car parked on driveway plugged into wall socket

Your guide to electric car charging in the UK

News and guides | 01.07.2025

If you want to join the 1.3 million people in the UK with a battery electric vehicle (BEV), you’ll need to find out how and where to charge your electric car.

Must know

The cheapest way to charge an electric car is to install an EV charging point in your driveway at home.

In short

You can charge your electric car at home, in some workplaces, and public locations. The options are Type 1 or Type 2 alternating current (AC) connectors, which use one of the following:

a combined charging system (CCS),
CHAdeMO
Type 2 connectors for fast direct current (DC) charging.

Charging an EV can be daunting. We’re here to help you navigate this potential minefield. Check out our guide to charging electric cars.

How to charge your electric vehicle

EV numbers in the UK are expected to grow from 1.3 million in 2025 to 7 million by 2030.^[1] So, whether you already have an electric car or are thinking of joining the green transition, knowing how to charge an electric vehicle is helpful.

You can charge your EV in three places:

Home with a charger (even using a three-pin plug, although it’s slow)
Work
Public charging points.

Electric car chargers deliver differing speeds – slow, fast, rapid and ultra-rapid.

You’ll need to know the electric current types for charging EVs. Some are AC charging types – commonly used in homes and workplaces – requiring conversion from AC to DC in the vehicle’s onboard charger.

The other type is DC charging, which supplies DC power to the battery quickly without needing the onboard converter. They are more likely to be found in public charging places.[2]

Electric car home charging

Most battery electric car charging is done in our driveways, where the UK has an estimated one million charge points.^[3]

To keep costs down, you’ll probably charge your EV at home, especially if you have off-street parking. You can charge an EV using a standard three-pin plug but using this will mean your electric car will take about 18 hours at 2.3kW. An EV charger is three times faster.^[4]

A dedicated charging point is faster, cheaper and safer. It costs £1,000 on average to install a charging point at home. However, you may be eligible for a government grant, which can bring it down to £650.^[5]

Most EV owners choose a tethered charger, meaning they are permanently attached to the unit.^[6] You could also have an untethered EV charger, which has a detachable cable. These could be useful if you have guests staying and they need to charge their electric car with your home charger, so, it’s more flexible.

Home charging options

Here’s how you can charge your car at home in the UK using various plugs and cables:

1. Three-pin plug

Use the UK’s standard three-pin plug on the end of a ‘granny charger/cable’. The cable typically comes with the car. Fit the three-pin plug into a household socket. The other end of the cable has an EV connector for connecting to your electric vehicle. You’ll need a granny charger type 1 for type 1 EV and a type 2 for a for a type 2 EV.

Pros: It’s flexible. You can charge your EV when you’re visiting your granny or anyone else and is a helpful backup.

Cons: Its slow and takes time to fill the battery. The cables are one length, so you’d need an extension, which isn’t waterproof (although the granny charger is).^[4]The cable can create a trip hazard.

2. Dedicated EV charger (wallbox charging)

An installer, such as an energy provider or specialist EV charger provider, can install an electric vehicle home charger at your home if you have off-street parking. They need to be the correct wattage for your home supply (3.4 or 7.4kW for homes with 1-phase power or 22kW for 3-phrase homes). You can choose a tethered (attached) or untethered (detachable) box.

Pros: Wall chargers are safer and faster at charging than a three-pin plug.^[4] Some energy providers offer deals when you pair an installation with their tariff or provide money-saving charging rates.

Cons: Finding somewhere convenient for the wall box can be challenging. You’ll need a competent electrician to wire it into your electricity supply. According to Which?, the initial installation fee can cost £1,000-£1,500, although less if you are eligible for a government grant. If you have an older type 1 EV, you’ll need an untethered wall box should you switch cars to a type 2 model.

3. Smart EV chargers

The latest smart wall chargers allow you to connect remotely using a smartphone app and were mandated by the government in 2022. They save you money by charging during off-peak hours and energy providers often offer specific energy tariffs.

