Support with charging your electric car

Charging at home

If you’re leasing your first fully electric car on the Motability Scheme, they will arrange and cover the standard cost of a home chargepoint and its installation at no extra cost.

Having a chargepoint at home is the most convenient and cost-effective way of charging your electric car.

You’ll need to have off-road parking next to your home, like a driveway or garage.

After they’ve approved your application, Motability automatically allocate you to Ohme or Easee. They’ll contact you first, then arrange to send someone out to youto install a 7kW chargepoint.

If your parking is not next to your home or your electrics need to be updated you might need to pay extra costs to install your chargepoint.

If you have any questions or issues with your home chargepoint, please speak to your chargepoint installer directly.

Things to consider

• Charging at home is the easiest and most convenient way to charge
• Motability install your chargepoint at no extra cost, if you have private, off-street parking and no extra work is needed
• Ask your energy provider about making the most of cost-effective charging times
• If you do not own your own home, you’ll need permission first
• You might need to pay extra if your parking is not next to your home or your electrics need to be updated

Using public chargepoints

If you do not have off-street parking, or you cannot have a home chargepoint installed and you’re getting your first fully electric car on the Motability scheme, they will give you access to the bp pulse network of public chargepoints. This is over 9,000 public chargepoints, including 3,000 rapid and ultra-fast. Some of these will give you better charging rates and some are free.

Charging on the go

Whether you're running errands in your area or going on a long journey, it’s important to plan ahead so you know where to find public chargepoints.

bp pulse and the Zap-Map app can help you find the best places for you to stop and recharge before you set off.

Do not forget – charging an electric car will take longer than refuelling a petrol or diesel car.

Charging costs

There are over 42,000 chargepoints across the UK, made up of lots of different networks.

Each network sets its own costs, and these might be different, depending on how you choose to pay – for example, whether you pay a subscription or pay-as-you-go. The speed of the charger will affect the cost too.

You could be charged a connection fee and you might need to download an app first. You can save your payment information in some apps.

The speed of the charger and where the chargepoint is can also affect the cost – for example, motorway service stations are generally more expensive, but they also usually have faster chargers.

You’ll find chargepoints have different levels of accessibility.

Charging speeds

• Kilowatts (kW) relate to how fast your car battery charges up.
• The higher the kW, the quicker your car will charge – a 7kW charger will give you around 30 miles of charge each hour.
• A 150kW ultra-fast charger will give you up to 200 miles of charge in 30 minutes.
• Remember – the faster a charger is, the more expensive it’s likely to be.
• Make sure you check the charger you’re using suits the model of your car, as not every car is compatible with an ultra-rapid charger.
• Check your manual or manufacturer’s website to find out how to check if your car is compatible.

Things to consider

• Access over 9,000 bp pulse chargers, if you cannot charge at home
• Make sure you know where your nearest public chargepoints are
• Allow extra time to travel, as charging an electric car can take longer than a petrol or diesel car, and you might need to queue and wait for a chargepoint to become available
• Public chargepoints have different charging speeds and you might need an extra app to use them
• Tethered cables are connected to the chargepoint – these are light, as you only have to connect one end of the cable
• Untethered cables can be heavy, as you’ll need to connect both ends of the cable – one to the chargepoint and one to your car