Guide to electric car charging

24 June 2025

Electric car charging might be daunting if you’re used to driving a petrol or diesel car. Before you make the switch, you need to know how to charge an electric vehicle, how long it takes and how to find your nearest charge point.

Learn about electric car charging point types and the cheapest time to ‘fill up’.

EASY AS HACK

Install a dedicated home electric car charging point and charge your car overnight for the cheapest and most convenient way to keep moving.

At a glance

Charging your electric car is easy with a growing network of charging points at locations across the UK.

How to charge your electric car

Whether at home, work, or out and about, you must ensure your electric car has enough charge to get you from A to B. Just like driving a petrol or diesel car, having enough power is essential to keep you moving.

There are several ways to charge your electric car.

How to charge your electric car at home

There are three options for charging your electric car at home: A domestic three-pin plug, a dedicated EV charger (wallbox) or a smart EV charger.

1. Three-pin plug

While charging your electric car with a domestic three-pin socket is possible, this will take much longer, around 18 hours, at 2.3kW. A 7kW dedicated home EV charger will fully charge your electric car in 4-8 hours – three times faster.^[1]Three-pin sockets are also not designed to handle high charging loads and are, therefore, not recommended for regular use for safety reasons, as could become a fire hazard.^[2]

A ‘granny cable’ usually provided with the car will have the three-pin plug on one end and a type 1 or type 2 EV connector on the other, which you connect to your vehicle.

2. EV charging point

The best way to charge your electric car at home is to install a dedicated electric vehicle (EV) charging point or wallbox. These are wall-mounted weather-proof units designed for continuous charging.

EV charging points are faster and safer than three-pin plugs and are ideal for those with off-street parking. They must be the correct wattage – most homes in the UK have one-phase power, requiring a 3.4 or 7.4kW wallbox.

The time it takes to charge depends on the size of your car battery and the speed of the charging point. With a 7kW charging point, it takes just under eight hours to fully charge an electric car with a 60kWh battery.

The fastest 22kW option requires a three-phase connection, which most UK homes do not have.

3. Smart EV charger

Most home chargers come with smart features, allowing you to stop and start charging via an app. Some also integrate with your energy tariff, so they only charge at times when your electricity is the cheapest.²Smart chargers are now mandatory.

The average cost of installing a home charge point is £1,000, or £650 if you are eligible for a government grant.^[3] This grant provides up to £350 towards installing a charge point at your property.^[4]

Find out more about government grants

Charging your electric car at work

Some workplaces offer electric car charging for employees so that you can charge your car during office hours. Sometimes, the employer provides these for free or subsidises them.

The Government’s Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) provides grants of up to £350 per socket for installing charge points at workplaces – for up to 40 sockets.^[5]

Charging your electric car in public

As electric cars become more common – nearly 400,000 were sold in the UK in 2024^[6] – charging your electric vehicle while on the road is getting easier. More than 79,000 EV charging points across the UK are now at nearly 40,000 locations.^[7]

You can find them anywhere, from supermarkets and hotels to car parks and on-street parking bays. Many public charging points are rapid chargers, which can charge your electric car to 80% in 20-40 minutes, depending on the vehicle and how much power you had at the start of the charge.^[8]

Public charging points use different cables. CCS cables, used for fast and rapid charging (over 50kW/h), are attached to the charging station. Type 2 cables, used for slower charging, are usually provided with your electric car so you’ll need to keep these with you.^[9]

Payment types for charging your electric car

You’ll need access to a payment method to pay for charging your car at a charging station in a public place.

Several methods are available, including contactless options like debit and credit cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay, mobile apps you can download, and RFID cards or key fobs issued by charging networks.

Another option is a membership or subscription plan from a charging network where you are automatically billed for EV charging.

How long does it take to charge an electric car?

Charging your electric car can take anything from 15-20 minutes up to eight hours, depending on several factors:

The size of your car battery will range from 30kWh to 100kWh, depending on the model.^[10]
The type of charger you use. Slow/AC chargers at ‘long-stay’ charging points will take a few hours to charge your electric car. Fast/C or rapid chargers can add as many as 100 miles in eight minutes.^[11]
Where you’re charging your electric car, e.g. Ultra rapid chargers can take under 1 hour, compared to a home charging point can be 8 hours.
How much charge you had at the start of the charge.

Types of charging points

There are four types of chargers available to charge your electric car:

Slow chargers deliver between 2.3kW and 6kW, typically taking 6-12 hours to charge an electric vehicle fully. People commonly use these to charge electric cars at home or work.^[12]
Fast chargers vary from 7kW to 22kW and are usually found in car parks or supermarkets, where you will likely park for at least an hour. These include both Type 1 and Type 2 AC connectors.^[12]
Rapid and ultra-rapid chargers, often found at motorway services, are the fastest way to charge your electric car. These use CCS, CHAdeMO or Type 2 connectors, typically taking less than an hour to charge fully.^[12]

When is the cheapest time to charge your car?

The cheapest time to charge your electric car is usually overnight when electricity rates are lower. Some energy suppliers offer off-peak and EV-friendly tariffs, so it’s worth shopping around.³

Charging your electric car home is usually about half the price of using a public charging station.^[13]

How can you find electric car charging stations?

There are a few ways to find your nearest electric car charging station. Many electric cars will come with a sat-nav to help you locate them. Otherwise, use your favourite navigation app, Google or Apple Maps, to find chargers near you.

There are also several dedicated apps for EV charging, such as Zapmap.^[14]

FAQs

Should I charge my electric car every night?

You should only charge your electric car every night if you need to. To extend your battery’s life, it’s best to keep the battery charged between 20% and 80%.⁴

Can I install an EV charger at home?

You can install a dedicated EV charger at home, requiring a qualified electrician and registered charge point installer.

How do I know which charger I can use with my EV?

To find out which charger you can use with your electric car, check its connector type. Most electric vehicles will use either Type 1 or Type 2 for AC charging and a CCS connector for DC fast charging.¹⁰

How do I pay for public electric charging?

You can use your credit or debit card or join an electric charging network to pay for public electric car charging. Some offer lower charging rates for a monthly membership fee.⁹

Can I charge an electric vehicle with a standard plug?

You can charge an electric car from a standard three-pin plug, but it will take longer and is not recommended for safety reasons, as could be a fire hazard.²