One of Britain’s biggest public charge point operators has revealed the best and worst times to try to use a public charger over the Christmas period.

​Gridserve has used festive data from last year to predict the times and locations where chargers will be most in demand this year, as well as offer some advice on the best times to aim for a top-up.

The RAC is predicting that people will make more than 21 million leisure trips over the pre-Christmas weekend, with huge numbers also expected to take to the roads on Boxing Day and beyond. Among those will be hundreds of thousands of electric vehicles. 

Many electric cars will easily cover more than 200 miles on a single charge but, for those travelling further afield or who haven’t managed to fill up before leaving, the public charger network is going to be vital this Christmas. 

And after chaotic scenes at some chargers last year, which saw drivers waiting up to three hours to find a free plug, Gridserve has urged drivers to plan their journeys carefully and aim to charge at quieter times. 

Based on its data from 2022, Gridserve predicts that December 23 is likely to be the busiest day at its chargers as families hit the road in advance of Christmas Eve. After a quieter few days, demand for chargers is expected to jump again on December 27 and 28 as people make return trips or head out to catch up with loved ones. 

Across the network, peak demand is expected at 1pm as travellers try to align charging with the chance to grab some lunch. However, if you can aim to reach a charger before 10am or after 5pm, demand will be between 20% and 25% lower. And if you can plan your stops even earlier or later, demand falls even more dramatically before 8am and after 6pm. 

Gridserve has even broken its data down by location, identifying the best and worst times to charge at some of its most popular sites. 

Among its busiest sites are Moto Cherwell Valley - where peak demand is likely to be at around 4pm - Moto Rugby, where greatest demand is earlier in the day at 11am, and Wetherby, Pease Pottage, Burton-in-Kendall and Watford Gap, all of which are expected to see demand peak at 1pm before tailing off from 3pm. 

Gridserve has identified what it expects to be its busiest locations and times over the Christmas break

The figures come as research by Electrifying.com shows that the number of chargers is failing to keep up with the growing number of electric cars on the roads, potentially leading to bigger queues at peak times. 

Our data shows that although the number of chargers is increasing - from 37,261 in December 2022 to 52,933 in November 2023 - electric car sales are accelerating faster (up from 663,7000 to 950,000 this year). There are now 0.6 chargers for every 100 electric cars, down from 0.7 a year ago - a 17% drop. 

On a more positive note, the number of ultra-rapid devices per 100 cars has grown slightly - up 1.14% from 1 per 100 to 1.1 per 100 - meaning drivers should spend less time charging and, hopefully, less time waiting for a charger. 

How to reduce charging delays

If you’re set to take a long journey this Christmas, you can reduce your chances of being held up at a charger by planning your journey in advance and making sure your car is prepared. 

Use a mapping tool and plot a route with charging stops that avoid the busiest times and locations. Give yourself a back-up location or two in case your first choice is mobbed and, if you can, consider heading away from the motorway network to find quieter chargers. They might not be as fast but you might face less of a wait to get access.

Generally, the advice is not to charge your car beyond 80% but ahead of a long trip, it’s worth charging at home all the way up to 100% and using cabin preconditioning to get everything toasty warm while the car’s still plugged in. 

Even simple things like checking your tyre pressures will help maximise efficiency and if your car has battery preconditioning, you can use this and your car’s sat nav to ensure the battery is at the optimum temperature for when you stop, allowing you to charge faster and get back on the road sooner.