How to plan a long journey in your EV

Before you set off on a long journey, it’s important to complete pre-journey car checks to help your trip run smoothly. This includes checking your:

• tyre pressure and tyre tread depth 

• windscreen wipers and fluid wash

• brakes and lights are working 

• oil levels

• engine coolant

• brake fluid

With an EV, there are a few additional checks you should complete before setting off. 

Battery checks 

Make sure that your EV battery is charged to at least 80% using your home charger before beginning your journey so that you can cover some distance before needing to stop off and charge up. Being aware of your battery capacity, how far you can travel on a full charge, and the type of chargers compatible with your EV will help you plan charging breaks. 

Charging points 

The average EV’s range is 211 miles, which could get you from London all the way to Manchester in one journey. But if you’re planning on travelling further than your EV can go on one charge, you’ll need to top up your battery along the way. On a journey that long, we’re sure that you’ll want to have a few pit stops anyway, so you can take rest breaks as an opportunity to charge up. 

We’d recommend not letting your battery dip below 20% if you can. Sites such as ZapMaps and PodPoint Network are useful for finding charging points on your journey, and some EVs helpfully display charging stations in the built-in GPS. 

Ready to charge 

How fast your EV charges will depend on both how much power the EV can accept and the types of chargers available. There are over 2,500 en-route charging points in the UK, many of which are rapid chargers that are able to charge an EV to 80% in 20 to 40 minutes depending on the EV model and battery charge.  

To minimise charging time, try to charge from around 20%, rather than an empty battery. Charging to 80% is often sufficient, as the last few kWhs typically take longer to charge when compared to the range this final 20% provides.