Guides / Guide

Your first long trip in an electric car in South Africa

A long trip in an EV is very doable if you plan it. It rewards a bit of preparation, and punishes hoping for the best. Here is how to do your first one without stress.

Before you go

  1. Check the route in our trip checker. Pick your route and car and see where you would stop. If it says the trip is not realistic, believe it.
  2. Check the chargers. Look at the charging map for fast chargers (50 kW or more) along the way. Then check each operator’s app for current status, because chargers can be out of order, busy or switched off.
  3. Have a plan B for every stop. Know the next charger after each planned one, so a broken charger means a longer leg, not a stranded car.
  4. Set up the apps and payment first. Different networks use different apps. Create the accounts at home, not at a charger with the sun on your screen. Many networks bill through their own app.
  5. Charge to 100% at home before you leave, since a full battery saves a stop.

On the road

  • Drive at a steady speed. The difference between 110 and 130 km/h is significant. See real highway range.
  • Plan to arrive at the next charger with at least 10 to 15%. Do not run it down to zero. Headwinds, hills and detours all cost range.
  • Charge to about 80% and then move on. Charging slows down a lot above that, so the last 20% takes a long time for little distance.
  • Combine stops with something useful. Lunch, coffee or a stretch fits neatly into a 20 to 30 minute charge.
  • Precondition the battery if your car allows it. A battery that is warm charges faster.

How long will I stop?

It depends on the car and the charger. A car with a high peak charging rate, on a charger that can supply it, can go from 10% to 80% in 20 to 30 minutes. A slower car, or a slower charger, takes much longer. The trip checker uses an average of about 65% of the car’s peak speed, plus 5 minutes to park and plug in, as a rough estimate. It is a guide, not a promise.

On the N3, for example, CHARGE opened solar-powered sites in 2026 near Reitz and near Colenso with fast chargers rated for about 30 minutes from 20% to 80%. Elsewhere, speeds vary a lot.

What it costs

Public fast charging is about R7 to R8 per kWh in 2026, which is cheaper than petrol but not by as much as charging at home. See the running costs guide.

If a charger does not work

  1. Try another plug on the same site. Sites usually have several.
  2. Check the operator’s app for status and contact details.
  3. Move to the backup charger you identified earlier.
  4. Keep a charging cable and adapter in the boot, as the chargers you need might not have a cable attached.

The routes that need the most thought

Routes with few fast chargers, such as parts of the N1 through the Karoo, need more planning than the N3, which has more charging. Use the trip checker’s longest gap figure. If the longest gap without a fast charger is longer than your car’s range at 120 km/h, that route is not for that car yet, however good the car is. A plug-in hybrid avoids the problem entirely (see PHEV or EV).

Stay flexible

The charging network is growing quickly. Check the charging map and operators before each big trip, as what was true when you last drove the route may have changed.