For many potential EV buyers it's range anxiety that often stops them from reaching for the wallet - that worry that you’ll be left stranded in the middle of nowhere with a flat battery. Yet wrapped up in these concerns about how far you can travel is the issue of how long you’ll be waiting to top up a battery when you find a charger.
For many owners charging at home overnight means waiting for a full battery isn’t a problem, because you’re asleep and the car would be parked up anyway. Yet when you’re out on the road and tackling a long journey, kicking your heels for a few hours is both frustrating and extremely time-consuming.
However, the advent of increasingly rapid DC (Direct Current) chargers means you’re unlikely to be stationary for as long as you think. And while it’s going to be a while before EV charging is as quick and convenient as filling a tank with petrol or diesel, the likelihood of you being at a loose end for large chunks of time continues to diminish as car makers develop increasingly fast and efficient charging methods.
For our top 10 fastest charging cars we’ve used manufacturer-claimed figures for the maximum rate in kW (kilowatts) at which the battery will accept charge, as well as the time it takes to reach 80% capacity (few brands recommend rapid-charging to 100%, and to protect the battery the final 20% is added much more slowly).
Top 10 fastest charging EVs on sale
Lucid Air - 350kW
Due to hit UK shores later this year, the handsome Lucid Air has made plenty of headlines with its knockout 1096bhp power output as well as its impressive claimed range of 520 miles. However, these are not the only impressive numbers about the American executive saloon, which has been engineered by the same person behind the Tesla Model S. With an electrical architecture that’s rated at above 900V, the Lucid is able to take almost full advantage of the latest 350kW rapid chargers. The brand is cagey about exactly how much the Air can accept but states "over 300kW", which means the large, 118kWh battery can be replenished from 10-80% in as little as 15 minutes.
Hyundai Ioniq 5 - 350kW
The first of a number of cars from Hyundai and its subsidiary brands Kia and Genesis, the Ioniq 5 turned the family EV market on its head when it arrived in 2021. It finishes ahead of its Korean cousins here because it was the first one to hit showrooms. Underpinning the Ioniq 5 is the firm’s clever E-GMP platform that includes powerful 800V electrics, a feature that had previously been reserved for the much pricier Porsche Taycan. According to Hyundai, this allows the car to be charged at a rate of up to 350kW, which is good for 10-80% in 18 minutes. However, experience suggests this figure is only achieved for the briefest of moments, and more often than not the angular hatchback accepts electricity at around 230kW.
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I've never timed filling a car tank with fuel, I'd guess around 1'15" average...