Converting to an electric vehicle is a great move for the environment because they are an energy-efficient alternative to traditional vehicles.

Unfortunately, it can be hard to charge your car.

Luckily, there are apps you can use to find charging stations near your locations for fast charging.

We extensively researched and compiled this list of the eight best charging apps for electric vehicles in 2023.

What Do Charging Apps Do?

Range anxiety refers to the fear of having your electric car’s battery die before arriving at your destination.

Charging apps help to alleviate this fear by providing you with features that aid with charging your EV.

Some apps show you nearby charging stations and provide you with the best route to reach them.

These apps work within your schedule and lifestyle to ensure you never end up stranded.

Aside from charge point apps, there are charging apps that monitor your battery life and help you save money.

Who Are Charging Apps For?

Charging apps are for anyone who owns an EV.

If you’re planning a long trip or visiting an unfamiliar area, you may need the help of a ChargePoint app.

You may also find these apps useful if you’re considering getting an EV but are hesitant because you aren’t sure how you’ll charge it.

Monitoring apps can help you pay attention to the status of your battery level, and other apps can help you save cash.

8 Best Charging Apps For Electric Vehicles In 2023

Here’s a review of the eight best charging apps for EV drivers and how they can help you.

1. Optiwatt

Optiwatt is a scheduling app that allows you to control your at-home charging times to reduce costs as much as possible.

It’s a great tool for helping tesla drivers save money by only allowing your car to charge when electricity rates are the lowest.

Best For

Optiwatt is the best charging app for drivers looking to reduce costs.

Notable Features

• Optiwatt helps you to charge your car for the lowest rates possible.
• The app provides you with accurate prices for the charging stations at your location.
• You can use the app to track your expenses with pinpoint accuracy.

Pros

• You save a lot of money.
• The app meticulously tracks your spending costs.
• Charging during off-peak hours is great for the environment.
• The app ensures that you never overpay.
• Your charing time will automatically be synced to your electricity provider’s schedule.

Cons

• You need an at-home charging station to take advantage of the app’s features.
• There are reports of app charing your car during unscheduled times.
• The app drains your battery.

Is Optiwatt Hard to Use?

It can be slightly hard to figure out the app’s interface.

Pricing & Plans

• The app is free.

Our Rating

3.5/5

Our Take

OmniApp is the best app for optimizing your electric vehicle’s costs.

One of the top reasons for switching to an electric car is that it’s environmentally friendly, and this app helps you reduce your carbon footprint even more.

2. PlugShare

PlugShare is a free app that helps you find the nearest charging station to your location and leave reviews.

It has an established community of over 300,000 users, and its charging network has over 140,000 charging stations.

Best For

PlugShare is the best budget option for drivers looking for a social platform with trustworthy reviews.

You can easily use the app to find the best EV charging station in your area.

Notable Features

• The App is Free – You get access to the largest EV community in the world and countless amazing features for free.

• They Have a Trip Planner Feature – PlugShare’s trip planner shows you all the Ev battery charging stations on the route of your trip.

• They Show You The Best-Charging Stations – Not only do you get the best charging station based on user reviews, but you can also filter based on your driver preferences and vehicle type.

Pros

• They are a community-based app – You get access to reviews, a messaging system, and the ability to add new stations and report faulty listings.

• It’s completely free – You have access to all of the app’s features for free.
  There is no premium version.

• The app supports contactless payment – You can use the app to pay for your charging session.

• Real-time availability updates.
• You get navigation help – The app provides photos and station details to make navigation extra easy.

Cons

• The app crashes often.
• It drains your battery life.
• The app may not start, or it may start very slowly.

Is PlugShare Hard to Use?

Aside from the aforementioned technical issues you may face, using the app is easy.

It has a very user-friendly interface.

Pricing & Plans

• The app is free.

Our Rating

4/5

Our Take

PlugsShare is an incredible app, especially when you consider that it’s free.

The app’s community is very welcoming and always ready to help.

We highly recommend this app.

3. EVHotels

EVHotels is a blend of a lodging app and an EV charger app.

