Electric car charging points
Find public charging stations in the UK and learn how long it takes to charge your EV
UK map of electric car charging points
Find electric car charging points near you with this map of all the public EV charging stations in the UK. There're now more than 97,000 charging devices across the UK, as of September 2026, in over 48,000 locations. That's more public charging sites than petrol stations!
Free electric car charging points
There are thousands of free electric car charge points in the UK, often located in supermarkets, shopping centres, public car parks, hotels and sometimes service stations. Be aware there could be restrictions like a set time or a requirement to make an in-store purchase, so it's best to check.
How long does it take to charge an electric car?
Charging time varies from 15-30 minutes on some ultra-rapid 150+kW chargers, to several hours on standard chargers. Most UK domestic EV chargers are installed at up to 7kW on a single-phase supply, which should charge a standard EV battery overnight, depending on your vehicle and its battery. Higher-power charging may be available to install if there is a suitable three-phase supply and your EV is compatible.
There are four main types of charger:
| Charger type | output | location | Time to charge 20–80% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | 3kW to less than 8kW | Mainly used to charge overnight at home or a workplace | 6-12 hours |
| Standard plus | 8kW to less than 50kW | Usually found in car parks, supermarkets, leisure centres | 2-6 hours |
| Rapid | 50kW to less than 150kW | Mostly found at motorway service stations, petrol stations, and supermarkets | 30-75 minutes |
| Ultra-rapid | 150kW and above | Typically found at motorway service stations and city centre parking hubs | 20-30 minutes |
Data from the Department for Transport's Electric vehicle charging infrastructure statistics. Charging times vary depending on your EV and battery.
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Electric car charging cables
Charging cables have connectors you plug into the electric car and/or the charge point. What type of charging connector you use depends on your car and the power rating of the charge point. Here are five charging plugs used in the UK.
UK three pin plug
Power rating of 2.3-3kW AC, Single Phase (Standard Charge):
- Approximately 5 miles range per 30 mins of charging
- Standard UK domestic electricity outlet
- Not designed for prolonged use needed to fully charge an electric car
- Very slow charging with a maximum power output of 3 kW
Type 2 plug
Power rating of 3-42kW AC, Single Phase/Three Phase (Fast Charge):
- Approximately 24 miles range per hour of charging on a 7kW home charger
- Becoming the standard European charging cable connector type
- Compatible with both single and three-phase electricity supply
- In-built locking mechanism when connected to the power supply
- Tesla’s current European V3 Superchargers use CCS single-cable technology, but some V2 posts retain dual-cable support for DC Type 2 and CCS Combo 2
Note: Some older vehicles use a discontinued connector known as a Type 1, but no new vehicles on sale today use this connection
CHAdeMO plug
Power rating of 50kW DC, Three Phase (Rapid Charge):
- Approximately 85 miles range per 30 mins of charging
- Older type of charging cable connector for rapid charging
- Compatible with Japanese vehicle manufacturers
- Legacy DC rapid-charging connector used by some older vehicles.
Availability should be checked before travelling because many newer rapid chargers use CCS
Combined Charging System (CCS) plug
Power rating of 50-350kW DC, Rapid Charge:
- Approximately 85-200 miles range per 30 mins of charging
- The most versatile rapid charging connector
- Established rapid DC charging standard used by most new electric cars in the UK and Europe
- Enables a higher power rating to support larger ultra-rapid chargers
Workplace EV charging
Eligible businesses, charities and public-sector organisations can take advantage of the Workplace Charging Scheme to help with the upfront cost of EV charger installation.
The scheme covers up to 75% of eligible costs, capped at £500 per socket and 40 sockets, and includes customised options using battery storage, solar, Vehicle to Grid (V2G) and Demand Side Response (DSR), which can be potential revenue streams.
Applications are open until 31 March 2027.
Learn more about electric cars & charging points
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