what are your favorite charging networks?

In recent years, things have evolved a lot, and users now know which networks to favor based on price, reliability or congestion. Chargemap, the leading French application in Europe, has therefore published its barometer based on user feedback and the results are quite interesting!

The French's favorite charging networks

With 132,000 unique users and 460,000 ratings collected on the Chargemap platform in 2024, this is certainly one of the best surveys on the market, especially since users of these (paid) services are often very involved in maintaining a good charging experience and giving useful feedback.

In recent years, networks completely unknown until now have developed well, this is the case of Fastned, Electra, Allego, PowerDot, Engie, Atlante and even Totalwhose stations have sometimes become real models, with high winds, numerous charging points and particularly reliable terminals.

If we listen to the French, the Top 10 is outclassed by Tesla, the Dutch Fastned and the French Electra. Carrefour/Ellego is 4thafter Driveco and R3. Ionity only comes in 8th, a score that hardly surprises us: the stations have not been able to evolve properly in recent years, the number of terminals is often too low and maintenance is quite variable. Even payment remains complicated (there is no Ionity badge and rarely a CB terminal)

In Belgium (above), Tesla is only 5th, the podium being dominated by EnergyDrive, Electra and Fastned. In Switzerland too, the American is only second, behind the decidedly well-rated Fastned: it must be said that all the terminals have been Alpitronics from the start, without doubt the most reliable terminals on the market. To travel regularly in these two countries, I think that Tesla lacked responsiveness in Switzerland and Belgium to update its terminals to v3 and v4often with an insufficient number of charging points and complicated geographical positioning.

The best quality/price ratio?

Another interesting parameter: the price! Indeed, as with gas stations, prices vary and we are sometimes tempted to get off the highway to get a few euros off.

And there, the ranking is completely turned upside down! Well almost, since Tesla is the only one to resist, it must be said that SuperChargers are often cheaperaround 30 cents/kWh, without subscription for the brand's customers, with the counterpart of often having to exit the motorway. This is also the case for IECharge stations, which is not always the most reliable but often the cheapest, and which therefore takes the lead in the ranking, ahead of Tesla, Izivia and Lidl, whose network is increasingly more developed in town:

Ionity has disappeared from the ranking, even though its package Passport Power offers 33 cents per kWh, one of the most attractive rates on the market. Furthermore, the members of the consortium often have attractive prices (the Volkswagen group, BMW, Ford, Hyundai/Kia, etc.), or even sometimes a year of free charging (BMW).