EV charging · Plugs and cables
Which plug do I need to charge an EV in Europe?
Verdict
Type 2 for slow charging, CCS for fast charging, and a Type 2 cable in the boot.
Every car you can hire in Europe this year takes both plugs. What catches visitors is not the plug but the socket: kerbside and hotel posts in northern Europe often have no cable of their own.
Type 2 and CCS: the plug is settled, the socket is the question
Two connectors fit almost every hire car in Europe. AC charging (hotel car parks, kerbside posts, supermarket bays) runs on Type 2. DC fast charging runs on CCS, a Type 2 head with two fat pins bolted underneath. Anything you can rent this year takes both.
CHAdeMO is the survivor: a fat round Japanese plug, and the reason you would care is an older Nissan Leaf. Fastned still carries it; its station pages print the connectors one by one, and Schmidgaden in Bavaria lists CCS and CHAdeMO at up to 300 kW. Tesla does not: its support page describes V2 posts as dual-cable for DC Type 2 and CCS Combo 2, V3 as single-cable CCS, V4 the same with a longer lead. With a CHAdeMO port, plan the stops on the operator's map before you leave the hotel.
No cable in the boot
Kerbside AC posts across northern Europe are sockets, not cables. No cable on the post plus none in the car is a long evening.
Before you sign for the car, open the boot and check there is a Type 2 cable in it.
Next on the road
Sources
- Fastned — Schmidgaden station page (connectors: CCS, CHAdeMO)
- Tesla — Supercharging support (Europe): connectors and where prices are shown
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