ONLY 29% OF MOTORWAY EV CHARGING BAYS ARE ACCESSIBLE — AS DISABLED DRIVERS FEAR BEING LEFT BEHIND
‘WE RISK LOSING THIS INDEPENDENCE’: DISABLED DRIVERS WARNED OF EV CHARGING BARRIERS
Six in ten disabled Motability Scheme customers say they feel excluded from Britain’s transition to electric vehicles, as new research highlights a different dimension to the EV challenge: whether millions of people will actually be able to use the charging infrastructure being built for them.
Britain can install thousands more electric vehicle chargers. But if a disabled driver cannot get out of their car, reach the charging equipment or comfortably handle its cable, the number of chargers becomes almost irrelevant.
That is the uncomfortable issue raised by the fifth wave of the Motability Scheme’s EV Transition Tracker, conducted with More in Common.
The research found 60% of disabled Motability Scheme customers feel they are being excluded from the transition to electric vehicles — almost identical to the 59% recorded among the wider public.
But behind those similar numbers are markedly different problems.
For the general public, the principal barrier is financial: 52% cite the upfront price of an EV.
Among disabled drivers, cost remains an issue, with 26% identifying upfront price. But practical accessibility can determine whether driving electric is feasible in the first place.
Some 39% cite being unable to charge at home, while 31% of Scheme customers with EV driving experience identify either charging cable weight and ease of use, or difficulty reaching charging points because of bay width, as a key concern.
1,166 CHARGING BAYS — ONLY 28.6% ACCESSIBLE
The scale of the physical infrastructure problem becomes clearer on Britain’s motorways.
Motability Operations commissioned an independent surveyor to analyse charging facilities covering 95% of Britain’s motorway service stations.
Of the 1,166 charging bays assessed, just 28.6% were classified as accessible, using a total bay width of at least 360cm in accordance with the British Standards requirement cited in the analysis.
Bay widths were not the only issue. Raised kerbs and physical obstructions also created barriers.
The survey, conducted in November 2024 and now made available through the Motability Go app, identified 11 motorway service stations with no accessible charging bays at all — approximately one in eight of the service stations covered.
The findings suggest that the accessibility question is not simply about installing specialist chargers. The physical environment around them matters too.
‘I NEED ENOUGH ROOM TO GET MY LEG OUT’
For Michele Matonti, a disabled Motability Scheme driver from Northwest London, the problem becomes particularly apparent on longer journeys.
“I’m on my second electric car lease and, for most of my day-to-day driving, having a home charger makes it easy,” Matonti said.
“The challenge comes when I’m travelling further and need to use motorway charging. As an amputee, I need enough room to open the car door properly and get my leg out.”
Some charging locations do provide wider bays, she said, but availability remains unpredictable.
“Some charging sites have wider bays, but there aren’t enough and you can’t guarantee they’ll be available when you arrive.”
That uncertainty has implications beyond convenience.
For drivers who require additional space to enter and leave a vehicle, accessibility can determine whether a charging stop — and therefore a longer journey — is practical.
A MOTORWAY POSTCODE LOTTERY
The analysis also reveals substantial regional differences.
The East of England recorded the highest proportion cited in the research, with 43% of motorway charging bays considered accessible, followed by the North West at 40%.
At the other end of the table, just 16% of motorway charging bays assessed in the North East met the accessibility measure.
Even the better-performing regions therefore have a majority of charging bays falling outside the accessibility classification used in the survey.
That presents a potential problem as Britain moves towards greater EV adoption.
An accessible charging network needs to work across journeys, not merely at a driver’s starting point or destination. A driver who can charge comfortably at home still needs confidence that suitable infrastructure will be available hundreds of miles away.
MORE CHARGERS WILL NOT SOLVE EVERYTHING
The research raises an important distinction in Britain’s EV infrastructure debate.
Capacity and accessibility are not the same thing.
Andrew Miller, CEO at Motability Operations, warned that simply expanding charger numbers without addressing accessibility risks creating a new mobility barrier.
“For disabled people, their vehicles are fundamental to their freedom — to work, see family and take part in their communities,” Miller said.
“If the infrastructure around electric vehicles isn’t designed with disabled people in mind, we risk losing this independence to a new set of barriers.”
He added: “The UK’s transition is moving quickly, and the charging network is growing with it. But more chargers alone won’t solve the problem. Accessibility must be built into that growth, so disabled drivers have the same confidence and ability to travel as everyone else.”
DESIGNING ACCESSIBILITY IN — NOT ADDING IT LATER
There is a broader infrastructure lesson in the findings.
Britain is still building much of the charging network that will be required for a predominantly electric vehicle market. That provides an opportunity to incorporate accessibility as infrastructure expands rather than attempting expensive retrofits later.
The challenge includes sufficient space around vehicles, usable kerbs and surfaces, unobstructed access to charging equipment and hardware that people with different physical capabilities can operate.
Affordability may remain the dominant obstacle for many motorists.
For some disabled drivers, however, the question is more fundamental.
It is not simply whether they can afford an electric car. It is whether Britain’s charging network will allow them to use one with the same freedom they have today.
