Electric car owners across the UK will find it harder to find free charging stations for their vehicles as the majority of the free charging stations are set to become paid stations within the next year.

Charging point providers have cited the end of a Government electric vehicle initiative as the reason for the switch, with one operating company, Charge master, beginning charging from April.

The Government supported ‘Plugged in Places’ scheme, which contributed in equal part to private funding for EV charging points, ends this month, meaning providers will have to look to their customers to maintain profitability.

The charging will be costly as it has been announced that half an hour of charging at a public charging station can cost up to £7.50. With the paid stations being introduced the government feel that this will not discourage people from purchasing an electric car.

In the Netherlands until last year charging points were free and now it's chargeable. You can't get away from it. If you want public charging points someone has to pay not only for the electricity but also for the maintenance and investment.

Chargemaster states that only around 20 per cent of its 3000-strong UK supply network will become paid-for initially, with more and more charging customers as the year progresses.

Currently, users of Chargemaster’s Polar network charging points can pay for electricity via monthly direct debit, annual subscription or via a smartphone app. By using the app, customers are charged £1.20 per hour for a standard 13amp supply, up to £7.50 per half hour of rapid polar network charging.