Cheap electric car charging points near me: the cheapest places to charge an EV

Here's a rundown of the cheapest UK electric car charging points if you're ever in need of a battery boost while out and about.

'How do I find the cheapest electric car charging point near me?' 

With the boom in electric vehicle (EV) sales showing no sign of slowing, it's becoming an increasingly common question.

In this article, we'll attempt to answer it for you.

But first, we need to look at how electric car charging works as this will help you decide which cheap electric car charging point is best for you.

Where to charge your electric car for free

How Pay As You Go (PAYG) charging works

Sadly, ‘charging up’ your electric car by PAYG isn’t as easy as finding the nearest charge point, parking up and paying by card.  

In most cases, you need to download the charge point provider’s app or register on its website first, and with others, you may need to pay a monthly or annual subscription before you get access to charging points.  

It’s worth stressing that you may still pay a fee on top of any subscription charge, depending on the provider and location.

For example, with bp pulse, there is a £7.85 monthly charge, but new users can get three months free when first signing up.

With ChargeYourCar, you’ll pay £20 a year for an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) card to use at electric car charging points, plus you’ll need to pay for the power used.

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The cheapest option isn’t always the best

When it comes to how much you pay to charge your battery, the cheapest option may not always be the best one, especially if it means spending several hours waiting for a full battery charge.

When it comes to charging speeds, according to EDF Energy, there are three types of charging points: slow, fast and rapid.

Slow charging points are often the cheapest and can be free in some cases, but power can be as low as 3kW.

As a rough guide, EDF Energy says a typical 40kWh battery for an electric car could supply enough power for 150 miles of driving, which can mean eight to 10 hours for a full charge, so it’s best if you’re staying overnight or spending a full day somewhere.

Fast charging points are usually 7kW or 22kW.  You’ll usually pay for these, and they can typically take up to four hours for a full charge, depending on the size of your battery.

Rapid charging points, which are usually from 43kW, tend to be the most expensive and are typically found in motorway service stations, petrol stations and supermarkets.

It takes around an hour for a full battery charge, but they may not be compatible with all EVs as EDF says they only work with ‘rapid-charging function EVs.’  

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How much will I pay for a full charge?

You can use this handy calculator to do the number crunching for you and work out how long it will take to charge your vehicle, depending on whether you’re using a slow, fast or rapid charger, as well as how much it’ll cost at public charging points. 

Many places like supermarkets, hotels, shopping centres and stations do offer free charging stations, although they tend to provide lower charge speeds.

Cheapest places to charge your electric car

Here are the cheapest charge point providers along with how many miles you can expect from a 30-minute charge.   

Data supplied by www.zap-map.com and correct as of 16/3/2022

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Fastest and cheapest places to charge your electric car

For a faster charge that won’t break the bank, below are the fastest (and cheapest) electric car charging point providers.

Data supplied by www.zap-map.com and correct as of 16/3/2022

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