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What to expect at a public charging point...

...when travelling in the UK.

You might have popped your car on charge the night before taking a long trip, but that doesn’t rule out the need to fill up again. If you’ve never used one before, here’s what to expect at a public electric car charging station.

There are now more electric car charging stations in the UK than there are petrol stations, so you shouldn’t have any issue with finding one if you’re on the road. Most networks offer a mix of slow, fast and rapid charging options.

There are several different ways to access public charging points:

• “Plug & Play” – all you have to do is plug in

• App enabled – a mobile app gives you access via your smartphone

• RFID card – similar to Oyster, you swipe the card to start charging

• Contactless payment card – you tap it, just like you would in a shop

There are a number of websites that show all public charging points nationwide, they can even offer a map of where you can find them. It’s really helpful to take a look so that when you’re planning your journey, whether it’s for work, to visit loved ones or you’re off on a staycation, you can see where would be best for you to stop and power up.

Other than that, charging your car at a public station is very similar to plugging it in at home.