Tips and tricks for first-time electric car drivers

At LeasePlan, we’ve been driving EVs for years. We’ve collected some top tips from our colleagues to make your electric road trip a breeze …

• Plan ahead: With an electric car, a little planning goes a long way. When planning your route, make sure you’ll pass enough charging points (in the right places). Did you know you can use a route planner specially designed for EVs? These are a good option: often they’ll plot charging stops based on your estimated battery level. Planning your charging stops ahead of time means you can combine charging with sightseeing, shopping or meals.

• Find the best apps: In your everyday driving, you’ll probably manage with a single app that helps you find charging stations, but if you’re travelling abroad or even touring multiple countries, you might find one app just isn’t enough. We recommend downloading a few apps, such as:

Chargemap: See 450,000 charging points in Europe and filter locations based on your specifications.

Plugsurfing: Fast, intuitive app – create a free account to get the most out of it. It’s possible to pay for your charging through Plugsurfing or to use the app to just find stations and not manage payment.

Shell Recharge: Easy-to-use app supporting a wide charging network.

• Check your charging cable and card: For longer road trips, it’s important to have a few charging options. We recommend bringing a cable that can plug into a conventional socket, in addition to your normal cable, in case of emergencies. You might also need an extra charging card for your travels. Not all cards will work at all charging locations, so check your planned route before you set off.

With so many charging apps and route planners available, it can be hard to know which to choose. We’ve tested out three of the most popular apps: you can see our verdict on their benefits and drawbacks below.