Charging electric vehicles

There are several ways to charge an electric car, depending on your location:

• Charging at home using a home chargepoint. You’ll need a driveway or garage to install one.
• If you don’t have off-street parking, you can charge near home using publicly available on-street chargepoints.
• When you’re out and about, you can charge at forecourts, motorway services, carparks, shopping centres and other destinations.
• You may also be able to charge at work if there are chargepoints available.

There are lots of different types of chargepoint, which all charge at slightly different speeds. Generally, they’re broken down into three categories based on their power, measured in kilowatts (kW):

• Low-speed and standard chargepoints.
• Fast changepoints.
• Rapid and ultra-rapid chargepoints.

The more power a chargepoint has, the faster it will charge a vehicle. However, this depends on your EV’s charging capability.

Yes. If you have a driveway or garage, you can install a dedicated chargepoint. This is the cheapest way to charge your EV.

If you’re planning to install an EV chargepoint at home, you’ll need to:

• Find and buy a chargepoint.
• Find a registered chargepoint installer.
• Register your chargepoint with your Distribution Network Operator.

Usually, your installer will register the device for you. You should also read the UK Government’s advice on how to register your new chargepoint in England, Scotland and Wales. For more information on how to find an installer and get a chargepoint installed, the Electric Vehicle Consumer Code for Home Chargepoints has resources and advice.

You should also look at the electric vehicle chargepoint grant. This UK Government grant offers up to £350 per socket for residential landlords, people living in flats and people who rent their homes to install home EV chargers.

You don’t need to install a home chargepoint to charge your EV. There are plenty of publicly available chargepoints across the UK, although these are more expensive than charging at home. 

Another option is to look for shared home chargepoints, where people in your area sign up to share their chargepoints via Co Charger or ZapMap. 

The time it takes to charge an EV can vary greatly depending on:

• The power of the chargepoint.
• Your EV’s charging capability.
• The size of the EV battery.

Some chargepoints provide more charging power than the car can receive. In these cases, charging speed is limited by the vehicle’s charge rate.

A handy tip is that the charging power in kW roughly translates to the number of miles you’ll get from charging for 20 minutes. For example, if you’re using a 7 kW charger, you can expect roughly 7 miles of range for every 20 minutes your EV is plugged in to charge.

Here’s some more information on the speeds different chargepoints can give you:

Charging costs depend on the model of your vehicle and its battery size, and where you charge it.

Using fast public chargepoints will always be more expensive than charging at home. You can check the pricing of public chargepoints using a map such as Zap-Map or Electroverse.

The average cost of public charging for a full 220 miles of charge:

• Home charging – £17
• Public fast charging – £37
• Public rapid charging – £53
• Full tank of petrol – £45

If you charge at home, smart charging can save you money. Charging your EV during off-peak times, when there is less demand for electricity, can also help balance the electricity grid.

Your electricity bills will go up if you charge your EV at home. It’s a good idea to shop around to make sure you’re on the right electricity tariff.

Here are some more things to think about:

• See if you can switch to an off-peak tariff, such as an Economy 7 tariff, to benefit from cheap overnight electricity.
• Smart, off-peak tariffs could save you even more money by allowing you to charge your car at the cheapest time of day.
• Some energy suppliers give discounts to customers who lease or own an electric vehicle.

You can extend your EV battery range by following ecodriving techniques and working with your vehicle’s features. We recommend you:

• Anticipate the road ahead to avoid harsh acceleration and braking.
• Watch your speed.
• Consider how you use the heating and air conditioning. For example, pre-heat the car while plugged in to avoid using energy from the battery at the beginning of the journey.
• Understand and use your vehicle’s eco-mode or features.

The network of public chargepoints is rapidly expanding across the UK, mostly in towns and cities. These are vital for electric vehicle drivers without off-street parking or workplace charging. They can also be useful for EV drivers to top-up while away from home or on longer journeys.

You can search for chargepoints on websites including:

• Zap-Map
• ChargePlace Scotland
• Electroverse