Despite most of the public charging network getting more and more expensive, Tesla is one of the charging point operators (CPOs) that is helping to keep costs down, even for non-Tesla drivers. A few years back, Tesla started a program which would allow other electric vehicles that weren't Tesla cars to use the ultra-reliable Tesla Supercharger network, something that has expanded throughout Europe, some of the UK and also in the US where the NACS connector is prevalent.
In the UK at least, the public EV charging network can be expensive. Instavolt for example charge £0.85p/kWh and are most commonly found art McDonald's locations, Gridserve, the most common name seen at motorway services now charge £0.79p/kWh, up from £0.69p/kWh in 2023 and other providers are hovering around this price point. Tesla on the other hand used to have varying rates in 2022 and prices could change every few weeks.
Now in the UK, at a location on the M4 in Reading for customers who don't pay for the Supercharging Membership, Tesla charges between £0.47p/kWh and £0.57p/kWh depending on the time of day, the most expensive of the two is only applicable for four hours of the day. With the Supercharging Membership, this drops down to £0.38p/kWh and £0.45p/kWh.
The main news here is that Tesla is now making the Supercharging Membership cheaper. It used to cost £10.99/month in the UK and €12.99 in Europe and it is now dropping down to £8.99/month and €9.99/month respectively, making accessing the cheaper rates, well even cheaper.
Tesla will also let you pay annually, for £90 up front which works out at £7.50 per month.
This news doesn't bring anything new for Tesla drivers:
"With this change, Tesla owners will continue to enjoy a seamless and fully integrated fast-charging experience at lower member prices than non-members, while all other EV drivers will have more options to choose from."
Tesla
Our Take
This news is only a good thing for all EV drivers. Giving people an ultra-reliable and fast network to choose from in the UK and Europe. In my experience, no other network offers the seamlessness of the Tesla network and with cheaper prices and ease of use. I have had a couple issues with certain models, namely the MG5 which would not charge on a V3 or V4 charger and the same with a Genesis GV60 and GV70. However, when contacted Tesla did acknowledge they were aware of these issues and would be looking into it.
