6 UK attractions with EV charging points

Where to charge an EV on a day out – without the stress

TL;DR: Can you charge an electric car on a day out in the UK?

Yes, easily. Zoos, theme parks, National Trust gardens, and seaside attractions across the UK are adding more and more electric car charging points into their car parks.

Costs, socket types, and time limits vary by site, so it’s worth a quick check ahead of a longer trip. But the idea that you’ll get stranded on a family day out is well out of date.

Worrying about where you’ll charge on a day out is the most reasonable-sounding argument against switching to an electric car (EV)

It’s also one of the easiest to bust.

Plugging in on a day out isn’t a novelty anymore, or something you need to obsessively research before you set off. It’s becoming unremarkable – something you can rely on instead of something to worry about.

We’ve picked out six UK attractions that prove it, from zoos to gardens to theme parks.

Why range anxiety shouldn’t be the deciding factor

Range anxiety has a habit of outliving its usefulness.

It made sense five or six years ago, when public charging was patchy. It makes a lot less sense now.

The UK’s public charging network passed 121,171 chargers across 46,731 locations by June 2026, up 10% year-on-year.

Good news, but not the best bit – destination charging (meaning chargers at places you were already heading to rather than services you specifically stop at to charge) now account for 62,609 public chargers, up 5.7% year-on-year.

That shift, in real world terms, is what stops range anxiety from being an issue when you're looking at electric car leasing.

A charging point on a motorway is all well and good when you’re driving down to Cornwall on holiday, but a charging point at the Eden Project means you don’t have to ration your charge every time you leave the campsite.

Chester Zoo, Cheshire

Chester Zoo is home to more than 35,000 animals across 128 acres, and it’s consistently rated one of the best zoos in the world.  

It’s also home to one of the best EV charging setups at any UK attraction.

There are 26 charging points across the car park, all Type 2 sockets. The Pod Point app shows live availability and current pricing before you leave home, so you know what to expect before you’ve set off.

Every time you pay to charge you help to fund further investment in the network, which means the more people use it, the better it gets.

Set aside the whole day for this one.

Between the elephants, the big cats, and the tiny beetles, you’ll leave the zoo with a fully charged car – and a drained wallet. Yes, there is a gift shop.

Eden Project, Cornwall

Two vast biomes rise out of a former China clay pit, each one an entire climate zone under glass: Tropical rainforest in one, Mediterranean in the other.

Twenty EV charging bays live in the Banana Car Park, each one a 22kW Type 2 point.

Charging runs through the Mer Connect app at 75p/kWh. Outside peak season, there’s no time limit on how long you can stay plugged in, so you can wander both biomes at your own pace without watching the clock. During peak times, you’re capped at four and a half hours.

The Eden Project is a full day out, and the charging setup is built around that.

Plug in when you arrive, forget about it, enjoy the rainforest biome.

Alton Towers, Staffordshire

Rollercoasters, water rides, and a couple hundred acres of ground that still feel like they belong to a stately home (they used to).

Alton Towers has been doing thrill-seeking family days out for longer than most of its rides have existed.

In partnership with RAW Charging, Alton Towers spreads its charging across the whole resort: 10 points in the main car park, 10 more at Splash Landings Hotel and six at the Alton Towers Hotel.

Charging costs 48p/kWh, plus a flat 65p fee per charging session.

There’s a 30-minute grace period once your car is fully charged before a £1-per-hour charge kicks in for the rest of your stay, so it’s worth keeping your eye on your car’s charge.

And you can always return to ride Nemesis again after you’ve moved your car.

Glasgow Science Centre, Glasgow

Interactive exhibits, a planetarium, and an IMAX cinema on the banks of the Clyde, aimed squarely at making science feel less like homework.

Glasgow Science Centre's main car park has dual chargers that between them can serve up to six vehicles at once, each a Type 2 connector rated at 11kW, and running on the ScottishPower Recharge network.

Parking costs a flat rate of £4 a day if you’re visiting the Science Centre, with charging an extra 65p/kWh on top.

And given how easily a visit here stretches from ‘just the exhibits’ into ‘we should probably do the planetarium too’ and ‘ooh look, that film we want to see is showing at the IMAX’, you’re almost guaranteed to leave with a car at 100%.

Stourhead, Wiltshire

Landscaped gardens, a Palladian mansion, and one of the most photographed lakes in the National Trust’s entire portfolio, especially once the autumn colours arrive.

Stourhead is where the National Trust and RAW Charging’s partnership really shows its ambition: Eight standard AC points and eight ultra-rapid DC chargers, the fastest capable of between 150kW and 300kW.

That nets you motorway service station speed at a National Trust garden.

You can pay by app, RFID card, or just a contactless tap at the charger. Costs are tiered by speed: 60p/kWh for the 22kW points, 77p/kWh for the 150kW chargers, and 79p/kWh for the fastest 300kW units.

Since 2023, the National Trust and RAW Charging have installed EV bays across dozens of properties nationwide.

Stourhead is part of a much bigger picture and not a fun little one-off, which means your local National Trust is also likely to offer some form of EV charging – even if not the fast speeds of Stourhead.

Barry Island Pleasure Park, Wales

A proper old-school seaside fairground, right on the sand, with rides and arcades that stir up nostalgia for the British seaside holidays of years gone by.

2p machines.

A Ferris wheel that rattles a little more than you’d want it to.

Waltzers and tea cups and mirror mazes and all the old stalwarts, plus some that are rather more thrilling.

Barry Island Pleasure Park doesn’t have a dedicated car park, but there’s two nearby – Harbour Road and Nell’s Point – both have Type 2 EV charging points for you to take advantage of.

There’s six 7.4kW points at Harbour Road and four 22kW at Nell’s Point, both run by Connected Kerb. Regular car park charges apply on top of the EV tariff, but there’s no time limit.

So, there’s nothing extra to plan for beyond which ride you’re going to do first.

Range anxiety isn’t the blocker you think it is

Six attractions, six different days out, more EV charging than you could shake a stick at.

If range anxiety has been holding you back from making the switch, let this soothe your worried soul. Plug in, go and see the animals, rides, or gardens, unplug, drive home.  

All that’s left to decide is which electric car lease is the perfect one for you.