NEW Vauxhall electric vehicle drivers can charge their vehicles for free at Tesco supermarkets under an arrangement between the car company and the retail giant.

The link up gives drivers access to more than 2,700 EV charging bays across 619 Tesco stores in the UK.

Powered by Pod Point, Tesco has the country's largest supermarket charging network, with a mix of 7kW, 22kW, 50kW and 75kW charging stations.

While the charge points are accessible for all EV drivers, new Vauxhall retail customers who purchase an electric Vauxhall car or van direct from a Vauxhall retailer will be able to benefit from one year's worth of free charging credit when visiting Tesco.

James Taylor, managing director of Vauxhall, said: "As electric vehicle sales continue to grow, access to practical charging continues to be a hot topic to ensure the UK can continue along its electrification journey, whether at home, on-street or at a required destination.

"In partnership with Tesco, Vauxhall is continuing to support electric vehicle drivers across the country, offering free charging for any new Vauxhall customer visiting a Tesco store.

"We're committed to electrifying Britain and helping UK motorists to make the switch to electric. We are excited to begin working with Tesco and look forward to seeing the UK's charging network grow, allowing even more convenient charging solutions for drivers to make their day-to-day journeys."

Vauxhall's partnership with Tesco comes as part of its Electric Streets of Britain initiative.

Electric Streets of Britain was introduced to address the lack of on-street charging provision in the UK, following research that revealed more than 70 per cent of UK councils surveyed did not have a published strategy in place for residential on-street charging for electric vehicles, and that 69 per cent of local authorities had yet to install any on-street chargers.

Through Electric Streets of Britain, Vauxhall has established an Enablement Fund to help improve Local Authority understanding of residential on-street charging needs, working with leading charging operators Char.gy, Connected Kerb and SureCharge.

UK motorists who want to have on-street residential EV chargers installed near them can register their interest at. The information in this new national database will then help councils across the UK to determine where best to focus their investment and help as many people as possible to make the switch to electric.

Clare Gregorio, head of retail partnerships, Tesco, said:"We're committed to reducing carbon emissions across our business, including becoming carbon neutral across our own operations by 2035. We want to encourage our customers to make sustainable choices too, such as moving to electric vehicles.

"That's why we're delighted to partner with Vauxhall in providing the UK's largest supermarket EV charging network, making it easy and convenient for our customers to top up their electric cars while they shop with us."

By the end of 2024, Vauxhall will offer a fully electric version of every car and van model in its line-up.

Vauxhall was the UK's best-selling electric van manufacturer in 2023, with the Corsa Electric the UK's best-selling small electric car and the Mokka Electric the best-selling electric compact crossover model.

As part of the partnership all 2,700 charge bays across Tesco stores will be updated with a Vauxhall and Tesco co-branded livery.

With millions of visitors per month and more than 3.8 million charging sessions per year, Tesco stores are found within a 10-minute drive for more than 70 per cent of the UK population, allowing greater ease and convenience for EV drivers across the country.