EV charging
EV charging in Europe: the road-trip guide
Verdict
No app needed to charge, one app to pay less, and a Type 2 cable in the boot.
Every public fast charger built in the EU since April 2024 takes a bank card. Spain and France are the cheapest countries for fast charging, Italy and Switzerland the dearest, and on most western routes one subscription takes a quarter or more off the bill.
Everything here comes from the operators' own tariff pages, the EU regulation and the EU's charging observatory, and is rechecked at least every quarter. Pick the question you have:
Calculators
- Trip calculatorCharging stops, time and cost from one city to another
- Charging apps and cardsNone needed to charge; which one or two save money on your route
Guides
- Paying by bank cardWhich chargers take a card, and the holds they put on it
- Plugs and cablesType 2 and CCS, and the cable to keep in the boot
- Overnight charging and idle feesHotel car parks, per-minute tariffs and the fee for staying plugged in
- Prices by countryFast charging per kWh in 15 countries, ranked
- Fast chargers by countryUltra-fast points per 100 km of motorway, and the gaps
Next on the road
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Sources
- Regulation (EU) 2023/1804 (AFIR) — full text, EUR-Lex
- European Alternative Fuels Observatory: public DC recharging points by power, per country (August 2026)
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