Complete guide to EV charging for beginners

Complete guide to EV charging

All you need to know about charging, from public charging networks to EV model guides and much more
By
Zapmap
Updated
14/05/2024

Electric vehicle (EV) charging is an important aspect of EV ownership. We've created this guide to EV charging - a series of step-by-step guides - to cover all the key issues related to electric vehicle charging, including public networks, charging at home and work, charge point speeds, and model-specific charging guides.

 

Public EV charging networks

public-ev-charging-networks

The UK has a large number of public EV charging networks – both national and regional.

Most public networks offer access via an app and/or RFID card, with an increasing number now available on Zap-Pay. Contactless bank card access is common on rapid chargers.

Learn about charging on public networks

 

Charging your electric car

ev charging guides

Zapmap’s EV guides cover all aspects of charging your electric car, including vehicle range, charging inlets, charging times & costs, and how to charge each model.

Explore our EV charging guides

 

Charging at home

home-ev-charging

Charging at home is often the most convenient and cost-effective way to recharge an EV. Government grants of up to 75% funding are available for the installation of some home EV charge points. Home chargers are typically rated at 3kW or 7kW and provide approximately 15-30 miles of range per hour of charge.

Learn more about charging at home

 

Charging at work

home-ev-charging

Charging an EV at work can be a convenient way to add range to a car whilst it’s parked up during working hours. As fleets switch to electric vehicles, it will become increasingly important for businesses to offer EV charge points.

Learn more about charging at work

 

EV charging explained

ev-connectors

Discover everything you need to know about EV connectors and charging speeds. We cover the four main types of EV charging – ultra-rapidrapid, fast, and slow, and which connectors and cables are required for each.

Learn about EV Connector Types

 

Charging on-street

-street-residential-ev-charging

Home EV charging is often the most convenient and cost-effective way to recharge an EV, but off-street parking isn’t available to all. On-street residential EV charging offers a solution to those wanting to run an electric car, but park overnight on-street.

Learn about on-street charging

 

Free EV charging

free-ev-charging

See the number of free EV charging devices displayed by geographical area, free devices split out by charge point speed, and the number of free devices by type of location in this guide to EV charging points that are free to use.

Learn more about free EV charging points

 

Find an EV home energy tariff

home-ev-energy-tariffs

Home EV charging tends to be much cheaper than public charging and petrol/diesel, but does of course mean home electricity bills increase. Some energy companies now offer EV-tailored tariffs.

See home EV rates

 

EV charging FAQs

ev-charging-faqs

Covering your frequently asked questions about charging an electric vehicle, including where to charge an EV, how to charge electric cars, and charging on public points.

See our EV charging FAQs