The New Motion app stands out in terms of its comprehensiveness. As one of the largest (European) players in the market for charging stations, the company has more than 64,000 charging stations throughout Europe, and you can navigate to any of them with just one press of a button. Furthermore, the app gives a lot of real-time information about the stations: which type of plug it has, whether it is free, and how much a charging session costs. You can even filter the stations, so that you only see the ones with a connection for your vehicle. Finally, you're also spared all those charging cards as you can also pay for the electricity via your smartphone.

Available for: iOS (from 10.0) and Android (from 4.1)

Those who regularly park in town will likely be familiar with the 4411 app. This app means you pay only for the exact duration of time you have parked, so you don’t need to use a parking meter (where, let's face it, you always end up paying too much). The makers are now expanding their services with 4242, which combines ORES (Wallonia) and parking zones in a number of big cities, such as Antwerp or Hasselt. Payment is done using an SMS message or, if you have a subscription to Proximus or Orange, added to your subscription fee at the end of the month. If you have a different carrier, then you need to register via the website of 4411 and will receive a monthly bill.

**Available for: iOS (from 9.0) and Android (from 4.4) **

Chargemap is an online community (currently 155,000 people) of electric-car drivers. Over the last few years, they have surveyed in the app a large number of charging stations from different operators, and even added comments about the ease of use or photos to make it even easier to find the charging station. What's more, you can also filter the stations so you can always find one that is suited to your car. Finally, you can even plan a journey via different charging stations to ensure you're never without energy en route. The app has also developed a payment card, although this only works in France for the time being.

Available for: iOS (from 9.0) and Android (from 2.3.3)

Smoov groups all charging stations from Allego in Belgium and the Netherlands. As with The New Motion, Smoov guides you to a charging point in your vicinity and shows you which charging stations are available. What's more, you can also reserve a charging station via the app and monitor your charging session ‘live’. This is done using a real-time tracker that tells you how much you have charged and how much it costs.

Available for: iOS (from 8.0) and Android (from 4.0.3)

Smoov groups all charging stations from Allego in Belgium and the Netherlands. As with The New Motion, Smoov guides you to a charging point in your vicinity and shows you which charging stations are available. What's more, you can also reserve a charging station via the app and monitor your charging session ‘live’. This is done using a real-time tracker that tells you how much you have charged and how much it costs.

Available for: iOS (from 8.0) and Android (from 4.0.3)

The LeasePlan charging app is the best resource for all LeasePlan clients with a charging card. The app allows you to find a suitable charging station fast in 22 countries. What's more, it records all your charging sessions so you never lose the overview. By the way, this app was developed by PlugSurfing, which has its own app that gives you access to more than 65,000 charging stations.

Available for: iOS (from 9.0) and Android (from 5.0)

A number of manufacturers have developed an app designed to improve the user experience with your electric car. The Tesla app, for instance, guides you to a supercharger in your vicinity and enables you start and stop a charging session via your smartphone, so you can then follow the entire charging session in real time. But the app also allows to you to preheat the car, unlock it, and activate the horn so it's easy to find in a busy car park.

In terms of charging, Nissan's app, NissanConnect EV, is very similar to the Tesla app: it also allows you to start, stop, and monitor your charging session remotely. But you can use it to operate the air-conditioning remotely too.

Finally, the Z.E. Pass app by Renault allows you to search for charging stations and pay for a charging session in five European countries: Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland, and Belgium. Renault drivers who register can also charge at a discount rate.