Charging payment Study 2025

Open loop or closed loop: usage habits regarding payment methods at charging stations, willingness to change and pay extra

The study surveys the experiences and usage preferences of EV drivers with regard to various payment methods, as well as possible interactions between payment methods and other criteria such as willingness to pay.

The four most important payment methods were examined

  • Charging app
  • Charging card / RFID chip
  • Plug-and-charge
  • Various implementation options for ad hoc charging

Further areas of study:

  • Relationship between price and payment method
  • Deep dive into barriers to use for Plug&Charge
  • Interest in other innovative payment methods
  • Expectations regarding receipt generation, charging history and invoicing

The Charging Payment Study will be conducted online in November 2025 among approximately 1,500 electric car drivers in Germany.

CONTENTS AND ADDED VALUE OF THE Charging Payment STUDY

Contents of the Charging Payment Study

Segmentation characteristics:

  • Socio-demographic data (age, gender, etc.)
  • Driving habits (mileage per year and per weekday)
  • Charging locations
  • Charging occasions, routine

Payment and pricing:

  • Payment options
  • Payment preferences
  • Satisfaction with payment process
  • Prices (plug & charge, ad hoc, fast charging)
  • Parking fees
  • Tariff structure
  • Pricing models

Product-market fit payment methods:

  • Determination of product-market fit and achievable target groups for the five payment methods: payment via charging app, charging card/chip, plug & charge, ad hoc + smartphone and ad hoc + debit/credit card
  • Prioritised usage drivers for all payment methods surveyed
  • Prioritised usage barriers for all payment methods surveyed
Target group of the survey

Only owners and drivers of electric vehicles who charge publicly were recruited. For each payment method, 100 people who actively use that payment method were surveyed.

Value added and benefit

The study shows product owners of payment methods at eMSPs, CPOs, OEMs and payment service providers which levers can be used to increase the use of the respective payment method. The usage drivers mentioned support providers in their marketing efforts.

The results also allow providers to estimate under which conditions which payment methods can prevail and to what extent. This enables them to integrate the respective payment systems into the development of their technical concepts.

We show extracts from other studies in the LinkedIn articles by USCALE and Axel Sprenger, our company founder.

USCALE focus studies: User studies on electromobility

Since 2018, USCALE has been systematically surveying EV drivers about their expectations and experiences at all touchpoints of the e-mobile customer journey. You can find an overview of all USCALE focus studies HERE.

We show extracts from other studies in the LinkedIn articles by USCALE and Axel Sprenger, our company founder.

If you have any questions, please contact us at contact@uscale.digital.