Britain will soon have its first national network of charging bays for electric cars as growing numbers of motorists opt for alternative forms of transport.

By the end of next year, about 1,000 of the bays are expected to be installed across the country, with 200 in London and smaller networks in other conurbations.

Eventually, each city is expected to have hundreds of the sockets – usually contained in pillars on the pavement or in car parks. Topping up a car’s power is free, but users have to pay £75 a year for a key to use the charging points.

Electric cars – along with other alternatives such as hybrid vehicles – are predicted to increase in popularity as fuel bills go up.

In spite of their drawbacks – such as short range and puny acceleration – electric cars are more economical and environmentally friendly than fossil fuel-burning vehicles. They are also exempt from the London congestion charge and its future equivalent in Manchester.

Danny Chalkley, a Conservative councillor in Westminster, central London, said: “We’re working hard to expand the number of electric charging points across the city. “This carrot-not-stick approach is the best way to encourage people to drive less polluting cars.”

There are only about 100 charging bays in Britain at present – 60 on streets and car parks in Westminster and in Birmingham, Newcastle, Sheffield, Cambridge and on the Isle of Wight. Elektromotive, the main company responsible for installing them, has reached agreement with councils for the rapid expansion.

The charging points have a normal three-pin socket inside a locked box. Recharging takes about two hours.

There are still only small numbers of electric cars – such as the G-Wiz, made in India by the Reva Electric Car Company – but their popularity is increasing. The G-Wiz does not legally require an Euro Ncap safety rating because it is classed as a quadricycle and not a car. But in a basic safety test last year the car performed very badly and the crash test dummy was left in three pieces.

According to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, no electric cars were bought in 2005 but nearly 600 were sold altogether in 2006 and 2007.

Despite London’s efforts to increase the number of its electric cars, it is still lagging behind Paris, which has hundreds of charging bays dotted around its suburbs. By the end of next year it also plans to offer 4,000 electric cars for hire to Parisians.

Electric cars have been popularised by celebrities such as the television presenter Jonathan Ross, who owns a G-Wiz. The car, which costs about £9,000, has a top speed of 50mph, and can do 48 miles before the battery needs recharging.

Kathleen Granados, 36, who runs a health spa in Notting Hill, west London, has owned a G-Wiz for more than a year. She said: “I love driving it. You do have to be careful, because it is so quiet, so you have to look out for people or cyclists jumping in front.”