The Best EV Charging Apps

Taking the anxiety out of finding charge stations with your EV

written by Ronald Montoya^{Senior Consumer Advice Editor & Content Strategy
Ronald Montoya has worked in the automotive industry since 2008. He has written over a thousand car related articles and bought and sold over 100 vehicles over the course of his career. Ronald is a senior consumer advice editor and content strategy at Edmunds and has also contributed to the Associated Press. He has also been featured on ABC, NBC and NPR on a number of car shopping topics. He got his start in the auto industry by taking a part-time job at a car dealership, where he worked in the service and accounting department.}
and Connor Hoffman^{Correspondent
Connor Hoffman has worked in the automotive industry since 2018 in both editorial and public relations. He has tested and written about hundreds of cars and helped lead the media launches of the 2024 Toyota Tacoma and Land Cruiser. Connor is a correspondent at Edmunds and started his career at Car and Driver after a summer internship. He has also contributed to U.S. News & World Report and Capital One Autos. He loves four wheeling and camping in his fourth-gen 4Runner and hopes to one day restore a 60- or 80-Series Land Cruiser.}
edited by Steven Ewing^{Director, Editorial Content
Steven Ewing has worked in the automotive industry since 2003. In that time, he's written thousands of articles and tested just as many vehicles. Steven is Edmunds' director of editorial content and has previously been on staff at Winding Road magazine, Autoblog, Motor1.com, CNET, and was the U.S. correspondent for Top Gear magazine. Steven has also contributed to Automobile magazine, Car and Driver, The Drive, Jalopnik, Porsche Panorama, and dozens of other publications. In his spare time, Steven loves to play the drums, cook, and drive his 2000 BMW M Roadster.}
12/20/2024
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For most people, the best EV charge app is likely already in their vehicle or on their smartphone. Navigation systems on modern electric cars allow drivers to search for charger locations near them. Many EV automakers have apps of their own, which offer several convenient features for locating and paying for public chargers.

But these stations aren't always operating, so it's a good idea to have a backup EV charger app, such as PlugShare, to help you locate other chargers in the area. It's one of several EV charger app options that can help assuage potential range anxiety from an inconsistent charging infrastructure. Let's look at some of the best EV charging apps available, ranked in no particular order.

EV charge station locating apps
EV automaker charging apps
What is the best app for finding EV charging stations?
What does an EV charging app do?

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EV charge station locating apps

PlugShare: Finding a charging station is great. But what if it's broken, unreliable or in an inconvenient location? That's where PlugShare comes in. It encourages user feedback, which can help narrow down which chargers you might want to use. It can also prevent you from wasting time by going to a charger that hasn't been operable for some time. Think of this app like Yelp for electric vehicle chargers. PlugShare provides a wealth of information on chargers across North America. It also has a trip planner tool, which allows you to input your vehicle, its maximum range and its starting range. And, it's now compatible with Apple CarPlay.

The route planner is useful and provides a handful of options and filters, but it's not as detailed as either EV Navigation or A Better Route Planner. That said, the all-in-one combination of routing and reviews of the chargers you'll stop at can come in handy.=

You won't use the following applications to map out your road trip route, but they can be extremely useful for finding EV chargers and using them once you get there. These apps make payment easier and can offer discounted rates for members.

EV automaker charging apps

Tesla: Tesla's app allows you to find and use its Supercharger stations around the country. Once your account is set up, the billing is handled automatically. Superchargers are no longer exclusively for Tesla owners, as the automaker recently opened its service to all EV owners. The app also allows you to monitor the progress of charging, see the costs in real time, and get notified when charging is complete.

Rivian: The Rivian app not only shows you its own "Adventure Network" series of DC fast chargers, but it also shows the locations of Tesla and other third-party chargers. Directions to a charger can be programmed in either the app or in the vehicle's navigation system. The benefit of going to a Rivian-branded charger is that you don't need an additional app to pay for the charging session. The Rivian app also offers the same charge progress tracking and notifications to give you all the details on your session.

Lucid: Lucid has a partnership with Electrify America, whose charge stations will appear in search results within the app, in addition to those from Tesla and other third-party charger companies. Lucid drivers can send directions to the vehicle to begin navigation the moment they get inside the car. When an Electrify America station is selected, you can plug in and pay for the session without needing an additional app. Charge stations from other brands can still be navigated to, but you'll need a credit card or additional app to pay for them. Like Tesla and Rivian, Lucid's app will track the progress of a charging session and notify you when it is complete.

What is the best app for finding EV charging stations?

ChargePoint: It's the largest charging network in the United States, though the vast majority of its stations have Level 2 chargers. You can locate, check prices, and pay for charging all within the app.

EVgo: It has fewer stations than ChargePoint and Tesla, but they offer almost exclusively fast charging. EVgo's app has many of the same features as other charge apps (station locator, pricing and payment), but one key difference is that the company offers rewards for members, which can be redeemed later for charge credits. If you will be using public chargers often and there's an EVgo station near you, it's worth looking into the company's paid monthly plans, which EVgo says can save users up to 30% a month in charge fees.

Electrify America: EA is one of the largest third-party charge station companies in the country. Like EVgo, Electrify America specializes in fast-charging stations. Electrify America has partnered with several auto manufacturers, such as Volkswagen and Ford, to provide a certain amount of free charging when you buy one of their vehicles. If you have EA chargers near you, this may help sway your purchase decision.

What does an EV charging app do?

An electric vehicle charging app can help you find the nearest charging station and calculate your state of charge once you arrive. These apps also help you navigate to the charging station and, if necessary, plan multiple stops along your route so you won't be stranded on a longer road trip. Electric vehicles have charging station navigation built into their infotainment systems, while other third-party companies like EVgo and Electrify America have their own dedicated EV charging apps.

by Ronald Montoya

Ronald Montoya has worked in the automotive industry since 2008. He has written over a thousand car related articles and bought and sold over 100 vehicles over the course of his career. Ronald is a senior consumer advice editor and content strategy at Edmunds and has also contributed to the Associated Press. He has also been featured on ABC, NBC and NPR on a number of car shopping topics. He got his start in the auto industry by taking a part-time job at a car dealership, where he worked in the service and accounting department.

by Connor Hoffman

Connor Hoffman has worked in the automotive industry since 2018 in both editorial and public relations. He has tested and written about hundreds of cars and helped lead the media launches of the 2024 Toyota Tacoma and Land Cruiser. Connor is a correspondent at Edmunds and started his career at Car and Driver after a summer internship. He has also contributed to U.S. News & World Report and Capital One Autos. He loves four wheeling and camping in his fourth-gen 4Runner and hopes to one day restore a 60- or 80-Series Land Cruiser.

edited by Steven Ewing

Steven Ewing has worked in the automotive industry since 2003. In that time, he's written thousands of articles and tested just as many vehicles. Steven is Edmunds' director of editorial content and has previously been on staff at Winding Road magazine, Autoblog, Motor1.com, CNET, and was the U.S. correspondent for Top Gear magazine. Steven has also contributed to Automobile magazine, Car and Driver, The Drive, Jalopnik, Porsche Panorama, and dozens of other publications. In his spare time, Steven loves to play the drums, cook, and drive his 2000 BMW M Roadster.

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