1. When to plug into your vehicle
After pressing Charge, you should see a message prompting you to Connect cable to the charge point. At this point, plug the cable into the charge point.
The charging page will say Preparing and then ask you to please plug the cable into your car. Many failed charges happen simply because a driver has plugged into their car first, and then the char.gy charge point.
2. Charging to 100%
Electric cars will all have a listed battery capacity, such as 40kWh, 52kWh, and larger sizes up to 100kWh. It is important to note that this capacity is not always fully useable. Generally, the useable portion of the battery is 95-99% of the total capacity of the battery.
Why is the whole battery capacity not usable?
Batteries used within electric vehicles are usually made of lithium-ion, and these batteries do not always respond well to being fully charged or fully depleted. The unusable portion of the battery acts as a buffer to ensure the cells do not suffer increased degradation over the course of their lifetime, making sure you're able to continue enjoying maximum efficiency.
It's recommended that most recharges are carried out between 20% and 80% of the usable capacity, as this will further protect the battery over time.
3. Assuming all chargers are the same
The amount of power the charge point will deliver per hour depends on its location and the type of charger. The best thing is to either search by your postcode or the charge point ID (if you know it), and you'll then find all the details you need on the charge point page, including power, price and any parking restrictions.
Charging duration
How long it takes to charge the vehicle depends on the make and model of your vehicle, how empty your battery is and the speed of the charge point.
You can use this equation to work out your car’s average charge time from empty to full battery: Battery size ÷ Charger speed = Charging time. Remember to check your usable battery capacity as part of this calculation.
For example:
Carrying out a full charge (0%-100%) on a Volkswagen ID.3 with a 59kWh battery, using a 7.4kW charger (59 ÷ 7.4) = just under 8 hours to charge.
It's recommended that most recharges are carried out between 20% and 80% of the usable capacity, as this will further protect the battery over time. In that case, using the same car for the example, we would be looking to charge 35.4kWh, on a 7.4kW charger = roughly 4 hours 45 minutes to complete the charge.
4. Choosing the wrong charger
If you’re new to driving an EV, or are well-versed, charging speeds can be confusing, particularly as there are a lot to choose from, and a lot of charge point operators to choose from too. Here’s a quick jargon buster to help:
The Bottom Line
Bigger numbers don’t always mean better charging.
The right charger depends on:
How long you park
How far you drive
What your vehicle supports
Understanding the difference helps you charge smarter, not just faster.