With electric vehicles you get the benefit of being able to charge at home, no more having to dash out to petrol stations before work. However, if you do need to charge when away from home, we’ve got you covered.

E.ON are building a network of over 13,000 Ultra Fast Charging stations across the UK, which have charging points that could give your electric car a 100 mile range in as little as 10 minutes. To help you find these public charging points, we’ve put together this helpful EV charger map.

Many public EV charger networks require subscriptions or memberships for access. Often these use apps or RFID cards to control how you can access and operate EV chargers. Before setting out on your journey, it’s always worth checking what chargers are available on your route, particularly if you’re travelling a long way.

Here are a few factors to consider:

Charging speed: For long journeys it’s a good idea to look for rapid chargers so that you don’t end up adding significant time to your overall journey time.

Location: look for charger networks with locations that are on or near your planned route.

Cost: Different EV charger networks offer different pricing options. With a little research you can find the providers that offer the best deals for your particular needs.

More and more EV charger networks are partnering with supermarkets, gyms, hotels and restaurants. Why not kill two birds with one stone and fit in a charge for your EV while you’re doing the weekly shop? Of the main UK supermarkets, Tesco, Lidl, Morrisons, Co-op and Asda all have at least some level of EV charger coverage.

A number of hotel brands also offer electric car charging points at some of their locations too, including Holiday Inn, Premier Inn, Best Western, Hilton and Travelodge. At Bannatyne Health Clubs, InstaVolt has installed 70 charging stations across the UK.

Know your EV’s charging speed and compatibility.

While there are now lots of rapid and ultra-rapid public chargers available, it’s a good idea to check if your car is compatible with these chargers and charging speeds before you plan your trip. If your EV is not compatible with rapid or ultra-rapid chargers then you won’t be able to make the most of the speeds they offer, and you’ll end up wasting precious journey time.

Know what types of charger are available at each public station.

EV charging points often have different connection types and plugs. Make sure your car’s compatible with what’s available at the charging points you plan to stop at on your journey. The most common types of connections are CSS (Combined Charging System), CHAdeMO and Type 2.

Understand the real-world range of your car.

The advertised range of your electric car will give you a good starting point on understanding your car. But understanding the real-world range is a little more nuanced and depends on a few factors. These include:

• How you drive- accelerating quickly can drain your battery quicker.

• The weather conditions - extreme heat or cold can reduce your battery’s performance.

• Whether you’re using air conditioning or heating in your car.

• The terrain you’re driving on - hilly or mountainous terrain is tougher on your car’s battery.

As you gain more experience with your EV you’ll get a feel for what drains the battery most.

You can also check forums online to see if other owners of your particular electric car model have any helpful tips.

Plan regular breaks to re-charge and take a rest.

During long driving trips, it’s always good to take regular breaks to rest and refresh yourself. With an EV you can use these breaks to top up your car’s battery. It’s worthwhile planning your breaks in advance so you can stop at service stations with chargers that are compatible with your electric car.

When you’re buying your electric car it’s worth thinking about what types of trips you’ll do most with your car. If you’ll mainly be popping to the local shops then your battery life won’t matter so much, but if you’re likely to be taking many long trips then your best option will be an EV with a high range battery.

Even for cars with high ranges, from 150-300 miles for example, you’ll need to schedule breaks if you’re taking any particularly long journeys. Higher range cars tend to be more expensive, so your budget will come into play.

When you get to planning long road trips, your best bet is to use charge point apps. With the app you’ll be able to see at a glance where on your route charge points are located, along with information on what kind of chargers are at each charge point. This’ll help you plan a smooth journey with no unwelcome range anxiety moments!

Not all connectors are compatible with every electric car or plug-in hybrid. Your EV manual will tell you which connector type is the right one to use for your car.

The three main connector types are the CHAdeMO, Type 2 and the CSS (Combined Charging System):

• CHAdeMO is a fast-charging system offering DC (Direct Current) voltage charging with speeds up to 100 kW.

• Type 2 connectors are compatible with our home chargers and can support charging at 3.7kW to 11kW on a single or 3 phase supply.

• CSS also known as Combo 2 – allows you to charge on DC and AC, which allows faster charging.

There are definitely areas in the UK which have far fewer EV chargers than others. In general, and as you might expect, rural areas have fewer charging points than towns and cities. In particular, Wales and the west of England are low on EV charging points. Coverage in the north of England and across most of Scotland is also patchy.

If you’re planning a getaway to one of the UK’s national parks, you should definitely be sure to plan your charges carefully. Coverage in parks like Snowdonia, the Lake District and the Pennines is patchy. Be sure to have the E.ON Drive Comfort app to hand to keep track of where’s best to charge up your electric car on your next trip!

If you’re heading to an area without many public EV charging points, you can also check whether where you’re staying offers EV charging points too. More and more hotel and B&B owners are starting to recognise the benefit of offering these to guests these days.

Yes, you can find thousands of free public charging points across the UK. These are often located in supermarkets, public car parks and services stations. They may have certain restrictions around charging for a set period of time or requiring an-in store purchase, so it’s best to check before you charge.

Depending on your type of electric vehicle and how much time you have to charge your car, you’ll want to find the right public charger. There are four main types:

• Slow - usually 3kW to 6kW.

• Fast - usually 7kW to 22kW.

• Rapid - from 50kW to 100kW.

• Ultra-rapid - from 100kW to 350kW.

Slow chargers can take around 8-10 hours for a full charge, whilst fast chargers are normally 7 - 22kW and can take approximately 3-4 hours.

Rapid chargers are from 50kW. They can charge your car in around 30-60 minutes, but are only compatible with rapid-charging function EVs.

Almost all EVs are able to charge on Type 2 units for fast charging, and either Chademo, CCS and Tesla Type 2 for rapid charging.

Once you’ve found your public charging point at an electric vehicle charging station, you’ll need to:

• Lift the charge point cable from the holder (or use your own if there isn’t one).

• Connect it to the charging socket on your electric vehicle.

• You then select the socket type from the selection on the charge point touchscreen.

There are a number of different ways to pay for your electricity, including: contactless/smartphone, Pay As You Go, an RFID card or through an app such as E.ON Drive.

To stop charging, you can push the stop button on the touchscreen which will release the cable and let you disconnect it from your car.

There are four easy ways you can pay:

That depends on the payment method you use to start the charge:

The E.ON Drive Comfort app can show you the locations of EV charging points near to you as well as be used to pay for these public charging points. The E.ON Drive app is available for Apple and Android.

Working out what you’re going to pay at a public electric car charging point can be complicated. Here are a few factors to consider:

Network.

Different networks have different pricing models, with some offering pay-as-you-go EV charging rates, and others subscription packages.

Charger speed.

The speed of the EV charger you use affects the costs. Faster chargers, which are typically categorised as rapid or ultra-rapid usually have a higher cost per kilowatt-hour (kWh) than slower chargers.

Pricing structures.

Some public EV chargers charge on a by-the-minute basis rather than by the amount of energy used.

Hidden costs.

Keep an eye out for hidden costs when charging your EV at public chargers. Some networks may charge overstay charges if you exceed your designated charging time. There are a number of apps available which can help you find chargers and compare pricing, including the E.ON Drive app.

Whilst it depends on a number of factors, such as battery size, we've pulled together what you need to need to plan your EV charging.

You can also see how far you'll get on a single charge, great if you're planning a longer journey or worried about how far EVs can go.

If you have your own home charger installed, you can make your life easier and charge your car overnight. You can also take advantage of cheaper overnight electricity prices with our Next Drive tariff.