EV Charging at UK Airports
If (like me) you've already made the switch to an electric vehicle (EV) and you're here because you'd like to find out whether you can charge your battery at the airport of your choice, skip to our table below where we've researched each airport in our database and reported back on their EV offering to answer the question, of 'Which UK airports have EV parking and charging?'.
Alternatively, if you want a bit of background on why I felt the need to write this post and why my bosses agreed to it, read on...
In 2022 the clock is ticking more loudly than ever for traditional, 'dinosaur juice' powered cars. From 2030, the sale of new petrol and diesel cars will be banned and these arcaic automobiles will progress at an accelerated rate towards extinction, like the dinosaurs before them.
We are however a long way off, and 2030 is going to be an enormous up hill struggle, it may even prove to be unachievable.
This is because according to the latest estimate, there are around 477,000 electric vehicles on the road in the UK*.
The above number may sound big, but it isn't!
When you consider that there are around 32 million cars registered on the UK's roads**, it could actually be an exaggeration to refer to 477,000 EVs as a drop in the ocean.
With the above in mind, it seems clear that if the UK government is going to stick to the 2030 deadline, there's going to need to be a rather sharp uptake in EV ownership and that's going to bring with it problems, not least with regard to our already struggling charging infrastructure!
As an EV owner (big up to all the Renault Zoe's out there), I can tell you first hand that at present the worst thing about EV ownership is the time spent standing around in supermarket car parks waiting for someone else to finish charging, all the while watching time go by, as any hope of making any scheduled appointments fades.
The above lack of charging points got me thinking about important, time-sensitive journeys. At that point I realised two things...
- The journey to the airport probably sits towards the top of that list.
and...
- I get paid to write content for an airport parking blog and what could be better than a topic that's constantly evolving and will require timely updates (kerching).
The problem: Surviving a trip to the airport with an EV
With a bit of forward planning, a self respecting EV driver can fully charge before setting off on the journey to the airport, but that doesn't mean he or she will have enough miles left in the 'tank' to return home. Particularly when you consider:
- EVs have a charming habit of losing charge, day by day when standing still.
- The EV could be stood still for a long time.. and it could be cold, thus adding to the drama of of the previous bullet point.
The above is a pretty stressful thought cocktail for an EV owner, particularly in an unfamiliar area where it's unknown what chargers are available. And yes, before someone says it, Zap-Map is amazingly helpful to this end, but there's still palpable anxiety when arriving at an unknown charging location... Sure, everything may be fine, but some charing points are often out of order whilst some just seem to hate my Renault Zoe and then there's the long-stay Tesla guy at my local Sainsbury's, but let's not make this about him.
Fortunately, as I'm about to show you, some airports are beginning to embrace the change and are doing a great job of catering for us early adopting EV folk...
The solution: a fancy-looking table full of information about EV charging at UK airports, written by me, an actual EV driver:
| Airport | EV Charging? | Details | EV Guy's Tips |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen Airport | Yes | EV Charging is available in both Short Stay (4 charging points on first floor) and Priority Car Parks (2 charging points near payment area). More info here. | Bring your own cabe! Chargers use the Pod Point app. |
| Birmingham Airport | Yes | GRIDSERVE EV charging points are available in the Premium Set Down Car Park, with the following connectors: 3 x CCS 1 x CHAdeMO 1 x Type 2 More info here. | Contactless payment accepted - no need for any apps. For customers who have used any official Birmingham airport parking option. Reduced EV rate for Premium Set Down (£2 for first 90 mins). |
| Bournemouth Airport | No | Nearby options: -Instavolt, Glenmoor Road, BH22 8QE -Pod Point,Tesco Kinson, BH10 7BB -Osprey, Crown Bournemouth, BH10 6JW -ZeroNet, Castle Point Shopping Park, BH8 9UZ | |
| Bristol Airport | Yes | 10 EV charging points available in the Multi-Storey Car Park (ground floor). 2 EV charging points in Long Stay, Zone D, Row 7. 2 Hours free entry for up to 2 hours if using other official parking - show booking confirmation when leaving Long Stay. | All EV charging points use Pod Point - install the app prior to arrival! |
| Cardiff Airport | Yes | Plans for 9 charging points across staff car park. Meet & Greet and Short Stay. Currently there are units available in Staff Car Park and Meet 7 Greet. | Bring your own cable, judging by the photo shown here, you may need it! |
| Doncaster Sheffield (Currently Closed) | No | Nearby Options: -VendElectric, Avro Park, DN9 3RH -BP Pulse. Toby Carvery Bessacarr, DN4 7BS | |
| Teeside International Airport | No | Nearby Options: -ZeroNet, Best Western Parkmore Hotel, TS16 0DH -BP Pulse, Rockcliffe Hall Hotel, DL2 2DU | |
| East Midlands Airport | Yes | -Meet & Greet - 5 hour charge on minimum of 7KW charger. | If using Meet & Greet, request charging and leave your cable in the boot. |
| Edinburgh Airport | Yes | -Air Parks (unofficial airport parking). Includes full charge. | Bring your charging cable (Standard UK Type 2 Connection) |
| Exeter Airport | No | Nearby Options: -VendElectric, Younghayes Centre, EX5 7DR -EV Charge.Online, Cranberry Farm EX5 7FN | |
| Gatwick Airport | Yes | 8 22KW charging points located in the short stay car parks in both terminals. | All the charging points operate on the Pod Point App, so download it and setup your account before arrival. |
| Glasgow International Airport | Yes | EV Charging available in the unofficial SkyPort car park. | Register your EV here. You'll get 10 minutes free in the official pick-up and drop-off zones, (no charging points)., |
| Glasgow Prestick Airport | No | Nearby Options: -ChargePlace Scotland, Main Street, KA9 2RN -BP Pulse, Sandyford Smithy, KA9 2SP | |
| Heathrow Airport | Yes | EV Charging available in all Official Short Stay car parks | These charging points are slow (7KW) |
| Leeds Bradford Airport | Yes (Unofficial Only) | EV Charging available at unofficial car parks: -Viking Airport Parking -Park 2 Travel | |
| Liverpool Airport | Yes | Long Stay Car Park - Free to use (parking tariff applies) | Ecotricity branded charging point Free to use (parking tariff applies) |
| London City Airport | No | Nearby options: -ubitricity, 56 Manwood Street, E16 2LB -ZeroNet, Crowne Plaza London Docklands. E16 1AL | |
| Luton Airport | Yes | Located in 2nd Floor, Car Park 1: -6 Tesla Chargers -4 Type 2 Chargers | EV users will get a discounted rate of £1 for up to 30 minutes in Car Park 1. Costs rise dramatically after first 30 minutes. No pre-booking, app or payment required. You will need to pay the parking tariff. |
| Manchester Airport | Yes (Unofficial) | Unofficial Locations: -Clayton Manchester Airport (Hotel) -APH Car Park, Park and Ride, vehicle to be charged whilst you're away (leave keys). Leave cable in boot. | |
| Newcastle Airport | Yes | Short Stay Car Park 1 | First come, first served |
| Southend Airport | Yes | Short Stay and 2 Priority Parking | |
| Stansted Airport | No | Nearby options: -ZeroNet, Radisson Blu, CM24 1PP -Tesla & GridServe, Welcome Break (Service Station), CM23 5QZ |
Sources:
*Hey Car
**NimbleFins