Electric car drivers warned over fines for overstaying at public charge points

David Ross, Editor
Thu, 18 May 2023

Electric car drivers are being warned about potential fines for overstaying at public charge points, as local councils begin cracking down on motorists.

Recently, cities such as Glasgow and Sheffield have introduced overstaying fees, issuing fines of £30 and £20 respectively. It is expected that other local authorities across the country may soon implement similar fines for drivers who exceed the designated charging time.

LeaseElectricCar.co.uk is warning that electric car owners should monitor the duration of their stay at charging bays to avoid penalties for overstaying.

The increasing number of electric vehicles and the limited number of charging points have led councils to focus on drivers who occupy public charging spaces for extended periods, thereby preventing other drivers from accessing charging facilities.

Although fines for exceeding the allocated time are not new - Tesla charge points already impose fines of 50p per minute, escalating to £1 per minute if all other devices are in use - the expanding introduction of overstaying fees underscores the need electric car owners to be vigilant when charging their cars at public charge points.

While the overstaying fee has not yet been implemented nationwide, Tim Alcock from LeaseElectricCar.co.uk advises drivers to be aware that fines could soon be introduced in their local areas.

"Despite EV owners initially being praised for making the switch to electric, it seems now they are being punished," he said

"It is the government who needs to gear up on their promise to install 300,000 new public chargepoints up and down the country by 2030. Reports show that the UK is not currently on track to achieve that."

Alcock is urging the Department for Transport to focus on installing more rapid charging devices for public use, so local authorities do not feel the need to introduce hefty fines for those currently using the limited number of chargepoints available.

"Tackling the issue of the lack of public use rapid chargepoints is the right way forward, rather than forcing local authorities to have to start introducing fines for drivers just to free up spaces for others," added Alcock.

Ask HJ

Can you tow a caravan with an electric car?

I have a small caravan, 1200kg max. I’m looking at changing my Nissan X-Trail to an all-electric. Would you advise I hang on for a bit or what EV would you recommend for towing it?

There are actually a number of electric cars that can comfortably pull a 1200kg caravan, so you have plenty of choice. One thing to be mindful of is that towing something this heavy and the extra aerodynamic drag will reduce the range of any electric vehicle by some margin, so it is worth factoring this in when purchasing an electric car and planning your journeys. The Hyundai Ioniq 5, the related Kia EV6 and the Genesis GV60 can all pull 1600kg, as can the BMW i4, all of which will manage your caravan with capacity to spare.

Answered by David Ross

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