🔌 Electric car first month checklist

Range anxiety is mostly a first-month problem — once charging is set up properly and the real-world range is known, it stops being something to think about.

17 items

1. Charging set up
2. Home charger installed or booked inFar faster than a three-pin plug, and where most of the day-to-day charging happens.
3. Off-peak electricity tariff checkedOvernight charging on the right tariff is where most of the running-cost saving actually comes from.
4. Charging cable kept in the carFor any charger that doesn't come with one attached — check before a public charger turns out to need it.
5. Smart scheduling set to the cheap tariff hoursCharging can start automatically overnight rather than relying on remembering to set it.
6. Charging apps for the networks near you and your regular routesA handful is plenty. Signing up to every network in the country solves nothing and clutters a phone.
7. Payment cards linked to each app in advanceSorting this out standing at a charger in the rain is worse than doing it at home on the sofa.
8. Real-world range worked out on ordinary journeysThe advertised figure is a best case — motorway speeds, cold weather and the heater all take a chunk off it.
9. Charging routine settled, plugging in whenever parked rather than waiting for emptyLittle and often suits the battery better than running it down before every charge.
10. Public rapid chargers near work and regular destinations locatedWorth knowing before the day the battery runs lower than planned, not during it.
11. Tyre pressures checkedAn electric car is heavier than the equivalent petrol model, and pressures matter more for range and tyre wear as a result.
12. Regenerative braking setting understoodOne-pedal driving takes a week or two to feel natural — it isn't a fault if the car slows itself down.
13. Insurance checked it reflects the car as electricThe wrong vehicle type on a policy can be a reason to decline a claim later.
14. Battery warranty and its mileage or age limit notedUsually longer than the standard car warranty — worth knowing the actual figure rather than assuming.
15. Charging cable storage bag kept in the bootA wet, muddy cable dumped loose in the boot each time gets old fast.
16. Home insurer told about a charger installed on the propertySome insurers want to know about a permanent electrical installation added to the house.
17. Any government or local grant for home charging checked before installationEligibility and amounts change, so check the current rules rather than what a friend got last year.