Where Can I Charge My Electric Car? (UK)

You can charge an electric car at home or at a range of public charging points. As of September 2025, there are 86,021 public charging points at more than 43,507 UK locations. That means that you can travel almost anywhere in the country and still have the ability to recharge your electric car when needed.

 

But how do you find out where you can charge your electric car, especially when you’re away from home on a business trip or holiday?

 

Where Can I Charge My Electric Car?

You can charge most electric cars at any of the four types of UK charging points: Slow (3-5kW), Fast (7-22kW), Rapid (25-99kW) and Ultra-Rapid (100kW+).

 

The only exceptions are the Smart fortwo and Smart forfour which aren’t compatible with Rapid and Ultra-Rapid charging points - some older electric car models are not compatible with rapid charging points either.

 

The most common home charging points are 3.6kW and 7kW chargers, while the most common public charging points are 22kW and 50kW.

 

If you own a Tesla, you can also charge your car on the Tesla Supercharger Network (up to 150kWh). Most Tesla drivers receive a set amount of free kWh a year.

 

So, where can you find your nearest public charging point?

 

Where is My Nearest Public Charging Point?

You can find public charging points in a range of UK locations. These include:

• Workplaces

• Motorway Service Stations

• Supermarket Car Parks

 

However, you won’t yet find public charging stations at every car park. What’s more, if you’re low on charge and away from home, the last thing you want to do is try every supermarket car park, hoping that one of them has a public charging point available. This means you need to know where to look in advance.

 

Fortunately, it’s easier than ever to find out where you can charge your electric car.

 

How Do I Find Public Charging Points Near Me?

The easiest way to find nearby public charging points is by using a free mobile app. The current market leader is Zap-Map. This offers a nationwide map of UK charging points as well as easy in-app payment for charging (Zap-Pay).

 

It even includes the location of fast-charging points in the route planner as well as real-time updates about which charging points are occupied, broken or free. This means you'll always have the confidence of getting where you want to go, even on long journeys.

 

Other free apps include:

• PlugShare

• Chargemap

• Charge Point

• Pod-Point

 

You can also search on Google Maps for EV chargers and add them to your journey when using the directions tool.

 

Make sure you download and register with at least one of these apps before taking your electric car away from home. That way, you won't have to worry about running out of charge, even in a town or city you don't know well.

 

How Much Does it Cost to Charge My Electric Car in Public?

According to Zapmap, the weighted average price to charge an EV on the public charging network in September 2025 was 52p/kWh for slow/fast chargers, and 76p/kWh for rapid/ultra rapid chargers.

 

This works out as 15p and 23p per mile, respectively - and how far your electric car goes after charging will vary depending on the type of EV you have.

 

Bear in mind that some chargers will cost more than this depending on the brand and where they are. Some supermarkets also provide free charging.

 

 

If you're looking to find an EV that charges quickly or to find one with the longest range, you can read our helpful guides to find out more.

 

You could even opt for an EV that uses a range extender or choose a hybrid vehicle instead if this better suits your needs.

 

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