The Public Charge Point Regulations 2023 aim to ensure public charge points meet and maintain certain levels of service and operation.

They mostly concern ensuring members of the public can pay for charge point services with contactless cards, that roaming payment services are available, and that charge points are reliable for 99% of each calendar year. 

Pricing must also be transparent.

Penalties of £10,000 can be levied on operators that fail to maintain the required levels of service.

 

The regulations in more detail:

Contactless payment must be offered within 1 year

Contactless payment must be accepted for all public charge points, including new units with a power of 8 kilowatts or above, rapid charge points, and existing charge points that become public ones. 

Implementation of contactless payment facilities must occur "within one year from the date on which these Regulations come into force".


Roaming payment service within 2 years 

Charge point operators must also have enabled a "payment service provided by a third-party roaming provider" within two years of the regulations coming into force.


What is EV roaming?

EV roaming allows drivers to use charge points outside their own network. This makes charging much easier since EV owners can use the nearest charge point to them, thus reducing “range anxiety” - the common fear of getting a flat battery.

99% reliability

The new Regulations also stipulate that charge points must be reliable for 99% of the calendar year, one year from when the regulations come into force. Reliability is only assessed during periods of the day when the charge point service is open to the public.

Annual charge point reports to the Secretary of State

For each calendar year charge point service providers must submit a report to the Secretary of State, detailing things like number of charge points and their reliability levels.

24-hour helpline

Charge point operators must provide a staffed helpline for customers, 24/7, throughout the year. They must also provide a report on these calls each year.


Clearly displayed prices

The "total price ... [must be] clearly displayed in pence per kilowatt hour". The price cannot increase once charging has started.

Enforcement

The enforcement authority (for the Secretary of State) can request information from the provider. Failure to provide this could result in enacting ‘power of entry’ to the premises without, or with, a warrant, and inspections of premises and land. 

Civil penalties range from £10,000 to £250,000 (the latter relating to "obstruction of enforcement authority and false statements").

Read more about the Regulations on gov.uk.