Got an electric car? Buyers can now search for homes with an EV charger – and where drivers can plug in locally

Electric car drivers can now find properties online that make charging headache-free, thanks to new features introduced by property search giant Zoopla.

Zoopla has brought in new search criteria where buyers and renters can filter homes to include only those with home charging, and find the nearest on-street chargers to properties. 

British car maker Vauxhall and the property portal have teamed up to help drivers find the perfect home, after Vauxhall research found 40 per cent of UK motorists said proximity to EV charging will be an influential factor when they next move house.

EV ownership is continuing to rise in Britain with 1.55 million cars on our roads now fully electric, according to the latest data from EV charging point app ZapMap.

And yet Zoopla’s analysis of all listings on its site in 2025 found that just 1.6 per cent explicitly mentioned EV charging. 

That is despite the latest figures from The Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders showing that one-in-four new car buyers is now going electric, with the number of EVs registered up by over 34 per cent compared to the same time last year.

Vauxhall suggested property agents may be missing an opportunity to demonstrate a feature of a house or flat that is becoming increasingly vital for customers.

Zoopla’s EV-friendly search criteria features will help EV drivers who need access to charging where they live – whether in a flat or a house – and is the latest move in Vauxhall’s Electric Streets of Britain campaign. 

Visitors to the Zoopla website and app can now filter properties to only show those with an EV home charger. They can also locate the closest public charging point to a property thanks to map and location data provided by Octopus Electroverse.

Similar to how Zoopla currently displays information regarding the closest schools and train stations, the website and app will now also display information on the distance between a home and nearest public charging point across property listings.

Daniel Copley, consumer expert at Zoopla, said: ‘We’re proud to be the first property website to offer consumers the ability to find the nearest on-street chargers to a property, and filter properties with home-charging. 

‘Buyer requirements are constantly evolving as a result of factors like lifestyle changes and commuting patterns. By improving Zoopla’s search functionality, our aim is that we will empower more confident moving decisions, particularly for current and future EV owners.’

Vauxhall’s poll of 2,000 people found that a third of respondents admit a lack of accessible EV charging would actually deter them from moving into a specific property – a figure that rises to a massive 84 per cent for electric car owners. 

And more than half of respondents to Vauxhall’s research said they would find it useful if property websites showed the proximity of the nearest on-street EV charging points for individual listings.

As average UK homeowners stay in their property for around 17 years, homes being purchased today will take buyers well beyond the introduction of the forthcoming ban of new petrol and diesel car sales in 2030 for the vast majority of movers.

Steve Catlin, managing director at Vauxhall, said: ‘Moving house is one of the biggest decisions most of us make in our lifetime, and anyone who’s done it knows how much effort can go into finding the perfect home. 

‘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.’ 

Can you install an EV charger if you’re renting? 

This time last year This is Money was asked about EV charger installation if people are renting a property or planning to move.

Tenants shouldn’t do this without getting permission from their landlord first. 

However, if they are willing, getting your landlord to install an electric car charger will not only make charging your EV much easier and less expensive, but could also add value to the property.

According to the Open Property Group, the addition of an home charger will add around 1.7 per cent to the value of a property, which translates to £4,840 (based on the average house price of £284,691).

If a tenant is able to liaise with a landlord and get a written agreement drawn up, then it could benefit both parties.

Will dictate house prices in the future?

We asked EV charger provider Cord if chargers will add value to property.

It said that generally a charger will add value, but a person might have a particular charging brand they use and won’t want to move to a house with a different charger.

Cord said they don’t see this as a big risk in the future because there is a lot of standardisation across chargers.

While some extra features might be exclusive to certain brands most modern chargers can charge cars well and features like off-peak tariffs are becoming more standard.

Much more important to most EV drivers is the availability of off-street parking.

Cord told us: ‘We definitely do see chargers as adding serious value to homes. And in not too long, homes without chargers will be far harder to let – just like homes without broadband are tough to let currently.’