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 festival goers likely need plenty of time to navigate traffic but, more importantly, you’re unlikely to find any EV charging stations 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.
Best music festival charging stations
While festival organisers are wising up to the need to provide charging facilities for mobile phones, only a couple offer charging infrastructure that allows attendees to plug in their EVs. We’ll continue to check event details for future events to see if this changes.
Latitude Festival offers park and charge at the festival while Glastonbury has partnered with the AA to provide emergency on-site EV charging, although it comes at a cost.
So, 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 charging stations within 50 miles of the festival plus more local public charging infrastructure in the region.
Want something to pass the time while you charge up? Then listen to our electric playlist.
1. Leeds | EV charging near Leeds
- Event dates: 21st-24th August
- Nearest GRIDSERVE charging station: Moto Wetherby
- On-site EV charging?: No
Leeds Festival is surrounded by plenty of Electric Super Hubs including Moto Wetherby, Moto Woolley Edge and Moto Ferrybridge on the M1. There are also plenty of charging stations in Leeds making it easy to top up your EV battery.
2. Download | EV charging near Donington Park
- Event dates: 13th-15th June
- Nearest GRIDSERVE charging station: Moto Donington Park
- On-site EV charging?: No
Download Festival, held at the Donington Park race circuit in Leicestershire, has a wealth of charging options on the M1, including extremely close at Moto Donington Park, plus slightly further away at Moto Trowell. There are also plenty of local EV plug sockets in the surrounding area for those attending the UK’s premier rock festival.
3. Reading | EV charging near Reading
- Event dates: 21st-24th August
- Nearest GRIDSERVE charging station: Moto Reading
- On-site EV charging?: No
Festival goers heading to Reading Festival – the twin of the event on the same weekend in Leeds – is well served by a number of charging stations on the M4, including Moto Reading, both Eastbound and Westbound. There’s also Moto Chieveley and Slough Retail Park close by.
4. Glastonbury | EV charging near Somerset
- Event dates: 25-29 June
- Nearest GRIDSERVE charging station: TEALS Farm Shop
- On-site EV charging?: Yes
The iconic Glastonbury Festival benefits from nearby electric car charging at Solstice Park, Moto Leigh Delamere and TEALS Farm Shop. The region of Somerset has good access to local EV chargers, too, while attendees can also pay to use the emergency AA EV chargers if you do find yourself with an empty battery.
5. Wilderness | EV charging near Oxford
- Event dates: 31st July-3rd August
- Nearest GRIDSERVE charging station: Mollies
- On-site EV charging?: No
Around Oxford (and more specifically Cornbury) and the home of the unique Wilderness Festival there are plenty of charging stations. That includes the Mollies charging hub, where you’ll find a diner and motel as well. On the M40, there’s a large EV charging station at Moto Cherwell Valley.
6. Boardmasters | EV charging near Newquay
- Event dates: 6th-10th August
- Nearest GRIDSERVE charging station: Cornwall Services
- On-site EV charging?: No
Cornwall is not the most well served when it comes to charging stations although the GRIDSERVE hub at Cornwall Services on the A30 is extremely well placed, with plenty of fast food and convenience outlets next to a charging station supported by solar power. For those travelling down to the west country, the recently-expanded Moto Exeter is a great place to stop.
7. Creamfields | EV charging near Warrington
- Event dates: 21st-24th August
- Nearest GRIDSERVE charging station: Roadchef Chester
- On-site EV charging?: No
Electronic dance fans heading to Creamfields won’t have to worry about plugging in with plenty of options nearby. That includes Roadchef Chester, Roadchef Sandbach and Dobbies Liverpool. The city of Liverpool and its surrounding areas also has plenty of local public charging devices.
8. TRNSMT | EV charging near Glasgow
- Event dates: 11th-13th July
- Nearest GRIDSERVE charging station: Roadchef Bothwell
- On-site EV charging?: No
Scotland’s biggest music festival is held in Glasgow with festival goers getting access to plenty of EV chargers in the area. That includes local on-street city chargers to charging stations on the way up the M74, such as Roadchef Bothwell and Roadchef Annandale Water.
9. Latitude | EV charging in Suffolk
- Event dates: 24th-27th July
- Nearest GRIDSERVE charging station: Norwich Electric Forecourt
- On-site EV charging?: Yes
Latitude Festival is the only festival to provide park and charge, allowing you to pre-book parking in a dedicated EV charging bay. That makes it a breeze to attend the music and arts event in Suffolk without worrying. If you’d rather top up before then you’ll find Norwich Electric Forecourt conveniently close, too, with a Costa Coffee, lounge and Little Fresh store to help you relax.
10. Green Man | EV charging in Wales
- Event dates: 14th-17th August
- Nearest GRIDSERVE charging station: Moto Cardiff West
- On-site EV charging?: No
The top music festival in Wales is Green Man, located in the Brecon Beacons National Park. Given its rural and remote setting, the best bet is top up your EV battery on the M4 before striking north, with Moto Cardiff West the closest charging station.
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.
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!
