UK Superchargers hit 2,747 — more than half now open to any EV. What that does to the maths

By Priya Nair · Filed 30 June 2026 · Updated 5 August 2026

Tesla's own numbers put the UK network at 2,747 chargers, and Tesla says more than half are now shared with other EVs. The exclusivity story is over — here's what's left.

As of the end of June 2026, Tesla had 2,747 chargers across the UK, and more than half of that network is now open to any compatible EV — not just Teslas. Tesla is also part of a bid to bring Europe's largest EV charging hub to the UK. None of that changes what a referral link is worth. It does change the sum you should actually be doing before you order.

The maths, worked from Tesla's own numbers

Tesla hasn't published the exact split, but "more than half" of 2,747 chargers means at least 1,374 are now shared with other EVs, which leaves at most 1,373 still Tesla-only. That's the ceiling on how much of the network still gives Tesla drivers an uncontested bay — and it's already less than half.

What this does not change

The referral benefit itself is untouched. A new Model 3 or Model Y ordered through a referral link still gets 650 free Supercharging miles, applied automatically — that figure has nothing to do with how many bays are shared with other brands. If you were worried that an open network dilutes the referral perk, it doesn't: the miles are credited to your account regardless of who else is charging next to you.

The variable open access actually moves: contention, not price

The cost maths above is the part everyone runs. The part that changes your day is different: more eligible vehicles per site means more competition for the same stalls, and that shows up as waiting rather than as pence per kWh. A tariff you can read in advance; a queue you find on arrival.

Three practical consequences, all of them things you can act on without knowing anyone's pricing:

• Check occupancy before you commit to a site, not when you arrive. Tesla's own navigation shows how many stalls are in use at a location. Glancing at that ten minutes out is worth more than any tariff comparison — a free stall at a slightly worse price beats a cheap stall you wait twenty minutes for.
• The next site along is often the answer. Contention clusters at the obvious stops — the first services after a junction, the ones with the food outlets. Going one further is frequently emptier, and on a route you drive regularly it's worth learning which of your usual stops fills up first.
• Off-peak now buys you two things. It was always the cheaper option where time-of-day pricing applies; with a wider pool of eligible cars it also buys a shorter wait. Those two effects point the same way, which makes the habit easier to keep.

None of this is a complaint about open access — a busier network is a better-funded one, and the alternative was a smaller network for everyone. It just means the thing worth adjusting is when and where you stop, not the arithmetic on your energy bill.

What it might change

What an open network changes is availability, not entitlement. A Tesla owner spending their free miles at a formerly exclusive site is now queuing alongside any EV that fits a Type 2/CCS connector. Tesla's own pitch for staying ahead is shifting from "our network, our cars only" to "our network is bigger, faster and more reliable than the alternative" — a bid for Europe's largest UK hub is exactly that kind of bet. For a buyer, the practical takeaway is to judge Superchargers on price and reliability now, the same way you'd judge any public network, rather than assuming exclusivity is doing the work for you.

Background: what the referral benefit is actually worth.

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