Nissan predicts there will be more electric vehicle (EV) charging points than petrol stations in the UK within four years.

The number of UK petrol stations has fallen from 37,539 in 1970 to 8,472 by the end of last year. New analysis by Nissan suggests this will drop to under 7,870 by August 2020.

The number of public EV charging points is forecast to reach at least 7,900 by this time.

Research suggests on average a new EV was registered every 13 minutes in the first quarter of this year. By 2027, more than 1.3m EVs will be registered yearly, making them the dominant type of car sold.

Edward Jones, EV Manager at Nissan Motors GB, 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. A gradual uptake from early adopters accelerates to a groundswell of consumers buying electric vehicles.”

The majority of electric vehicle owners charge at home but also have the option to use UK motorway service stations – 98% are equipped to charge a Nissan EV battery to 80% in half an hour. A full battery delivers up to a 155 mile range, covering more than 90% of average daily commuting requirements.