Overview

EVHotels works in partnership with over 170 hotels to pair electric vehicle drivers with hotels that can accommodate their car’s electric motor.

You can book a reservation with your favorite hotel based on its proximity to a charging point.

The app’s filter lets you fully personalize your charging and lodging preferences.

Best For

EVHotels is the best option for drivers who frequently go on trips that require them to stay at a reservation.

Notable Features

• You can book hotel reservations in the app.
• You can customize your experience – This involves filtering the types of hotels you visit and how close the nearest public charging station is to it.

• The app tells you charger connector adaptability and can help you find charging stations along the way.

Pros

• The app allows you to plan your trip route and book reservations.
• You get to choose from over 170 hotel brands.
• The app’s filters are very specific.
• You get to filter based on EV charger type, which is especially useful for Tesla drivers.
• It simplifies the travel process and saves you time – With the EVHotels app, you don’t have to research if your hotel has a charging station.

Cons

• There have been complaints about the have’s information being inaccurate.
• The app doesn’t save your preferences – You’ll need to reenter your preferences each time you use the app constantly.

• Reports sat the app crashes each time the filters are changed.

Is EVHotels Hard to Use?

The app can be a bit confusing initially, but it doesn’t take long to figure out.

There are video tutorials online to help you figure out the app’s interface.

Pricing & Plans

• The app costs £2.49.
  There are no membership plans or upgrades.

Our Rating

 3/5

Our Take

The EVHotels app is a useful tool if you’re someone who frequently goes on long trips to foreign places, but if you don’t fit that description, it’s not the best option for you.

4. EVgo

EVgo has a charging network of over 800 renewable charging stations.

The app allows you to connect to the largest DC fast-charging energy stations network, which can leave your electric car fully charged in an hour.

Best For

EVgo is the best option for finding fast-charging stations.

Notable Features

• EVgo is connected to the US’s largest network of DC fast-charging stations.
• The charging stations the app connects you to use clean energy.
• The app has a payment plan option for everyone.

Pros

• The charging stations use clean energy.
• All the app’s membership plans offer reward points.
• It saves you time.
• You can save your favorite charging locations.
• The app gives you total control over your charging experience and is very easy to use.

Cons

• EVgo has a limited amount of charing options – EVgo doesn’t have locations in some states, and you can only use the app if your car is compatible with DC fast charging.

• EVgo can be costly – The pay-as-you-go option is either billed by minute or KWh, and you may end up paying large amounts on their pay-as-you-go plan.

• The charging sessions are limited to 45 minutes.

Is EVgo Hard to Use?

EVgo has a user-friendly interface that makes learning to use the app easy.

Pricing & Plans

Pay As You Go – Starts at $0.34 per kWh

EVgo Member – Starts at $0.29 per kWh

EVgo Plus™- Starts at $0.25 per kWh

Our Rating

3/5

Our Take

EVgo won’t work for everyone.

However, if you’re an EV driver who lives in a state where they’re available and needs to charge your car often, we recommend looking into their membership plans.

5. ChargePoint

Chargepoint has the largest global EV network in the world.

They operate in Europe and North America and have over 100,000 in 14 countries.

The app is free to download and supports automatic payments.

While its main purpose is finding ChargePoint chargers, it also works with other brands.

Best For

• ChargePoint is the best option for trips outside the country.

Notable Features

• ChargePoint has thousands of locations in 14 countries.
• The app offers automatic payments.
• You can see how much money you’re saving by using their app.

Pros

• They have a lot of locations in several countries.
• The app is very easy to use.
• You’ll see charging stations based on price and speed.
• If you have a ChargePoint station at your home, you get special features.
• ChargePoint has some free-to-use stations.

Cons

• They don’t have a lot of Level 3 DC fast chargers in their charging network.
• The app is mainly for ChargePoint stations, so you may not have access to every charging station in the area.
• You may face issues with the app crashing or not loading properly.

Is ChargePoint Hard to Use?

ChargePoint is easy to use.

Pricing & Plans

• The app is free.

