Charging electric cars

Charging your electric car

Charging an electric car is not that much different from filling the tank of a petrol or diesel vehicle, but with one big advantage: you can also do it at home.

You can find public chargers at places such as supermarkets, car parks, and motorway service stations. Many employers provide charging points at their premises. And in addition, you can have a charging point installed at your home (depending on suitability), for easy charging overnight and any other time your electric car is not being used.

The easiest way to find a charger near you is to use an app, like that provided by Zap Map.

3 easy steps to charging your electric car

Find your charging unit

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This could be a home wall box, a charging unit at your place or work, or a public charging unit. Then find the charging port on your vehicle. Ensure you are using the correct port for the charging unit, this could be AC or DC.
Connect the charging cable

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Usually home wall boxes and AC chargers don’t have a cable included so you can use the charging cable that comes with your vehicle. If you are using a DC charging station, the cable will be attached to the unit ready to plug into your vehicle.
Charge your car

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Most vehicle will produce a light or signal to confirm they are charging so once you see this you can lock your vehicle (if you are leaving it) and allow it to charge. Please refer to your vehicle guide for model specific charging times.

Home Charging

Having an electric car gives you the ability to charge your vehicle with ease and at a time that suits you from the comfort of your own home. You can use a domestic three-pin socket to charge it however, it is recommended that you install a home wall box.

Our recommended wall box supplier Ohme, one of the UK's leading providers of electric vehicle charging, can help you choose the right charging unit for you and your vehicle. No wonder they've been voted the Best Electric Charging Point Provider by Business Motoring for two years.

Benefits of installing a home wall box

Installing a wall box within your home can significantly reduce charging time of your electric car. Take a look at some of the other benefits below:

Schedule a charge when it's cheapest

Charge your vehicle up to 10 times faster than a 3-pin plug

Potential to improve the value of your property

Charge your vehicle at a time that is convenient for you

Wide range of home charging products available

Potential of EV charging point grant (OZEV) to reduce the cost of your home charger

Frequently asked questions about charging electric cars at home

A tethered charger comes with its own cable. It may mean that if you change your electric vehicle in the future, you will have to change your charger.

An untethered charger uses the charging cable supplied with your electric vehicle, so there are no compatibility issues if you change vehicles. It also means you can store the cable away out of sight when the charger is not in use.

There is also a choice of chargers – 3.6kW, 7kW and 22kW – offering different charging speeds, though not all homes are suitable for all types of charger. You can compare different charge points and energy tariffs here.

Being able to park off the street while your vehicle is charging is the best option. You will need a driveway or garage or other off-street parking where power can be connected. Running the charging cable across the pavement to a vehicle parked on the street could be a danger to pedestrians or an annoyance to your neighbours. It may even be prohibited by some local councils.

Perhaps your employer already provides charging points in the company car park, where you can charge your vehicle during working hours. (If not, perhaps they can be convinced it’s a good idea.) Alternatively, there are a growing number of public places to charge your vehicle and apps such as Zap-Map to make it easy for you to find them.

Want to know more about home charging and wall box installation?

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Charging points and charging times

When you drive an electric car, you have a range of options for charging its battery. Instead of being limited to a petrol station, you can charge at home, at work, or at a charging point – some of which are free. Where you charge and for how long will affect the amount of range added, and the cost.

At home

If you have a home charger installed you can fully charge your battery with maximum convenience. Some suppliers even offer tarrifs with lower electricity prices at night for you to take advantage of.

At work

More and more employers are installing charging points in company car parks. These will usually be slow chargers which take the whole working day (8-10 hours) to fully charge the battery.

At a public charging point

Public charging points can be often be found in places you would be driving to: supermarkets, shopping centres, public car parks and hotels, for example. Most of these chargers will be free to use, though they may limit how long you can connect or require you to be a customer. These chargers will usually be fast or rapid.

Charging speeds

How long it takes to charge your electric car can vary depending on the size of the battery, the distance driven between charges, the type of charging plug used to connect, and the type of charger.

There are four main charger types, essentially defined by their potential charging speeds:

Slow (up to 3kW AC)
Fast (7kW - 22kW AC)
Rapid (43lW AC or 50 – 100kkW DC)
Ultra Rapid (100kW - 350kW DC)

These charging capabilities will be displayed on the charge point unit.

Electric car charger types

There are 5 different charging plugs. Which one you use will depend on your electric car and the power rating of the charging point:

UK 3-pin- For charging at home from a domestic socket. Very slow (30 minutes to add approximately 5 miles range) and for safety reasons not recommended.
Type 1 - No longer common in new electric cars. Adds approximately 12 miles range per 30 minutes of charging.
Type 2 - Becoming the standard European solution. Adds approximately 75 miles range per 30 minutes of charging. All Volkswagen Group electric vehicles use type 2 charging plugs.
CHAdeMO - An older type of rapid charging plug, compatible specifically with Japanese vehicles. Adds approximately 85 miles range per 30 minutes of charging.
Combined Charging System - The most versatile connector and likely to become the DC connector standard. Adds around 85-200 miles range per 30 minutes of charging.

Charging on the go

There are now thousands of public charging stations across the UK including motorway service stations, supermarkets and car parks.

Each public charging point is owned by a charge point operator which means there are plenty of ways to pay for them, from pay-as-you-go schemes to subscription models.

Find out more information about the different public networks, their charging methods and payment options by visiting Zap-Map.

Visit Zap-Map

Choose from one of the options below to find out more about electric cars

Take a look at these useful links to find the answers to all your electric car questions.

Electric Car Charging

Charging your electric car

3 easy steps to charging your electric car

Home Charging

Home Charging

Benefits of installing a home wall box

Frequently asked questions about charging electric cars at home

How to charge an electric car at home

Which type of charger do I need for an electric car?

Are electric car chargers expensive?

Do I need to have a driveway to charge an electric car at home?

What if I can’t charge my electric car at home?

Want to know more about home charging and wall box installation?

Charging points and charging times

At home

At work

At a public charging point

Charging speeds

Electric car charger types

Charging on the go

Find out more information about the different public networks, their charging methods and payment options by visiting Zap-Map.

Choose from one of the options below to find out more about electric cars

Is an electric car right for you?

Financing an electric car

Electric car running costs

Looking after an electric car

Interested in a test drive?