Electric car charging subscriptions: how you can save money when topping up

If you drive an EV and travel long distances, you’ll be no stranger to the public charging network. Anyone who racks up the miles in an electric car would be wise to consider charging subscriptions.

Most providers offer a pay-as-you-go service. You simply tap your credit card at the charging point and wander off to the nearest coffee shop. Many also take payment through an app.

An alternative which some companies offer is a charging subscription. This should cost less in the long run, with preferential rates for subscribers.

Other benefits include regular billing, which makes it easier to keep tabs of expenses while travelling on business.

The obvious downside is a monthly payment, which may not offset the cheaper charging rates if you only use the public charging network from time to time. It’s a bit like paying for a gym subscription – it only makes sense if you are sure you will use it.

You also need to think about which networks you regularly charge with. Having several subscription charges soon adds up, but if you generally stick with one or two networks the sums can work out in your favour.

Costs change and special offers come and go, but as of now these are our top five EV charging subscriptions.

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1. Be.EV

• Subscription cost: £4.99/£9.99 per month
• Standard charging rate: 79p/kWh
• Subscription charging rate: 49p/kWh or 39p/kWh

Established in Greater Manchester in 2019, Be.EV now has a network of over 800 charging points in the UK. The company operates a mixture of rapid (50kW+) and ultra-rapid chargers (150kW+) and is majority-owned by the Octopus energy company.

There are big savings if you choose a charging subscription. Be.EV offers two tiers, with ‘Mini’ costing £4.99 per month and ‘Mega’ £9.99 per month. The cheaper option for occasional users drops the price of ultra-rapid charging to 49p/kWh, while the pricier subscription is aimed at high-mileage drivers and reduces the cost to 39p/kWh. That compares with 79p/kWh for pay-as-you-go customers (although you can pay a bit less if you have the app but no subscription). That makes for some of the cheapest charging around. ‘Mega’ subscribers will be better off once they have used more than 25kWh of electricity.

With the flexibility of two tiers and low electricity prices, Be.EV offers our favourite charging subscription service.

2. Fastned

• Subscription cost: £9.98 per month
• Standard charging rate: 74p/kWh
• Subscription charging rate: 52p/kWh

Dutch company Fastned has a growing UK network and is highly rated by users. However, it doesn’t have as many individual chargers or locations as some of the better-known names. Fastned offers the usual pay-as-you-go and app-based payment options, but it’s the Gold Member subscription we’re really interested in.

Pay £9.98 per month for Gold Membership and you’ll be rewarded with a 30% discount on the standard charging rate, which drops from 74p/kWh to 52p/kWh. If you use more than 45.5kWh of electricity per month from Fastned you’ll be quids in.

3. IONITY

• Subscription cost: £5.49/£10.50 per month
• Standard charging rate: 79p/kWh
• Subscription charging rate: 53p/kWh or 43p/kWh

The IONITY network has around 5500 charging points in almost 800 locations across Europe. It was founded in 2017 as a joint venture between many car manufacturers when they started getting twitchy about Tesla’s dominance in EVs and EV charging. Many of its charging hubs are found on the motorway network, making IONITY convenient for high-mileage drivers.

Like Be.EV, IONITY offers two levels of subscription. IONITY Motion is the cheaper option, with a cost of £5.49 per month and charging at 53p/kWh. IONITY Power costs £10.50 per month, with a charging price of 43p/kWh.

Those figures compare with 79p/kWh for pay-as-you-go users and 75p/kWh if you download the IONITY app but don’t take out a subscription. Sign up to IONITY Power and you will save money once you have used more than

29.2kW of electricity. So, even one top-up is likely to cut your charging bill compared to the pay-as-you-go rate.

4. Tesla

• Subscription cost: £8.99 per month/£90 per year
• Standard charging rate: 53p/kWh (peak)/37p/kWh (off peak)
• Subscription charging rate: 38p/kWh (peak)/26p/kWh (off peak)

Tesla’s Supercharger membership allows drivers of non-Tesla EVs to access some of the Tesla Supercharger network paying the same charging rates as Tesla owners. You’ll need to download the Tesla app to sign up.

The cost is £8.99 per month, or £90 per year (which saves £17.88). The cost of charging at a Tesla Supercharger varies depending on the time of day and location. As an example, the Tesla Superchargers at Gatwick Airport cost just 26p/kWh for night owls who charge between midnight and 4am. That saves 13p/kWh compared with non-member rates. At other times the cost is 38p/kWh, saving 15p/kWh. Just remember that not all Tesla Superchargers are available to owners of other EVs, even if you have a subscription.

Rates apply at Gatwick Airport. Rates vary with location.

5. BP Pulse

• Subscription cost: £7.85 per month
• Standard charging rate: 89p/kWh
• Subscription charging rate: 69p/kWh

The BP Pulse network has had its share of critics, but standards have improved. It’s one of the big players with more than 3500 rapid (50kW+) and ultra-rapid (150kW+) charging points. Many of these are at BP forecourts.

For pay-as-you-go users, BP Pulse is one of the most expensive networks with an eyewatering cost of 89p/kWh. This applies to both rapid and ultra-rapid charging, while slower AC charging is priced at 65p/kWh. The cost of a subscription is a reasonable £7.85 per month, which drops the cost of rapid and ultra-rapid charging to 69p/kWh. Subscribers will save once they have used more than 39.25kWh of electricity, but other providers offer cheaper subscription charging than BP Pulse.

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