While home charging and low-power destination chargers are fine for every day driving, sometimes you just need a quick charge. If you're a high mileage driver, a business user or just someone who's in a rush, the speed at which your car charges can be very important.
We have listed the best cars for charging quickly that are available right now in the UK, but that list profiles cars across the different price levels using manufacturer-quoted data. Here we are revealing the cars sold worldwide that put as many miles as possible into your battery in the shortest period of time, tested independently by global consulting firm P3. The data is taken from its 2023 P3 Charging Index for Asia.
Bar two models, which are expected to arrive in the UK in 2025, all of these cars are on sale, and range from high performance models such as the Lotus Emeya to more value-for-money offerings such as the BYD Atto 3.
Before we reveal the full list, it's worth remembering this is an independent test using 400kW chargers at a 10% state of charge (SoC). The speed at which your car will charge at a public charging station will be dependent on a number of factors, such as local conditions that include the number of vehicles drawing power from that station, ambient temperature, the battery temperature and the battery's current SoC.
Price: From £37,695
Battery size: 60.4kWh
Max charging rate: 88kW
While BYD's small electric crossover doesn't have a high maximum charging rate, its 'Blade Battery' charges particularly quickly.
After 10 minutes on a 400kW charger, the Atto 3 put 56 miles at 10% SoC. Between 10 and 20 minutes it had added another 48 miles, meaning that after 20 minutes the Atto 3 would have 105 miles of range. Interestingly, the battery's charging was consistent over the 20 minutes and didn't drop.
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BYD's clever Blade Battery charges up quickly Price: From £101,765
Battery size: 101.7kWh
Max charging rate: 195kWBMW's electric luxury limo is one the largest electric cars on sale and therefore it needs a big battery pack – 101.7kWh useable, to be precise.
It may have a large battery pack, but it charges pretty quickly. The test found that from 10% SoC, the car added 103 miles of range in 10 minutes, and further 73 miles after another 10 minutes, meaning that within 20 minutes the i7 had a range of 176 miles. The i7 does reduce its charging speed a little after 10 minutes, but not enormously so.
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BMW's luxury barge likes a quick top-up Price: £44,990
Battery size: 55kWh-75kWh
Max charge rate: 250kWIt's good to know that one of the best-selling cars in the UK (overall, not just in the EV market) is also one of the quickest to charge when time is tight.
After 10 minutes when plugged into a 400kW charger at 10% SoC, the Tesla added 120 miles of range into its battery. After another 10 minutes it added a further 62 miles, to a total of 182 miles after 20 minutes. After that first 10 minutes, the Tesla's battery did lower its charging power by nearly 50%, though.
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UK top-seller doesn't hang around when charging Price: £69,905
Battery size: 87.2kWh
Max charge rate: 185kW
It may be an extremely rare sight on the UK roads, but if you splash out £70,000 for the super luxurious G8 Electrified, you can be sure of a quick charge.
During the test with a 400kW charger, the G80 Electrified, at 10% SoC, added 93 miles of range in 10 minutes. After another 10 minutes it added a further 95 miles of range, meaning that after 20 minutes of being plugged in the G80 would have added 188 miles of range to its battery.
Interestingly, the charging speed was a little higher in the 10 to 20 minutes window, suggesting the G80's 87.2kW battery pack prefers longer charges and adjusts its speed accordingly.
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It may be rare but G80 charges very quickly 6. Nio ET5 Touring Long Range
Price: Not yet on sale in UK
Battery size: 90kWh
Max charge rate: 125kW
Nio is due to launch its first cars to the UK in 2025, and promises smart styling, plush interiors and impressive tech, and is aiming for the premium end of the market. The company is well known for its battery-swap stations that can change a battery in minutes, and the firm aims to build these in the UK. But if you find yourself at a normal public charging station, how quickly will it charge?
Well, the answer is quickly. During the test with a 400kW charger, the ET5 Touring, at 10% SoC, added 94 miles of range in 10 minutes. After another 10 minutes, another 94 miles of range was added, meaning that after 20 minutes the ET5 would have added a range of 189 miles to its battery. Also, there was no drop-off after 10 minutes, with the ET5 gives a consistent speed of charge throughout the 20 minute charging time.
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Nio's electric estate car should be heading to the UK soon Price: From £65,052
Battery size: 99.8kWh
Max charge rate: 210kW
Kia's big seven-seat SUV delivers a lot – a large battery and quick charging times.
Tested in entry-level rear-wheel drive Air trim, the big Kia added 100 miles of range to its battery at 10% SoC when plugged into a 400kW charger. It added another 100 miles in the next 10 minutes, too, meaning that after 20 minutes 200 miles of range had been added. Again, like the ET5, the EV9 has a consistent charging speed.
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A family of seven needn't charge for long with the Kia EV9 Price: From £47,040
Battery size: 77.4kWh
Max charge rate: 232kW
The wind-cheated Ioniq 6 has a very slippery shape to help make it more efficient when driving. And charging isn't a drag, either, as it tops its battery up very quickly.
When plugged into a 400kW charger, the Ioniq 6, at 10% SoC, added 157 miles of range in just 10 minutes. Between 10 and 20 minutes, another 58 miles was added, meaning that in the 20-minute charge 216 miles had been added to the car's battery. The battery, though, favours quicker charging times, as after 20 minutes, the car slowed its charging speed down by over 63%.
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The Ioniq 6 charges quicker than the Tesla Model 3 3. Xpeng G9 Long Range
Price: Not yet on sale in UK
Battery size: 93.1kWh
Max charging speed: 300kW
You're going to be hearing a lot about Xpeng over the next few years, as it's another ambitious Chinese newcomer destined for the UK. The G9 is its range-topping SUV and and is aiming for the plushest Mercs and BMWs on sale. Its 93kWh battery isn't the largest around but its 300kW maximum charging rate certainly is impressive.
When plugged into a 400kW charger at 10% SoC, the G9 added 137 miles of range in just 10 minutes. Between 10 and 20 minutes, it added another 86 miles to give a total of 223 miles in 20 minutes.
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Xpeng what? You're going to be hearing a lot more from this carmaker soon Price: £99,835
Battery size: 108kWh
Max charging speed: 200kW
Mercedes' plushest EV has a massive 108kWh battery pack, to give a colossal claimed range of 479 miles. It's big and brash and capable of driving long distances, but it can also charge up pretty quickly too.
Using the same 400kW charger as all the other cars in this list at 10% SoC, the EQS, in 450+ guise, can add 129 miles of range in 10 minutes. Between 10 and 20 minutes, another 103 miles is pushed into the battery, meaning that after 20 minutes 231 miles have been added. Unsurprisingly, with such a large battery, the charging speed drops off after 10 minutes to a more sedate pace
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EQS: Big, brash and charges quickly 1. Lotus Emeya
Price: From £94,950
Battery size: 102kWh
Max charging speed: 402kW
Lotus's new four-door Emya has the Porsche Taycan in its sights. It certainly can out-charge its German rival in terms of speed, because it came out top in the P3 charging test.
When plugged into the 400kW charger at 10% SoC, the Emeya added a whopping 193 miles of range in just 10 minutes. Between 10 and 20 minutes, it added a further 92 miles of range, meaning that after 20 minutes in total a range of 285 miles had been added to the car's battery.
Amazingly, the Emeya had reached 80% of its battery capacity in just 14 minutes, meaning it is the quickest car to charge currently in the world.
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The Emeya can top up its battery to 80% in an amazing 14 minutes 
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