The Best And Worst Ev Charging Networks In America (according To Consumer Reports)

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Sure, Tesla Cybertruck income are successful nan toilet, and investors didn't for illustration Tesla's cheaper Model 3, and MotorTrend hated each 2nd of surviving pinch a Model Y. But erstwhile it comes to EV charging networks, Tesla remains No. 1. That's according to a caller study by Consumer Reports (CR), which besides looked astatine nan wide charging acquisition group encountered astatine nationalist charging outlets.

Tesla has astir 33,660 charging ports crossed a small complete 2,800 Supercharger locations successful nan United States, according to nan Motley Fool. Only 4% of respondents successful CR's study noted problems erstwhile utilizing nan Tesla Supercharger Network. This is beautiful good, but it's besides worthy noting that 5% of nan drivers utilizing nan Rivian Adventure Network of chargers — pinch much than 120 locations and 780-plus chargers successful 37 states — reported problems. 

On nan different broadside of nan spectrum from Tesla and Rivian sits a trio of charging networks that each saw much than 40% of their drivers person problems filling up. By acold nan worst was nan Shell Recharge Network astatine 48% — it's astir apt conscionable a coincidence that nan lowest people successful EV charging came from nan institution formerly known arsenic Shell Oil. The results for nan EVgo and Blink networks were not rather arsenic bad, pinch 43% and 41% of their drivers, respectively, reporting issues pinch charging.

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Before we dive into nan specifications here, let's first admit that astir 80% of each charging events successful nan CR study had nary problems reported astatine all. When drivers did acquisition problems, 15% progressive issues pinch charging speed, and 23% were related to payment. Drilling down deeper, 25% of respondents pinch costs problems couldn't initiate charging and had to spell elsewhere, while 19% indicated their payments were accepted but nan charger still didn't work.

Consumer Reports besides categorized different ample chunk of problems (36%) arsenic hardware issues. These see complaints that nan charging cords were excessively short (5%) aliases that different beingness problems — specified arsenic a damaged plug aliases cablegram (19%) — prevented connecting. The biggest complaint, however, was reserved for nan chargers' touchscreens: 76% of drivers complained astir issues ranging from surgery screens to unfixable correction messages.

Beyond those concerns, Consumer Reports grouped together various reports into 1 class for "less predominant problems that prevented nan driver from charging nan car." Another 25% of reported issues were accounted for by this group. That could see cases wherever nan charging cablegram was missing entirely, specified arsenic during a 2024 tally of charger vandalism successful Canada. But don't worry: EV charging cables really aren't worthy stealing, truthful that shouldn't beryllium a semipermanent concern.

If you want to get nan astir retired of your EV charging experience, Consumer Reports has immoderate recommendations — apps are a bully spot to start. This includes celebrated costs apps, and third-party apps that tin show you really galore complaint ports are operational astatine a fixed location. The erstwhile can, successful immoderate cases, let you to salary for and usage a charger moreover if its surface is broken, which was a communal rumor successful nan Consumer Reports survey.

Preconditioning your batteries tin thief you bask faster and much businesslike charging arsenic well. The extremity present is to make judge your battery's somesthesia is astatine nan saccharine spot for charging –- neither excessively basking nor excessively acold — by adjusting it connected nan fly. Truth beryllium told, it happens automatically successful cars for illustration nan Ford Mustang Mach-E (available pinch the California Special curen for 2026) — nan preconditioning process starts arsenic soon arsenic you participate nan reside of a charging position into nan navigation system.

You tin besides velocity things up by not trying to capable your artillery battalion completely. In fact, galore experts, including those astatine Consumer Reports, counsel drivers to only usage 80% aliases truthful of their battery's wide capacity. After all, charging velocity slows down drastically aft that point, truthful you tin walk much clip filling up that last 20% than you do getting to 80% capacity successful nan first place.