The 5-Minute Rule: From Coverage to Convenience

Around 9 million households across the UK don’t have a driveway. Without the possibility of installing a home charger, if they buy an EV they will be reliant on public charging infrastructure. For these drivers, whether the transition to EV is a viable option or not may come down to how far away the infrastructure is.

Access is about behaviour, not just infrastructure

There is a growing body of evidence that proximity plays a defining role in how usable public charging really is. Research from Motability Operations found that fewer than one in three people are willing to walk more than 10 minutes home after plugging in. One in five would not walk five minutes.  

This challenges a potential misconception in EV infrastructure planning that a charger installed will cater to homes in the neighbouring area. In reality, if it’s located beyond the distance people are willing to walk, it may not have the impact intended.

Similarities can be seen in public transport planning. Bus stops are intentionally placed at regular intervals to promote the use of public transport, with guidance suggesting that all buildings should be within around 400 metres of a stop, connected by safe, direct and accessible routes. This reflects a simple reality: people are far more likely to use infrastructure that fits easily into their daily routines. EV charging is no different. If it's not close, convenient and easy to reach, adoption will be slower, regardless of how many charge points are installed overall.

The 5-minute rule

This is where the idea of a “5-minute walk” becomes useful as a practical benchmark.

Research from Field Dynamics explored this in detail. Their 2024 report mapped 9.3 million UK households without off-street parking and analysed whether they were within a five-minute walk of a public charger. The findings showed clear progress. Coverage had increased since 2022, and the number of charger locations had grown significantly.

However, the key insight was not about growth, it was about distribution. Even with rapid rollout, most households were still not within a five-minute walk of a charger. Of course, the network has seen significant growth in the last year, with the number of public charge points growing from 73,000 end of 2024 to 87,000 end of 2025. On-street specifically saw 7,659 new devices added in 2025, however, there are still a significant proportion of households that are not adequately served.

Placement, not just pace

One of the clearest patterns in the Field Dynamics data is that coverage is not evenly distributed. Some urban areas have reached a point where most on-street households are within easy walking distance of multiple chargers. In these locations, charging can more conveniently become part of everyday life.  

In others, access remains patchy. Chargers exist, but not close enough. Or not in the places people actually need them. This creates a gap between charge point availability and real-world usability, which will become more important as EV adoption grows.

Why proximity matters

Early EV infrastructure focused on simply increasing the number of chargers available. The challenge now is more complex, requiring careful consideration of whether chargers are:

• Close enough to where people live

• Integrated into residential environments

• Positioned where they support daily routines

Drivers should not have to plan their lives around charging; charging needs to fit into their lives. The five-minute threshold is not just a convenience metric. It helps indicate whether public charging can genuinely replace home charging for those without driveways.

What this means for local authorities and landowners

For local authorities, this shifts the focus from the number of chargers installed towards how well they serve the communities around them. That means prioritising residential streets without off-street parking, using data to identify gaps in five-minute coverage, and planning for density, not just presence.

For landowners, there is a growing opportunity to support local demand. Well-placed infrastructure can serve nearby residents, as well as visitors and passing traffic.  

From coverage to convenience

The UK has made real progress in expanding its EV charging network. But the next challenge is not just building more, it’s building in a way that’s aligned with how people actually live.

Because if drivers are not willing to walk more than five minutes, infrastructure planning can’t afford to ignore that reality. The future of public charging will be defined not just by how many chargers we install but also by how easy they are to reach.

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