Electric cars are becoming an increasingly common sight on Britain's roads, but one question still crops up time and again in my inbox: are they really practical for long family holidays abroad?
It's an understandable concern. Driving to France has long been a summer tradition for British families, but swapping a five-minute fuel stop for charging breaks can feel like a leap into the unknown.
Virginia Greene recently emailed me to ask: "We're planning to drive to France in our next car, including a summer holiday with four people, luggage and a roof box. My husband says an electric car will be a nightmare once we get off the ferry, but I'm not so sure. Is taking an EV abroad actually practical?"
Virginia’s husband is right about one thing: a family holiday is not the time to discover that you have packed every charging cable except the one you need. But the wider point is much less dramatic. Taking an electric car to France – and beyond – is now perfectly practical, provided you do a little planning before you leave.
Sign up for Steve Fowler’s DriveSmart newsletter here
In fact, France is one of the easier places in Europe to take an EV. There are plenty of rapid chargers on the main routes, particularly around motorway service areas, and charging hubs are becoming increasingly common near supermarkets, hotels and retail parks. You will not be short of places to charge on a typical UK-to-south-of-France run.
The biggest difference compared with a petrol or diesel car is that you need to think about stops slightly differently. Rather than waiting until the battery is nearly empty, it is usually better to plan a couple of sensible charging breaks around meals, toilet stops and a stretch of the legs. With a decent modern EV, that is not necessarily a hardship when you have children in the back and a boot full of holiday luggage.
Most new EVs are well suited to this sort of trip. They combine useful motorway range with reasonably fast charging, and it's the latter that's the important bit. It is not just about how far a car can travel between stops; it is about how quickly it can add enough range to get you comfortably to the next one.
A Tesla remains the easiest choice if you want the most straightforward long-distance experience, largely because its Supercharger network is so well integrated into the car’s navigation. But it is far from the only sensible option.
Your roof box will make a difference, though. Any car uses more energy with a large box on its roof, but an EV will show that more clearly in its range readout. Depending on the car, speed and weather, expect a noticeable reduction in range, particularly on faster motorway stretches. The answer is simply to build in an extra charging stop rather than trying to stretch every last mile from the battery.
It is also worth doing a little homework before you travel. Check whether your hotel or holiday accommodation has charging available, download one or two useful European charging apps, and take a contactless bank card that works abroad. A service such as Octopus Electroverse can be helpful, too, because it gives access to a number of charging networks through one app or card rather than requiring you to sign up to each one separately.
And do not forget the basics: take the charging cable supplied with the car, make sure your European breakdown cover includes EV recovery, and use the car’s route planner where possible. Most modern systems will work out charging stops automatically, taking account of your battery level and the journey ahead.
Would an old, short-range EV be ideal for a heavily loaded family drive through France? Probably not. But a current electric family car with 250 miles or so of real-world motorway range and decent rapid-charging ability can make the trip surprisingly straightforward.
You may spend a little longer at service stations than you would in a diesel, but with a decent plan, a coffee and some patience, it won't spoil the holiday. In some ways, it may even make you take the breaks you should have taken anyway.
Sign up for the DriveSmart newsletter
.png)
To get the latest motoring insights from EV editor Steve Fowler delivered straight to your inbox, simply enter your email address in the box at the top of this page.
Each edition of DriveSmart offers clear, expert guidance on the fast-moving world of electric vehicles and modern motoring, from trusted reviews and practical tips to the biggest industry news of the week.
You can also head to our newsletter preference centre to sign up for the email.
