Glastonbury, Latitude, Reading and Leeds: EV chargers near the UK’s biggest summer music festivals

Tents are folded, beers chilled and cars packed to the brim with emergency ponchos. Yes, that’s right, it’s music festival season.

From Leeds to Cornwall and Somerset to Suffolk, music lovers will be travelling hundreds of miles this summer to see their favourite bands on stage.

And with many festivals taking place in rural parks, farms and estates, getting to and from the event needs careful planning.

The out-of-the-way nature means you’ll likely need plenty of time to navigate traffic but, more importantly, you’re unlikely to find any EV charging infrastructure at the event itself.

That means finding a charging location nearby or at some point along your journey, so you’re topped up for the return leg for your post-festival shower. Even better, the near-silent ride in your EV will give your eardrums a welcome break after a few days of brain-altering bass.

We’ve crunched the numbers to find out which UK summer music festivals are the most EV-friendly, ranking them based on proximity to the nearest GRIDSERVE Electric Super Hub, Retail Hub or Electric Forecourt®, the total number of these locations within 50 miles of the festival, local AC and DC charging options and whether the festival offers on-site charging.

Coming out on top is the iconic Glastonbury Festival, which benefits from nearby charging at Solstice Park, Moto Leigh Delamere and TEALS Farm Shop, as well as on-site connectors. Second is Leeds Festival, which although it doesn’t offer on-site charging, is surrounded by Electric Super Hubs at Moto Wetherby, Moto Woolley Edge and Moto Ferrybridge. Rounding out the top three is Download Festival, which has a wealth of charging options on the M1, including extremely close at Moto Donington Park.

At most of these charging locations you’ll find High Power chargers, which will recharge your car quicker than a set by the headline act, while each is fitted with a combination of CCS and CHAdeMO connectors and compatible with contactless payment.

Of course, there plenty of other Medium Power chargers at sites across the GRIDSERVE Electric Highway, too, if you aren’t in a rush or just want a little bit of extra downtime and listen to our electric playlist.

And stay tuned as we prepare to open our latest headline act – the Stevenage Electric Forecourt® – at the Knebworth House Estate, Britain’s largest music venue which has hosted rock and roll icons such as the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Oasis and Robbie Williams.

The best electric cars for music festivals

Heading to a festival and need plenty of space to pack your friends and gear? Check out the list below for the best EVs for your weekend getaway.

Kia EV9

If you’re travelling with mates to a festival then the Kia EV9 offers unrivalled space and comfort for the journey. There’s room for seven full-size adults and luggage space to spare while vehicle-to-load tech is ideal to power your air mattress pump. There’s long range and fast charging plus enough off-road capability to get through muddy car parks. Also the Kia EV9 can be specced with captain’s chairs that can swivel to face the rear to create the ultimate chillout zone.

Volkswagen ID. Buzz

The modern-day representation of the festival icon. No Glastonbury trip would be complete without an old ‘splitty’ and with the VW ID. Buzz you can recreate that in electric form. Up front are two large lounge seats complete with armrests, and there are three seats on the bench across the back. Clever little cubbyholes throughout mean there’s plenty of space to store your phone, tablet, emergency snacks and water bottles. There are also eight USB-C ports in here, so your electronic devices will never be without power. Range is well over 200 miles and there’s over 1,000 litres of boot space.

MG 5

The MG 5 is the only electric estate meaning that it’s incredibly spacious for passengers and luggage… and at a push you could take a mattress and stretch out in the back (the boot is 464 litres up to the parcel shelf). It might not turn heads in the festival car park but few can match its remarkable value-for-money, with a 250-mile range plenty to get you from your house to the front row.

Hyundai IONIQ 5

Want to travel in style and comfort? The Hyundai IONIQ 5 does just that with over 250 miles range and 500 litres boot space. The retro looks will certainly turn heads in the queue for parking while you’ll have a queue of your own forming to take advantage of its vehicle-to-load technology. This allows you to use the car battery to power electronic devices – you could even set up your own karaoke. Don’t worry about running the battery down as it’s got some of the fastest charging capability on the market – just five minutes to add 62 miles. And when the festival gets too much, you can relax in the fully-reclining front seats.

Tesla Model Y

No ‘best of’ EV list would be complete without a Tesla, and the Model Y is the one you’ll want for festival trips. It’s fast, spacious and the touchscreen tablet will easily let you play your favourite artists in preparation for seeing them live. The boot is massive so you’ll have room for tents, sleeping bags and clothes for you and all your friends. There’s even a deep underfloor area and even a separate ‘frunk’ (front boot) for storing muddy boots if the heavens open.

Ford Mustang Mach-E

The Mustang name needs no introduction in the performance world but we think the Ford Mustang Mach-E is a pretty great festival companion, too. There’s a B&O sound system for punchy tunes on the route and with it’s long range you won’t need to stop often. There’s a keypad on door to open the car instead of a traditional key so that means less drama if you lose your keys in the festival. We also love the cool frunk with a drainage plug so you can wash muddy boots… or fill it full of ice and use it as a beer cooler!