A simple guide to charging and range

You can find details of the maximum electric range (according to official test (WLTP) criteria) in the individual vehicle descriptions  in the model pages. These figures are obtained under standardised test conditions, after the battery has been fully charged to 100%. 

It’s important to note that, as with any car, the official test (WLTP) figures may not reflect real life driving results. What you actually achieve on the road will depend upon a number of factors including accessories fitted post-registration, variations in weather, driving styles, speed, vehicle and battery age and condition, vehicle load, and the starting charge of the battery. 

But there’s plenty of things you can do to help maximise your range, such as pre-heating your electric vehicle when charging on a cold day, coasting or using regenerative braking, and removing heavy items you don’t need to carry.

To see how different factors might affect your range, take a look at our range simulator tool.

Essentially there are three ways to charge your electric car: 

• via a 3-pin household wall socket, which is slow but available widely  
• via a home charger which can be installed at your home if you have e.g. suitable off-street parking available and is substantially faster and more practical than a 3-pin plug.
• via public or on the road charging points, which can be the fastest way to charge, especially where rapid or ultra rapid options are available. 

Yes. The easiest and quickest way to charge at home is via a home charger. We have a partnership with award-winning supplier of easy-to-use home chargers, Ohme. Not only do they make the installation and set-up as easy as possible, they also offer low-cost charging options via integration with smart EV energy tariffs. You will need to have off-street parking available and permission from the landlord if you rent your property as well as an initial assessment arranged by Ohme to check if you are a standard or non-standard installation.

Even if you have a home charger fitted, there may be times when you need to charge on-the-go and so it’s good to know public charging has come a long way over the past few years, and continues to improve. 

Rapid chargers (with direct current or DC and speeds from 23 kW) and Ultra rapid (from 100 kW) are generally found on major routes and are essentially the petrol stations of the electric world. All electric cars have a maximum charging speed, and all rapid chargers have a maximum output (both are measured in kilowatts (kW)), so try to find a charger which maximises your car’s charging capacity. Please see Zap Map for more details.

If you have a 60 kWh battery, it could take as little as 30 minutes to charge from empty to full at a 150 kW rapid charger (providing the charger is performing at that rate). At a 22 kW chargepoint, it could take around 3 hours. These are indicative minimum charge times for comparison only.  They may not reflect real world experience. 

And don’t forget that ‘filling’ to 80% is not only quicker (the last 20% is designed to fill much more slowly) but is also better for your battery. You can set 80% as the maximum charging level via the car or the app.

EVs have no tailpipe emissions and we do all we can to minimise any impacts. Read more on sustainability here.

Charging at home helps extend the longevity of your EV. You can read more on caring for your EV's battery here.

A plug in hybrid car combines a petrol engine with an electric motor and battery that can work together to improve fuel efficiency. You can charge the battery by plugging in, just as you would an electric car, which means you can also do shorter journeys on electric mode and still have the reassurance of a petrol engine for longer trips.

Plug‑in hybrid cars are charged by plugging in a cable, much like an electric car. The easiest and most economical way is with a home wallbox, but you can also charge at public charging stations, and in some cases from a standard household socket. Because plug‑in hybrids have smaller batteries, they typically charge quicker than fully electric cars, and for many drivers, a charged battery is enough to cover most day-to-day journeys in fully electric mode.

There are three main types of hybrid car. Mild hybrids (MHEV) use a small electric motor to support the engine, but they can’t drive on electric power alone. Self-charging hybrids (HEV) combine a petrol engine and electric motor, with the battery topped up through regenerative braking and the engine itself. Plug-in hybrids (PHEV) have a larger battery that can be charged by plugging in, which means they can usually cover shorter journeys using electric power alone, before switching to the petrol engine when needed. They can also run using a combination of electric and petrol, to improve the fuel efficiency of any trip.