Our Rating

3.5/5

Our Take

ChargePoint is great for mapping out a route to a charging station in an unfamiliar area, but if you need your car charged quickly, it’s not the best option.

6. ChargeHub

Chargehub is a free app that shows you the location and availability of all the charging stations across the country.

In addition to helping you plan your trips, Chargehub helps you find the best deals on home charging stations.

Best For

ChargeHub is the best option for long trips.

Notable Features

• The app shows locations across the entire country regardless of the charging station’s network.
• You can save your filter selection.
• ChargeHub has an active community of over 100,000 participants.

Pros

• The app is very to use.
• The app shows charging stations from all networks.
• You get an easy-to-use Trips section for planning trips.
• The app allows reviews for charging stations.
• You can message other ChargerHub users on the app.

Cons

• There are reports of inaccuracies on the map.
• Sometimes the map doesn’t load or lags.
• The app may often crash for you.

Is Chargehub Hard to Use?

The Chargehub app is easy to use.

Pricing & Plans

The app is free.

Our Rating

4/5

Our Take

Chargehub is great for planning long trips, but it works better in some locations than others, so keep that in mind.

7. EV Connect

The EV Connect app offers drivers 24/7 for finding a nearby charging station.

The app gives you crucial information, such as power levels and other charging insights.

Best For

EV Connect is the best option for finding a charging station in an urgent situation.

Notable Features

• They offer 24/7 customer support.
• They have one of the best software platforms available.
• Their charging stations are turnkey certified.

Pros

• You’ll never end up stranded.
• EV Connect has a strong reputation.
• The app is easy to use.
• The app lets you monitor your phone’s charging in real-time.
• You get insights and usage data.

Cons

• You may get a “Service cannot be provided” error.
• The app might take some time to connect or not connect at all.
• You don’t get notified when occupied stations become available.

Is EV Connect Hard to Use?

EV Connect is easy to use.

Pricing & Plans

The app is free.

Our Rating

4/5

Our Take

EV Connect is a great option for drivers with range anxiety because they offer 24/7.

It’s a solid app that we highly recommend.

8. Chargeway

Chargeway offers insights about charging stations near your location.

You get information such as the expected amount of time you’ll spend at the charging station.

The app is a great trip planner because it only shows charging stations that are guaranteed to work with your car.

Best For

Chargeway is the best trip planner app.

Notable Features

• They offer in-depth information about the available charging stations.
• The app tells you your vehicle’s specs.
• You get both a charging filter and a network filter.

Pros

• They have a color-coded system to make the charging process faster.
• The app tracks everything about your trip, down to the weather.
• You only see charging stations that work with your device.
• They have a quick view feature that gives you information about charging stations with the tap of a finger.
• The app allows you to make an EV profile.

Cons

• The app shows a limited amount of charging stations.
• You may have difficulty using the app with google maps.
• You need to make an account with the app for it to work.

Is Chargeway Hard to Use?

Chargeway is easy to use.

Pricing & Plans

The app is free.

Our Rating

4.8/5

Our Take

We highly recommend Chargeway.

While they may not have as many charging stations as other apps, the amount of features they offer is unmatched.

Do You Need an App to Charge Your Car?

In most cases, you won’t need an app to charge your car.

You should research if the charging station you plan to use requires one, just in case.

Why Download a Charging App

Even if you don’t require a charging app to charge your car, getting one is still a good idea.

Plan Your Trips

Apps like Chargeway, PlugShare, and ChargeHub all have trip planning features that ensure you select the best route to your destination promptly while keeping your car charged.

Save Money

Charging apps like Omniwatt can help you reduce the costs associated with your electric vehicle.

Keep Track of Charges

It’s good to keep track of your charges if you need to dispute a claim with your bank, which can help you budget.

Charging apps make doing this easy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Let’s take a look at some common questions regarding charging apps:

Final Thoughts

Charge way was our favorite app, with PlugShare being a close second and EV connect coming in third.

These apps did the best at giving us a clear route to a charging station and provided the most support for urgent situations.

It’s a good idea for every EV car owner to have a charging app.

Related: the best time to charge a Tesla at home