Charging plugs look more confusing than they are. In reality there are only a few common plugs in Europe, and most new cars use the same two. Once you know them, you always know whether a charger fits your car before you drive there.
Why there is more than one plug at all
The reason is that there are two kinds of charging. AC (alternating current) is used for slower charging at home and in the city, where the car’s own charger converts the power. DC (direct current) is used for fast charging, where the charger sends power straight to the battery. The two need different plugs, which is why the fast-charging plug has extra pins for the heavy direct current.
The three to know
- CCS (Combo 2): the standard for rapid and fast charging in Europe. It is the Type 2 plug with two extra DC pins below
- Type 2 (Mennekes): the plug for normal AC charging, the one you use at home, at work and at kerbside chargers
- CHAdeMO: an older DC plug, found mainly on older Japanese cars like the first Nissan Leaf. It is being phased out but still appears on many chargers
What about Tesla
Tesla’s European cars use Type 2 for AC and CCS for fast charging, exactly like the others. Most Tesla Superchargers in Europe therefore have CCS cables, and many are now open to all brands. So you do not need a special Tesla plug in Europe.
How to find out what your car uses
The plug type is in your car’s manual and can usually be seen on the charging flap itself. If the car has a combined CCS inlet, it handles both AC and DC through the same opening. Still unsure? Your dealer or the manufacturer’s website can confirm it.
On every charging station on FindCharger you can see which plugs it has, so you can check it fits your car before you drive there for nothing.