Destination charging: the tier most drivers underuse

Destination charging is the tier between home and rapid: slow AC charging at places you were already going. Supermarkets, gyms, cinemas, hotels, car parks, workplaces.

It is chronically underused, mostly because it is not fast enough to feel like "real" charging.

Why it works

The cost that matters at a rapid charger is your time. At a destination charger that cost is zero, because you were going to be there anyway.

Ninety minutes at a supermarket at 7 kW adds roughly 40 miles. You did not wait for it. You did the shopping.

The economics

Destination charging is frequently free or heavily subsidised, because the site owner is paying for your visit rather than for your electricity. Where it is charged, it usually sits between home and rapid rates.

For a low-mileage driver without home charging, a weekly supermarket shop plus a gym visit can cover a meaningful share of total consumption at little or no cost.

How to use it properly

Map the ones you already pass. Not the ones near you — the ones on routes you already take. That is the whole trick.

Carry a Type 2 cable. Most destination chargers are untethered. Without your own cable you cannot use them at all. See the cable buying guide.

Plug in on arrival, not when you remember. The window is however long you are there.

Move when you are done if there is any signal that others are waiting. Destination bays get a bad reputation quickly.

Where it falls short

Not a substitute for a real strategy if you do high mileage. It supplements; it does not carry the load.

Availability is unpredictable. Two bays at a busy supermarket will often be occupied.

Rarely enough on a long trip. Between destinations you still need rapid charging.

Who it works best for

Low-to-moderate mileage drivers without home charging, for whom every kWh not bought at a rapid charger is a meaningful saving. Combined with on-street options, it is often the difference between an EV being expensive and being sensible.