14-05-2025
NC500 named least EV-friendly road trip in UK study
The study by Evans Halshaw considered the number of EV charging locations nearby, the number of EV charging locations per km, the number of full charges needed, the number of accommodation options with parking along the route, and the number of nearby attractions.
Overall, the NC500, the longest route at 839km, was bottom of the list.
The North Coast 500, which has been dubbed the Route 66 of Scotland, was launched in 2015 and has since attracted thousands of tourists to the area as well as plenty of controversy from locals because of this.
With 80 charging locations along the route, and 0.10 charging locations per kilometre, the route had the lowest score.
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It was also found to have 540 nearby attractions and 165 accommodation options along its route.
Where can I charge my electric car on the NC500?
ChargePlace Scotland is one of the largest providers in the area for electric vehicle charging, with stations being found on Harbour Road, Stadium Road, Bishop's Road and Kilveab Road in and around Inverness.
Several more ChargePlace Scotland stations exist along the A9 near Alness, Invergordon, Knockbreck, Ardgay, Dornoch, and Golspie.
On the Western side of the route, two can be found in Ullapool, while another can be found in Achnasheen.
EV charging is also present in Dingwall on Ormidale Place off High Street.
To see all the charging points available, please visit the ChargePlace Scotland website.
The UK's most EV-friendly road trip
The South Downs drive was crowned the UK's most EV-friendly road trip, with the most EV charging locations.
With 250 spots found within two miles of each stop along the route, it has the most charging points per kilometre at 1.39 stations.
South Downs (Image: EDDIE MITCHELL) The road trip across 180km of the south of England also has the second most nearby attractions of all 10 routes analysed, as well as ranking third best for accommodation options with parking.
Northern Ireland also featured on the list with the Causeway Coastal Route in third place.
The trip did rank number one for the number of full charges being needed for EV drivers to complete this 111km-long road trip.
The drive starts in Ballycastle and ends in Derry.
Here is the full list with their full route:
South Downs – 100.00 : Starts in Eastbourne. Travels through Lewes, Brighton, Arundel and Petworth. Finishes in Chichester.
Peak District – 95.72: Starts in Chesterfield. Travels through Bakewell, Buxton, Castleton and Bamford. Finishes in Manchester.
Cotswolds – 69.22: Starts in Oxford. Travels through Burford, Bourton on the Water, Cheltenham, Painswick and Cirencester. Finishes in Chippenham.
Norfolk Coast – 61.38: Starts in Norwich. Travels through Hemsby, Cromer, Blakeney and Hunstanton. Finishes in King's Lynn.
Lake District – 53.77: Starts in Kendal. Travels through Windermere, Ambleside, Grasmere and Keswick. Finishes in Penrith.
Causeway Coastal Route – 46.92: Starts in Ballycastle. Travels through Bushmills, Portrush, Portstewart and Castlerock. Finishes in Derry.
Jurassic Coast– 42.08: Starts in Dorchester. Travels through Weymouth and Wareham. Finishes in Swanage.
The Yorkshire Dales – 39.50: Starts in Penrith. Travels through Kirkby Stephen, Hawes and Malham. Finishes in Harrogate.
Pembrokeshire – 34.95: Starts in Fishguard. Travels through St Davids, Marloes and Pembroke. Finishes in Tenby.
North Coast 500 – 28.23: Starts in Inverness. Travels through Wick, Thurso, Durness, Ullapool and Gairloch. Finishes in Applecross.
Rob Miller, group vice president at Evans Halshaw, said: 'Evans Halshaw has completed this study and found these great routes for EV owners to enjoy across the UK, which have stunning sights to see, places to stay and attractions to visit.
'There are plenty of EV charging locations available throughout these road trips too, so you'll only need a tiny bit of route planning, when driving along any of these spectacular routes.'
