There are now approximately 11,000 public charging locations in Car parks and Motorway service stations run by different network providers. They are of varying charging rates and plug types, so need to be selected carefully. Note that Tesla chargers are exclusively for Tesla vehicles.

Some EV charging networks charge by the hour, some have monthly or annual subscriptions. Some are free. However, the government wants all newly installed rapid and higher-powered charge points to provide ‘pay as you go’ debit or credit card payment options. So the need to belong to a membership scheme should soon be reduced.

Rapid chargers can be much more expensive than slower rates and not ideal for many cars, as they can degrade the battery more than a fast charge would. Many chargers cannot be considered as reliable so a check in advance would be advisable.