Electric vehicle charging must be simple and easy to understand, says Citizens Advice

 Citizens Advice, in its role as the official energy watchdog for consumers, has responded to the Competition and Markets Authority’s electric vehicle charging market study.

Alistair Cromwell, Acting Chief Executive of Citizens Advice, said:

“As more people start to use electric vehicles (EVs) it’s critical that government and regulators make that switch as easy as possible for people. Right now the process can feel intimidatingly complex, it shouldn’t be this way.

“Charging an EV should be simple to do. It should be easy to understand all the options available, how much you’re paying and whether you’re getting good value. And there needs to be good consumer protections to give people confidence and to help them fix problems when they go wrong.”

Notes to editors

  1. Citizens Advice includes the national charity; the network of independent local Citizens Advice charities across England and Wales; the Citizens Advice consumer service; and the Witness Service.

  2. Citizens Advice is the statutory consumer advocate for energy and post. We provide supplier performance information to consumers and policy analysis to decision makers.

  3. The Citizens Advice Witness Service provides free, independent support for prosecution and defence witnesses in every criminal court in England and Wales.

  4. Citizens Advice offers Pension Wise services at 500 locations in England and Wales.

  5. Citizens Advice’s services are free, independent, confidential and impartial, and available to all regardless of race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion, age or nationality.

  6. To get advice online or find your local Citizens Advice, visit citizensadvice.org.uk

  7. For consumer advice, call the Citizens Advice consumer service on 0808 223 1133 or 0808 223 1144 to talk in Welsh.

  8. We helped 2.6 million people face to face, by phone, email and webchat in 2017-18. For service statistics see our monthly publication Advice trends.

  9. Citizens Advice staff are supported by over 23,000 trained volunteers, working at over 2,500 locations in England and Wales.