are often underserved
- The key test is whether people without a driveway can charge: just 21% of Europe's electric car drivers live in a flat, against 44% of conventional car drivers, suggesting electric cars have a lower take-up by this group
- Provision varies widely across the four cities, from 5.3 public charge points per 1,000 residents in Paris to 3.2 in Greater London, 1.0 in Madrid and 0.5 in Warsaw, reflecting the more prominent use of faster charging and overall lower levels of provision in Madrid and Warsaw.
Read the full findings
Download the briefing and technical report to explore the findings, methodology and city-level analysis in full.