Pros: Some installers offer solar power charging functions, cable storage, and you can monitor, manage and schedule usage remotely at times of low demand.^[14]Unobtrusive designs are available.

Cons: It costs more than basic chargers and relies on a stable internet connection, problematic if your home has a poor Wi-Fi signal. Some smart chargers can stop charging for 10 minutes during off-peak hours to avoid grid overload.

Public charging points, including lamppost chargers, could be the best option if you don’t have a driveway and with over 75,000 public chargers available across the UK³, there should be one near you. It’s worth noting that stretching EV charging cables across the pavement could cause an accident, so should always be avoided.

Electric car charging at work

Companies are increasingly offering workplace charging to employees or helping to fund home-charging installations.^[8]

Businesses and charities can also claim grants for buying and installing EV charge points under the government’s Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) if eligible. Workplaces can get grants of £350 per socket up to 40 sockets.[9]

Public electric car charging points

As EV ownership rises, the UK is installing more public electric car charging points. Over 75,000 public chargers were available across the UK in March 2025, with new ones added every 29 minutes.^[10]

Public electric car charging points are best suited for long journeys. Depending on the battery’s capacity and existing charge, you can charge your vehicle to 80% in 20-40 minutes.

Public places where you can charge an EV include:

Service stations
Supermarkets
Shopping centres
Car parks
Cinemas
Leisure centres

These public charge points offer the following speeds:

Slow chargers – up to 7kW
Fast – 7kW to 22kW
Rapid – 50kW
Ultra-rapid – 150kW plus^[11]

Free public electric vehicle charging is increasingly rare. The rapid and ultra-rapid charges most common in motorways and service stations cost about 79p per kWh^[12]compared to 7p/kWh at home, so is much more expensive.

To charge your car at public charging points, you must have access to a payment method, such as a debit or credit card or Apple Pay. Some of these services offer membership options and you choose to bill on account.

Is CCS bad for your car?

Combined charging is the more universal, versatile and future-proof type of rapid charging connector for EVs. It combines Type 2 AC and DC charging in one connector/port, whereas quick-boosting CHAdeMO also requires an adapter.^[16]

CCS is only bad for your car if you damage your battery health by charging it rapidly too often. Your best option is to use rapid charging just when it’s necessary, with slower charging at other times.

How long does it take to charge an electric car?

Your charger type will affect how long it takes to charge your electric car. It depends on the following:

Battery size – typically 30 to 100kWh^[13]
The battery’s existing charge before you begin
Charger type – AC chargers are slower than rapid types
Charging point:
Home charging with a three-pin plug can take up to 18 hours for a complete charge.
Public rapid 50kW charging takes 35 minutes to add 100 miles of range.
For a 200-mile range, ultra-rapid chargers at 150kW, 250kW, and 350kW speeds will take 20 minutes.¹¹
It can take 20-30 minutes to recharge a compatible vehicle’s battery from 10% to 80%.^[14]

Types of charging points

Using a Type 2 connector (the most common UK EV connector), you can use these charging points to charge your electric vehicle. If you have an older EV, you might have a Type 1 connector:

Slow charging connectors for home and emergency use

A full charge usually takes 6-12 hours using a slow AC charger rated up to 3kW with a three-pin 3kW domestic plug at home.¹⁵ You can also find them in public places and workplaces.

Fast charging connectors when you’re out

The most common type of supermarket charging point is a fast charger charging from 7kW to 22kW. Type 2 connectors are the most common, but you can find Type 1s.¹⁵

Rapid charging connectors and ultra-rapid

The connectors at public EV charging points, such as motorway services, are the combined charging system (CSS) type or have Type 2 connectors.^[16]
These rapid chargers are ideal for a swift boost, typically taking under an hour to charge fully.¹⁵
CHAdeMO connectors will not work for Type 1 and Type 2 charging; you’ll need an extra connector for AC/DC charging.

The cheapest way to charge your car

Charging your electric vehicle overnight during off-peak hours and from home instead of public charging points is the most economical way to charge your EV. A home charge point typically offers 7kW of power and costs about 7p per kWh.