Charge your e-car for free – there are free charging stations here!

 

The current rise in electricity prices is also noticeable when charging an electric car. It is all the better if you know where to find free charging stations for your e-car. We'll tell you if and where you can save money when refuelling.

Free charging stations: Here you can recharge your batteries for free

The possibility of refuelling with electricity for e-cars free of charge is mainly offered by retailers. In the past, there were a few more stores that offered free charging, including Aldi, Lidl and Kaufland. Unfortunately, these discounters have now introduced payment systems. In some cases, blocking fees are even charged. Also pay attention to whether you are only allowed to use the supermarket parking lot with the parking disc laid out or also with your electronic parking disc.

Here is a list of shops that currently offer free charging stations, depending on the region:

• Bauhaus
• Globe
• Hornbach
• Hagebau

Sometimes it can happen that public charging stations have problems with charging. In most cases, these can be easily remedied. You should also make sure that you have the right charging cable with the right plug type. If you are on holiday with an e-car in Italy, you should inquire in advance, there are also some free charging stations there.

This can influence whether you buy a combustion engine or an electric car.

Charging e-cars at Aldi no longer for free

Until recently, the discounter Aldi was also one of the companies that provided their customers with free charging stations. At Aldi Süd, around 1,000 charging points were available for free charging while shopping in one of the stores until June 1, 2022.

Unfortunately, some electric car owners did not adhere to this rule, and became so-called charging scroungers. This means that the sought-after parking spaces were permanently occupied with free charging stations, by vehicles whose owners did not shop at the discounter. That's why charging an e-car has now cost a fee at Aldi Süd since June 2022. For this purpose, the charging station can also be used outside opening hours, more precisely daily (including Sundays and public holidays) from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Nevertheless, the discounter is a bit accommodating: The charging tariff is very cheap - for some perhaps even cheaper than charging the e-car at home at the wallbox. It may be possible to save additional costs with a fuel card. Here are the costs (as of October 2024):

• 22 kW charging stations at Aldi: 29 cents per kWh
• CCS fast charger (max. 150 kW): 39 cents per kWh

 

Lidl and Kaufland – no more free charging

Lidl has a problem with loading scroungers, and they have tried to get it under control. Unfortunately, none of this helped, which is why charging at all 1,300 charging stations in front of Lidl and Kaufland stores has now been subject to a fee since September 12, 2022.

The costs had become too high, 15 to 20 charging processes would be carried out at a charging station every day, which would no longer be sustainable. Lidl currently charges the following costs for a charging process:

• AC charging point: 29 cents per kWh
• DC charging point: 48 cents per kWh

Kaufland is lowering fast-charging prices with immediate effect

The retailer wants more people to use its charging station network, after all, the company has currently installed more than 500 fast-charging points. In order to make charging at Kaufland stores more attractive, the prices for fast-charging stations have now been lowered. Currently, you pay the following prices:

• AC charging point: 29 cents per kWh (no price change)
• DC charging point: 44 cents per kWh (previously 48 cents)
• HPC charging point: 47 cents per kWh (previously 65 cents)
  (150 kW charging power)

To have a comparison: If you want to charge super-fast at Ionity charging stations from 150 kW, you pay 79 cents per kWh - so you save a lot of money when charging at the HPC charging points at Kaufland.

By the way, AC and DC charging stations have different purposes.

Free charging at Ikea - not since January 2025

At Ikea, customers with electric cars have been getting their money's worth in recent years - by having no costs. Until recently, Ikea offered free charging at every German furniture store, but that is now over.

Ikea had already announced that more money would be invested in the expansion of charging stations at Ikea locations. But as a result, charging is no longer free. The current charging prices at Ikea are as follows (as of January 2025):

• AC charging station: 49 cents per kWh
• DC charging station (up to 75 kW): 57 cents per kWh
• Fast charging station: 69 cents per kWh

If you have an Ikea Family Card or are part of the Ikea Business Network, you get a 20 percent discount. You have to register in the Mer Connect ME app and then identify yourself as an Ikea Family or Business member. However, you will only receive a discount on the first 1,000 kWh charged per year, starting on 1 January.

Charging at the Ikea charging stations can now also be done outside opening hours. The company states that 100 percent of the green electricity fed into the grid was generated from hydropower.

 

If you don't shop, you are (actually) not allowed to charge

Most shops and DIY stores tie free charging to a purchase in the store. So only those who also shop are allowed to use the free charging station. Ikea is an exception, because there you can use the charging station free of charge regardless of shopping in the store. For this purpose, the charging stations are only available during opening hours.

How long can I use a charging station?

Most of the time, use is limited to one hour, sometimes 90 minutes are allowed. In addition, most stores limit usage by making charging stations available only during opening hours.

But this information is difficult to put into practice, which makes life easy for loaders. Honest customers are left behind and in the future it could even be that free charging stations disappear completely.

If charging an e-car is still fundamentally new to you, we have tips for you on what you should consider when charging e-cars.

Free e-car charging in multi-storey car parks, shopping centres and the like

In addition to grocery stores and hardware stores, parking garages, museums, shopping centers and even authorities now also offer free charging stations for their customers. However, this varies from place to place, so check with relevant locations in your area to see if free charging stations are offered.

What is also becoming more and more common is that employers provide their employees with the opportunity to charge e-cars free of charge. If you're looking for a charging station – whether it's free or for a fee – then it's best to use our charging card. This will help you find the right charging station near you. In addition, with an e-car license plate you get free electricity at some charging stations.

However, after the new charging station ordinance has been postponed, you still have to fight with different providers of charging cards and cannot yet pay with an EC card.

Can you still charge a Tesla for free?

The conditions for free charging at Tesla Supercharger stations have changed several times in recent years. Currently, it is no longer generally possible to charge there free of charge. The following conditions currently apply to free charging:

• Model S and Model X ordered by January 15, 2017 can also benefit from free lifetime electricity as used cars. This bonus can also be transferred to the new ownerin the event of a private sale. However, the vehicle must never have been owned by Tesla in between, because then the lifetime charging bonus would no longer apply.
• For Model S and Model X models ordered after January 15, 2017, the lifetime free charging option only applies as long as the vehicle is with the first owner. This only applied to vehicles ordered by September 17, 2018. After that, the action was further restricted.