EV Charging Points in Durham

Durham is a compact city with a historic core that was never designed for cars, let alone for charging them. Even so, an electric car is a perfectly practical way to live in or visit the city. Durham County Council has spent several years putting chargers into its own car parks, rapid charging operators have arrived on the main roads in, and a large Tesla Supercharger sits a few minutes down the A1(M). Here is our local rundown of where to plug in, and how charging works if you live in a terraced street with no driveway.

A word on prices before we start: tariffs change often and vary by operator, so we have left them out. Check the operator's app or Zapmap for current prices and live availability before you set off.

Council charge points

Durham County Council runs the largest network of public chargers in and around the city. Most are 22kW fast chargers, which suit a stop of a couple of hours, and the council has added rapid chargers at a handful of sites, including Belmont and Neville's Cross. The chargers are run by network operators on the council's behalf, mainly Be.EV and Mer, so you pay through the relevant app, and Zapmap shows which is which.

During the day (8am to 8pm) you have an hour after being told your car has finished charging before an overstay fee kicks in, so these bays are for charging rather than all-day parking.

The Park and Ride sites

All three Park and Ride sites have charge points, which makes them a sensible choice if you are visiting the city for the day. Belmont, beside Junction 62 of the A1(M), is the best equipped, with slow, fast and rapid units. Sniperley, off the A167 to the north, has the most bays, with a row of fast chargers. Howlands Farm on South Road has a smaller set of slower chargers. You can top up while you ride the bus into the centre, though the daytime overstay rule still applies once the car is full.

Best for: Best for day visitors: charge while you catch the bus into town.

City car parks and community sites

Closer in, the council has chargers at the Sidegate car park near Framwellgate, at Wharton Park above the railway station, at the DLI site at Aykley Heads, at Abbey Leisure Centre in Pity Me and at the Merry Oaks Community Hall off Park House Road. The Cross View Terrace car park at Neville's Cross has both a fast charger and a rapid, which makes it the handiest quick top-up on the west side of the city. For more on parking around the centre, see our guide on where to park in Durham.

Best for: Best for residents: fast chargers spread across the city's neighbourhoods.

Rapid chargers

InstaVolt at Bannatyne and Gilesgate

InstaVolt runs two rapid sites in the city, both open around the clock and both with CCS and CHAdeMO connectors. The first is in the car park of Bannatyne Health Club on Eden Terrace, just off the A690 near Junction 62, where two chargers reach up to 80kW. The second is at the filling station on Gilesgate (DH1 1JA), with two 50kW units and a convenience shop on site.

Best for: Best for a quick top-up on the way in from the A1(M) or Sunderland.

Tesla Supercharger, Bowburn

A few miles south-east of the city, just off Junction 61 of the A1(M) at Bowburn, the Durham Supercharger has 19 stalls rated at up to 250kW, making it the biggest and fastest charging site in the area. Tesla lists it as open to other electric cars with a CCS connector as well as Teslas, with charging started and paid for through the Tesla app.

Best for: Best for long journeys up and down the A1(M).

Supermarkets and hotels

Sainsbury's, Arnison Centre

Sainsbury's Durham at the Arnison Centre in Pity Me has a Pod Point charger with two 7kW connectors, which you can use through the Pod Point app while you shop. It is slow, so think of it as a useful extra few miles rather than a full charge.

Best for: Best for adding a little range during the weekly shop.

Ramside Hall Hotel

Ramside Hall Hotel, Golf & Spa at Carrville, east of the city, has 22kW chargers on the EV Smart network, paid for by QR code through the EV Smart app. They suit a round of golf, a spa day or a meal, and are worth knowing about if you are staying over.

Best for: Best for charging during a longer stay, round of golf or spa day.

Charging at home

If you have a driveway or garage, a home charger is still the cheapest and most convenient way to run an electric car. A single home chargepoint is normally covered by permitted development, so you will not usually need planning permission, although listed buildings and conservation areas (which cover much of central Durham) can be different, so check with the council first if that applies to you.

The harder case is the terraced street with no off-street parking, which describes a large share of County Durham's housing. Never run a loose cable across the pavement: it is a trip hazard and you could be liable if someone falls. Instead, Durham County Council offers a cross-pavement charging solution for residents who park on the street outside their home, which carries the cable safely under the footway. Enquiries go to EVCrossPavementSolutions@durham.gov.uk. The council's longer-term aim is for every resident to live within a short walk of a public chargepoint, so it is also worth checking its online map of installed and planned chargers.

Tips for charging in Durham

• Download the apps first. Between the council's operators, InstaVolt, Tesla, Pod Point and EV Smart, you may need several. Zapmap pulls most of them onto one map with live status.
• Avoid the peninsula. The Market Place and Cathedral sit inside the Road User Charge zone with very little parking, so charge on the edge of the city and walk or catch the Cathedral Bus in.
• Watch the overstay rules. Council bays charge extra if you leave a fully charged car in the bay during the day.

Know of a charge point we have missed, or found one out of action? Let us know through our contact page and we will update this guide.