What are the best apps for EV drivers?

Got yourself a slick new electric car, and want to get more out of it? In today’s world of smartphones, it won’t surprise you that there are lots of clever apps out there that can help you make the most of your high-tech car.

Whether it’s the best apps to navigate a long road trip, intel on the nearest charging stations, or help with finding parking spaces and hotels with EV charging facilities, there’s a great app for just about everything. Here’s our rundown of the best apps for EV drivers.

Electric vehicles are becoming increasingly popular and tech and infrastructure are quickly catching up to meet demand. A standard electric car can now average around 200 miles per charge and EV charging infrastructure is constantly improving as more reliable and rapid charge points are added to the network.

Although there are plenty of charge points around, it still pays to plan ahead. Take a look at our favourite driving apps that will help you take the most efficient routes and plan your charge stops along the way.

Electroverse has a customisable route planner that’ll get you around, not just in the UK, but across Europe too. The route planner will tailor your journey based on your EV's range and efficiency and show you all the places you can charge on the way.

The planner is currently in Beta mode, and you can try it out for free if you’re an Octopus Energy customer or if you already have an Electroverse card.

Google Maps is still the go-to navigation app when it comes to showing the quickest route with live traffic updates. As an EV driver, it’s equally great for making sure you’re following the best route and being super efficient with your battery usage by using their eco routing feature.

It’s not the most intuitive at showing you charging spots for EVs along your route. But it does have the functionality to search for ‘EV charging’ along your planned route so that you can add an appropriate stop on the way.

One of the newer apps on the market, EV navigation, does exactly what its name suggests and provides comprehensive EV navigation support. Not only does it calculate your route taking into account charging times, but it predicts your battery discharge rate based on your car model, the number of people travelling, tyre pressure and even your style of driving.

As an electric car driver, an absolute must is knowing where your nearest public charging station is and having a super easy way to pay for EV charging. Here are some of our favourite apps for electric car charging points that make home and public charging hassle-free.

Electroverse provides one-tap access to thousands of public charge points across the UK and Europe. The handy map allows you to filter for socket types, charge speeds and even specific networks. The app and personalised Electrocard allow you to charge with one simple tap across multiple different networks and chargers, consolidating your bills and payments into one convenient place.

As an added bonus, if you’re an Octopus Energy customer, you can automatically add your EV charging payments to your home electricity bill for even more simplicity.

The easiest and cheapest way to recharge your electric car battery is to charge up at home. You'll be able to take advantage of much cheaper energy at home.

Intelligent Octopus Go pairs with your home EV charger and time your charge so that you use only the cheapest, greenest energy. All you have to do is set how much you want to charge the battery up and what time you need it ready for, and Intelligent Octopus Go takes care of the rest.

If you're an Octopus EV customer you now get the added benefit of Intelligent Octopus Go - EV Saver - saving you an extra 1p on cheaper overnight/off-peak rates.

Co Charger is the UK’s number one community charging app for EVs. They’re making EV charging accessible by encouraging people to share EV chargers with neighbours and the wider community to help more drivers to switch to electric cars.

It works like a matchmaking platform between ‘hosts’ with chargers, and ‘chargees’ who are drivers looking for a place to charge. Because there are far more home chargers than public charging stations in the UK, their app makes it possible for the 40-50% of drivers who can’t have a charger installed at home to swap their combustion engine car for an electric one. Smart!

Parking for electric cars isn’t hugely different to parking any other type of car, but parking apps can be particularly useful for EV drivers. One with added features designed specifically for EV drivers is ideal. Here are some of the best we’ve found:

Most of us will have come across RingGo in urban car parking areas. The app helps you find available parking spots, pay for parking and extend your stay if you need to - no more running back to the car to top up the meter. The RingGo app has the added benefit of letting you search for car parks or parking spaces with EV charging points so you can easily find somewhere to top up your car battery while you park.

JustPark not only helps you find nearby available parking spaces, but if you have an EV charging point at home, it also allows you to rent it out while you’re away. As an EV driver, it’s a great way to earn a little bit extra when you’re not using your home charger. The app lets you set your own price too, so you can decide how many extra pennies or pounds you’d like to put in your pocket..

If you travel a lot for work or want to find a great holiday hotel with the convenience of electric vehicle charging facilities, accommodation sites like AirBnb and Booking.com have filters to their site so you can find and book a place with charging. Plus there are dedicated apps for EV charging at hotels that can help you do that too. It’s never been easier to find a place to stay with electric car charge points. Here are some of the best apps for hotels with EV charging points.

The EV hotels app has over 250,000 hotels registered all over the world, so wherever you are you can do a quick search to find a hotel with an EV charging station near you. The app also lets you filter on hotel brands, so if you have a favourite chain, it can steer you in their direction first.

Whether it’s an EV-friendly hotel, the most efficient route home, or a super easy way to find and pay for EV charging stations, our favourite apps in this list will make life a little bit easier, greener and cheaper.