For World EV Day 2026, RAW Charging is offering free charging at 400+ UK sites with no app required, while Motor Fuel Group has added 243 ultra-rapid bays this year, reaching 1,450+ chargers nationwide. Both cite UK EV growth: 2.15 million electric cars on the road and 30% BEV market share in June.
UK electric vehicle (EV) chargepoint operators RAW Charging and Motor Fuel Group (MFG) are marking World EV Day on September 9, 2026, with a free charging offer and a network expansion milestone, respectively, as the UK’s EV market continues to grow.
RAW Charging is offering free charging at more than 400 destinations across its national alternating current (AC) network, plus a selection of direct current (DC) rapid and ultra-rapid hubs, from 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. on September 9. The offer covers chargers up to 22kW on the AC network and select sites delivering up to 300kW, with no app or account required; drivers can authorize charging by tapping a contactless bank card. Free AC charging is available at sites operated in partnership with the National Trust, Merlin Entertainments, the Royal Horticultural Society, Greene King and McArthurGlen, as well as across Landsec destinations, while select DC sites include locations in Chesterfield, Sidcup, Boston, Aberdeen, Dudley, Peterborough and Stoke-on-Trent, among others.
According to Jason Simpson, chief executive at RAW Charging, the day is a chance “to celebrate how far the UK has come” with EV adoption. Simpson added that the company considers tap-and-charge access without an app or account to be how public charging should work.
Separately, MFG, the UK’s largest independent forecourt operator, has opened 243 new ultra-rapid charging bays across 39 sites in 2026, bringing its total network to more than 1,450 ultra-rapid chargers, which the company says represents more than 10% of the UK’s total rapid and ultra-rapid charging infrastructure. MFG estimates its network has powered more than 250 million electric miles so far this year. The company’s charging bays deliver power at 150kW, 300kW and up to 400kW, adding up to 100 miles of range in 10 minutes, and are installed at nearly 300 Morrisons supermarkets alongside food-to-go brands including Greggs, Pret A Manger, Burger King, Subway and Costa. MFG is investing more than £400 million ($510 million) in its EV charging network, with a target of more than 3,000 ultra-rapid chargers across 500 sites by 2030.
According to Martin Symes, EV director at MFG, the company has opened new charging bays, “powered millions of electric miles” and cut prices for drivers this summer.
Both companies cited figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) and Zapmap showing more than 2.15 million fully electric cars now on UK roads, with battery electric vehicles (BEVs) accounting for over a quarter of new car registrations across the first seven months of 2026 and reaching a record 30% market share in June.
The UK announcements come as global electric car sales recover following a weak first quarter, with the International Energy Agency forecasting around 23 million units sold worldwide in 2026, roughly 29% of total car sales.
