Charging an EV for the first time: a beginner's guide

The biggest adjustment for new EV drivers usually isn't the car itself — it's the charging. A few pieces of jargon and a couple of apps make the whole process far less intimidating.

The basic charger types

Before you go

• Download a charging app in advance — Zapmap, BP Pulse, and Shell Recharge are common examples for finding and paying at chargers.
• Check if your car's built-in sat-nav already integrates charger locations — several manufacturers now include this natively.
• Learn the basic jargon: kW (charging power), CCS and CHAdeMO (connector types) — knowing these makes filtering for compatible chargers much faster.

At the charger

• Any charger rated over 50 kW is required to offer contactless card payment, so you're not always locked into an app.
• Charging typically slows significantly past 80% — for a quick top-up on a trip, charging to 80% and moving on is usually more time-efficient than waiting for 100%.
• Move your car promptly once charging finishes, especially at busy sites — leaving a car parked at a free charger after it's done is a common source of frustration for other drivers.

Most networks are self-service, though some (like Gridserve) offer on-site staff. Either way, EV driver communities are generally happy to help a newcomer at the charger — it's a much smaller learning curve than it looks from the outside.