Vauxhall and Zoopla have launched a new tool to help drivers find homes with access to EV charging, marking a UK industry first. The property website now lets users filter listings by electric car readiness, showing homes with private chargers or close access to on-street public charge points.
The update is part of Vauxhall’s ongoing Electric Streets of Britain campaign and comes as new research shows how important EV charging has become in the homebuying process. According to Vauxhall, 40% of UK drivers say charging access will influence where they choose to live next – and for EV drivers, that figure rises to 91%.
By integrating charger proximity data from Octopus Electroverse, Zoopla’s new listings will show nearby on-street charging in the same way it currently shows local schools and transport links. It’s a response to growing demand as one in four new car buyers in the UK now chooses an electric vehicle.
Steve Catlin, Managing Director, Vauxhall, said: ‘Moving house is one of the biggest decisions most of us make in our lifetime. As EVs become an even more common sight on our roads, more and more people will be prioritising charging access when thinking about where to live.’
What this means for you
If you’re planning to move house and run, or plan to buy, an EV, this new tool could save you a lot of hassle. You can now quickly check if a property has a home charger or public charging close by, without having to cross-reference maps or plug in postcodes.
It also means agents and sellers might be encouraged to list charging access clearly, something that’s been missing up to now. Only 1.6% of current Zoopla listings mention EV charging, despite growing demand.
With the average UK homeowner staying in their property for 17 years, and petrol and diesel bans looming, it’s a practical update that could make electric car ownership feel more realistic for a lot more people.
Editor’s view: a small improvement makes a big difference
Home charging is a massive benefit for EV drivers, a proper gamechanger. With it, batteries make far more sense, both financially and practically. So this initiative, combined with Vauxhall’s Electric Streets of Britain programme, feels like sensible, joined-up thinking from a brand that clearly understands the whole EV experience.
For buyers, it’s one less hurdle to worry about. Moving house is a big upsetment, people get upset – so one thing to lessen the blow is going to be a good thing. For sellers and agents, it’s a nudge to start treating EV-readiness as a real selling point, not an afterthought.
I hope this takes off. As EVs go mainstream, features like this will stop being nice-to-haves and start becoming expectations. Vauxhall’s helped get ahead of that shift.
Keith Adams – Editor, Parkers
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