Charge! Six-fold rise in property details listing electric car points

There’s been a huge rise in references to electric car charging within property listings submitted to Rightmove.

The number of homes listed for sale across Britain with an electric car charging point installed on the premises, or in a nearby street, has increased 541 per cent over 12 months.

The study analysed the number of properties for sale that mention an electric car charging point but excluded new build homes to determine the uplift in older homes having charging points installed or available nearby.

Rightmove says a third of these have appeared on listings just since September, and the portal suggests that increased awareness of environmental issues and the growth of sales of Tesla Model 3 cars in particular - the best selling vehicle in the UK in September - lie behind the surge. 

Rightmove spokesperson Tim Bannister says: “This week, concerns about the environment are rightly front and centre of the headlines, and this study is an interesting example of how growing awareness about the environment and energy efficiency can impact the property market. 

“The number of electric vehicle charging points is continuing to rise, and in turn, we’re hearing from agents that potential buyers are increasingly adding access to a charging point to their list when choosing the right home. 

“Alongside the energy performance of a home, we anticipate electric car charging points will become more important for buyers over the next few years, and will be an additional selling point for movers listing their home.”

Charlie Gladding, senior consultant at Peter Joy Estate Agents, adds: “Stroud has a reputation for being environmentally aware and it’s something we’re certainly hearing more about from both buyers and sellers. Not only are people more enthusiastic about energy efficiency upgrades, but the fact they are acting and having them installed means people are more conscious of ‘futureproofing’ their home.

“With COP26, our carbon footprint, and climate change in general, more people are certainly aware of their actions, and enquiries about whether electric car chargers are installed, or it is possible to install them will be a theme that consistently grows into conversations over the next couple of years”.