The Different Ways to Charge Your
Electric Vehicle
Charging your electric vehicle is easy and convenient with multiple options to suit your lifestyle. At The Electric Car Scheme, we've partnered with market-leading providers to make EV charging simple, affordable, and hassle-free
The Charge Scheme: Cheapest Way To Charge
The Charge Scheme is another market-leading proposition from The Electric Car Scheme to make EV charging more affordable through salary sacrifice.
In addition to their electric car savings through the scheme, employees can now save 20-50% on all their charging through The Charge Scheme app and card. Our goal is to make driving an electric car accessible and affordable for everyone and this is the next part of our journey to support your employees.
Different Ways to Charge Your EV
There are several ways to charge your electric car and these are different from filling up a petrol or diesel car with fuel.
Charging an electric car differs from filling a petrol or diesel car with fuel. It is important to consider how you use and where you park your car regularly to plan how you'll charge it in your daily life. Charging points can be at home, work or on the go.
If you don’t have access to charge your EV at home, there are plenty of other options. Some streets have on-street parking, you can plug your car in at the supermarket or a service station. There are even some schemes where you can rent someone’s home charger.
Home Charging Options
Charging your EV at home is very convenient and is the most cost effective way to charge your electric car as you can benefit from off-peak charging. Plus, if you opt for a home charge point through The Electric Car Scheme, you can save 20-50% on it along with your new car using salary sacrifice.
We've teamed up with Smart Home Charge, endorsed by Which? Trusted Traders, to make it happen.
Get 6,000 Free Miles With OVO
At The Electric Car Scheme, we make the switch to electric easy for everyone. We have partnered with OVO to give our drivers exclusive access to 6,000 free miles of EV charging via their dedicated EV charging add-on - so you don’t have to worry about costs.
Power your EV for as little as £200 per year by charging when the grid is greenest! To take advantage of this offer, your employer needs to provide The Electric Car Scheme as a benefit, and you’ll need to switch to OVO to unlock your free miles. Discover more about the eligibility requirements and how you can start benefiting today.
Public Charging Networks
With the UK's public electric vehicle charging network expanding rapidly, there are quite a number of EV charging networks across the country. Some are brand new and others well established, with some networks offering national coverage while others provide charging in a specific region.
Zap-Map is a UK-wide map that helps electric car drivers find and navigate to their nearest charging points, offering convenient search, filtering, and route planning features. This app simplifies EV journeys and addresses range anxiety for new EV drivers.
Workplace Charging Options
Office charging involves installing electric car chargers at workplaces like offices, car parks, factories, or warehouses. If you want to support your employees' switch to electric cars, it is important to consider setting up office charging.
We partnered with EVC and Connected Kerb to streamline setting up workplace charging stations for businesses. They offer support with advice, design, installation, funding, and even operation and maintenance of workplace chargers, tailored to your needs.
Alternative Base Charging
Alternative Base Charging, or ‘ABC’ options, are everywhere. Every month, thousands of people who cannot have home chargers buy EVs anyway because they know they will find ABC options to suit them.
We have partnered with Co Charger, the UK’s #1 community charging app, to streamline EV charger sharing among neighbours, handling communication, booking, and payments.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Without home charging, you still have several practical options. The public charging network has grown 35% in one year, now exceeding 73,000 charge points nationwide including on-street residential chargers (like lamppost chargers), workplace charging, and an extensive public network. Many councils are installing charging points in residential areas too.
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Public charging in the UK has become increasingly convenient with rapid infrastructure growth. As of April 2025, there are 79,654 EV charging points across the UK at 39,427 locations with networks like Shell Recharge, Connected Kerb and Pod Point widely available. Ultra-rapid chargers, which can add hundreds of miles of range in just 20-30 minutes, are being installed across the country and new government regulations ensure transparent pricing and contactless payment options.
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EV charging is simpler than commonly perceived thanks to recent innovations. New UK laws ensure transparent pricing and contactless payments across charging networks, with providers required to open up their data so drivers can easily find available chargepoints. Apps like Zapmap help you find and pay for charging at over 30,000 points across 25 networks through a single interface, eliminating the need for multiple accounts and cards. Most drivers quickly establish charging routines that fit naturally into their daily activities.
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If your employees want a home charger, we can assist them with that. Even better, we can help them save between 30-60% on the cost by using salary sacrifice to finance their new charger installation. Find more information about home charging here.
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Learn More On The Electric Car Scheme blog
Our blog offers detailed information about switching to electric cars, including how to charge them, the latest models, and technological advancements, all aimed at achieving Net Zero. We discuss everything from how electric cars work to the different types available on the market. Whether you're already an electric car owner or just beginning to explore this exciting technology, our blog is an excellent resource for you.
