THE number of petrol stations in the UK has dropped by 75 per cent in the past four decades and Nissan UK says by 2020 there will be more public electric charging stations than petrol.

At the end of 2015, there were just 8,472 fuel stations in the UK, down from 37,539 in 1970. Assuming a steady rate of decline, Nissan predicts that by August, 2020, this will fall to under 7,870.

There are now more than 4,000 places in the UK where motorists can charge all-electric or hybrid vehicles.

While the majority of electric vehicle owners charge at home, 98 per cent of UK motorway services now have charging stations, including rapid connectors that can charge a Nissan Leaf's battery to 80 per cent in just 30 minutes.

Edward Jones, EV manager for Nissan Motor (GB) Ltd, said: "As electric vehicle sales take off, the charging infrastructure is keeping pace and paving the way for convenient all-electric driving. Combine that with constant improvements in our battery performance and we believe the tipping point for mass EV uptake is upon us".