EV charging stations explained
In the UK, over 90% of electric vehicle (EV) charging is done at home. This is usually the cheapest and most convenient way of charging up, but sometimes we need to rely on public charging stations to top up our batteries.
Thankfully, the UK’s charging network is better than ever and constantly improving. From electric car home chargers to ultra-rapid public charging we're here to here to help you figure out topping up at home and on the road.
How do you charge an electric car at home?
Typically, home charging happens in one of two ways. Firstly, there’s slow charging, where you can plug your EV into a regular 3-pin plug socket. With a maximum charge speed of 3kW per hour, this means you can charge something like a MG4 EV Long Range which has a 64kWh battery in around 30 hours, when charging from 0% to 100%.
Having the option of using a 3-pin plug can be useful on occasions but at DriveElectric we do not recommend that you use a 3-pin plug socket as your main recharging option at home.
Instead, we recommend that if you have off street parking at home then a professionally installed home charger is by far the best way to recharge an electric vehicle. In most cases in the UK, this provides around 7kW of power. Using the same MG4 EV Long Range with its large 64kWh battery a full charge from 0% to 100% takes around 10 hours. Significantly faster than a standard 3-pin plug.
There are other benefits of using a dedicated home charger, such as:
- Ability to pair up other low/zero carbon technologies such as solar panels and/or home battery
- Ability to monitor and manage your charging via the smart chargers' phone app
- Ability to use variable/flexible electricity prices from energy providers (i.e. take advantage of cheap overnight electricity tariffs)
It is probably also worth pointing out that it is very rare that drivers need to recharge from 0% to 100% consistently, instead EVs are usually kept in the 'sweet spot' of having between 20% and 80% charge, with drivers topping up their EV overnight while they're asleep!
Sometimes, however, it’s not possible to have a home charging point, while if you’re going on a long journey, you’ll need to find somewhere along the way to plug in. If you’re wondering how to charge an electric car away from home, it’s time to get acquainted with the UK’s thriving public charging network.
How do electric car charging stations work?
You can find public charge points in car parks, at supermarkets or just at the side of the road in residential areas, as well as at service stations and other places such as cinemas, pubs and restaurants. Every month more public charging stations are added by a wide selection of providers.
Rapid and ultra-rapid charging points are best if you're stopping on a long journey, as they typically offer speeds between 50 and 350kW.
To put this into perspective, this means you can charge a Hyundai IONIQ 6 – which has a 77kWh battery that delivers a 305-mile 'real world' range – from 10% to 80% in around 18 minutes at a compatible ultra-rapid charger. If you're pulling over at a motorway service station, your car will be pretty much fully charged by the time you get back from using the facilities and grabbing a coffee or a bite to eat.
Whatever speed you’re able to get, you need to ensure the station you visit is compatible with your car’s connection. The majority of cars in the UK use the same connectors to charge, some older EVs may use some funky legacy connectors which you might see on some rapid chargers still. The European standard connectors are Type 2 (for home and standard public charging) and CCS (for paid and ultra-rapid charging). Your EV’s handbook and the charging network provider’s website will give you all the information you need. There are also apps you can use for this, but we’ll get onto that later.
Tesla's Supercharger network is one of the most reliable rapid charging options in the UK, and it's now open to drivers of non-Tesla cars at an increasing number of locations. Charging speeds vary by charger generation: older V2 stalls deliver up to 150kW, the widely-deployed V3 stalls deliver up to 250kW, and the newer V4 stalls, now appearing at growing number of UK locations are capable of 350kW and above. If you drive a non-Tesla and want to use the network, check that your chosen location has a CCS connector, and it's worth downloading the Tesla app and creating an account before you travel.
Different companies operate different charging networks, and you may need to download an app, get a swipe card or open an account to use them. It’s a good idea to plan any long journeys or pick out the closest charging stations to your home or work, but this all becomes second nature very quickly. Thankfully many public charging points also accept standard bank cards - but plan ahead!
Charging at motorway service stations
With over 100 motorway service stations dotting the UK, finding the perfect place to recharge—both your car and yourself—can make all the difference.
We recommend downloading Zap-Map as your go-to tool for finding public chargers. It shows live availability, charger speeds, connector types and user reviews across the whole UK network.
Example home charge costs
Based on 24p/kWh figure - the UK's current domestic electricity price cap. There are some tariffs available for EV drivers with overnight p/kWh as low as 7-9p. And if you have solar panels your recharge costs can be zero!
| Vehicle | Battery Size | Cost at £0.24/kWh | Cost at £0.075/kWh |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renault 5 E-Tech | 40 kWh | £9.60 | £3.00 |
| Kia EV6 | 77.4 kWh | £18.58 | £5.80 |
| Tesla Model Y Premium Long Range RWD | 75 kWh | £18.00 | £5.63 |
Example public charge costs
For the latest rapid charging network prices, check out Zapmap’s “Rapid Charging: Top 10 Network Pricing” leaderboard, updated every month.
Prices are Pay as you go tariffs. Data checked: June 2026
| Charging Network | Price (Pay As You Go) |
|---|---|
| Ionity | 81p/kWh |
| Gridserve | 82-89p/kWh |
| bp pulse | 89p/kWh |
| Instavolt | 92p/kWh |
Why doesn't my electric car charge faster?
Not all electric vehicle are capable of charging at the same speed of charging, for example; The Volkswagen e-golf has a max Charging speed of 40kW – so it will take the same amount of time to charge on a 50kW, a 150kW or a 350kW hour charger.
A good rule of thumb is that the newer the electric vehicle, the higher capacity it can handle. Newer Volkswagen ID models, such as the ID.4 or ID.5 can handle 175kW of power. The Kia EV6 can take up to 233 kW of power, making it one of the fastest charging electric car available today, under the right conditions the EV6 battery can go from 20% to 80% charge in only 16 minutes.
But these fast charge max power figures that doesn't tell the whole story, other variables at play include how warm the car battery is, for optimal charging the battery should be warm and not cold. The existing charge in the battery also impacts charging speed, as all carmakers use sophisticated technology to protect the battery from overuse.
Finally, the public charging site will have a maximum load capacity, so if you're using a busy hub site then you might experience a charge rate under the advertised rate.
It is worth noting that given all these variables, an electric car driver will often find the same public charging location will provide a different amount of power to the vehicle each and every time it is used.
| Vehicle | Maximum DC Charge Speed |
|---|---|
| Tesla Model Y Premium Long Range | 250 kW |
| Kia EV6 | 233 kW |
| Volkswagen ID.4 | 175 kW |
| Leapmotor B10 | 168 kW |
Frequently asked EV charging questions
Are there enough charging stations for electric cars?
As of 1 April 2026, there were 119,080 public EV chargers across the UK, including 27,372 rated rapid or above (50kW+). That's up 12% on March 2025, spread across over 46,000 locations. Ultra-rapid chargers (150kW and above) grew by 40% in the year to January 2026 alone; the fastest-growing part of the network.
There are now significantly more EV charging locations than petrol stations in the UK, and the network continues to expand every month.
There's a handy app that is highly recommended for new and experienced EV drivers alike: use Zap-Map to find on-the-go chargers, plan your routes, check live availability, ensure you have the correct connector type.
Can you charge your electric car for free?
Sometimes, yes. But these locations are now few and far between. And should you really expect to fuel up for free? We don't think so.
Some UK visitor attractions can offer reduced cost charging to make your visit stress-free - and can offer a fix priced for as much energy as you need while you're having fun at the venue.
Our recommendation is to always check with the attraction's website to see whether they provide chargers and how to access them.