The unspoken rules of charge point etiquette — keeping the network flowing for every driver on the road.
As the UK reaches millions of EVs on the road, charge point etiquette has become the key to a stress-free journey for everyone. Understanding battery charging curves and health is essential for considerate charging.
Unless you absolutely need 100% to reach your destination, unplug at 80%. It frees up the charger for the next person and saves you money — especially on chargers that apply idle fees once your session is complete.
Beyond the community benefit, there's a practical one too: the charging curve above 80% slows significantly on most Lithium-ion batteries, meaning that last 20% takes almost as long as the previous 60%. Stopping at 80% is nearly always the faster, cheaper, and more considerate choice.
Never park a petrol or diesel (Internal Combustion Engine) car in an EV bay. These spaces exist solely to allow electric vehicles to charge — blocking one is the equivalent of parking in a disabled bay without a permit.
If you see this happening, report it via community apps like Zap-Map rather than confronting the driver directly. Zap-Map lets you flag out-of-service or blocked chargers, which helps other drivers reroute and builds a community record of problem locations.
If your car has a maximum charge rate of 50kW, try not to use a 350kW "Ultra-Rapid" charger if a standard Rapid is available nearby. You won't charge any faster — your car's onboard charger is the bottleneck — but you will be occupying a bay that could give a driver with a 350kW-capable car a dramatically faster session. Learn more about different charger types and charging networks to make smarter choices.
This is particularly relevant at busy motorway services like Gridserve hubs, where Ultra-Rapid bays are often in short supply. Matching your car to the appropriate charger tier keeps the whole network moving efficiently.
If you leave your car to grab a coffee or use the facilities, aim to be back 5–10 minutes before the charge finishes. Many UK networks now apply idle fees — often £1 per minute or more — the moment your session ends, and they apply whether you're aware the car is done or not.
Most charging apps send a push notification when your session is approaching completion. Enabling these alerts costs nothing and means you're never caught out by idle fees or leaving a fellow driver waiting unnecessarily.
Good etiquette and smart charging go hand in hand. If you're already thinking carefully about when and where to charge, use the EV Subs UK calculator to find out whether a monthly subscription could reduce your cost per kWh at the networks you use most — and whether the maths stacks up for your driving habits.
