Charging Market Consolidates: Nearly All the Business Goes to One Provider
Charging Market Consolidates: most of the Business Goes to One Provider
Stuttgart, Germany, October 7, 2026.
Newly released figures from Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) speak clearly: More than one in three new cars registered in Germany is now fully electric, nearly twice as many as in the same month a year ago. For charging providers, the long-awaited boom has arrived. But not everyone will benefit equally. The winners will be the providers that become customers’ first choice.
That is the finding of USCALE’s CPO/eMSP Charging Services Study 2026, for which 2,507 drivers of battery-electric vehicles in Germany were surveyed in July 2026.
Three charging services, one favorite
On average, EV drivers actively use three charging services, and newcomers just 2.4. One of them is clearly their favorite: It accounts for roughly two-thirds of all charging sessions and thus of revenue (Chart 1 in the press handout). The other services are used situationally: on long trips, at the provider’s own charge points, while shopping, or when the favorite isn’t available on site.
Utilities lead, with oil majors and automaker services close behind
Large utilities with offerings such as EnBW mobility+, E.ON Drive and EWE Go continue to hold the biggest share of customer preference. Oil majors such as Aral pulse and Shell Recharge follow. Surprisingly strong in third place are automaker charging services, meaning charging contracts under the carmaker’s own brand that customers sign directly with the manufacturer or dealer (Chart 2).
Pure-play charge point operators such as IONITY, Fastned and Allego come in only fourth among EV drivers (excluding Tesla). Retailers such as Aldi, Lidl and Edeka are catching up, while municipal utilities and roaming providers remain niche players.
Tesla is a special case: 88% of Tesla drivers use the Superchargers. Among drivers of other brands, the Superchargers have so far played only a minor role: Just 13% of non-Tesla drivers use Tesla Superchargers, and only 3% prefer them.
Awareness alone is not enough
How well providers turn awareness into actual usage varies widely. Across all providers studied, for every user of a charging service there are about 1.2 EV drivers who know the provider but don’t use it. Automaker services, EnBW mobility+, Aral pulse and Shell Recharge see high usage: Among those who know the brand, they have more users than non-users. For providers such as E.ON Drive, IONITY, EWE Go, Allego or Vattenfall, it is the other way around: Here, every user is matched by more than one non-user (Chart 3).
Rejection is rarely the reason. Most non-users view the providers they know positively or neutrally. Around one-third are open to trying a service they know but haven’t used yet. The potential is clearly there.
Users are satisfied, too. Eight providers achieve a Net Promoter Score (NPS) above 40, including automaker charging services (53), Tesla (52), IONITY (49), Shell Recharge (48) and Aral pulse (47) (Chart 4). Among Tesla drivers, the Superchargers even score 62 points. For comparison: The average for the German energy industry is 17 points.
Providers need clear positioning
Across all providers, three things drive preference above all: convenient locations, high reliability and an easy-to-use app. When it comes to reliability and the app, no provider can afford weaknesses. Price plays an important role mainly when choosing a charging service. Contrary to expectations, it matters less later on.
Things get interesting beyond that: How EV drivers perceive individual brands, and why they prefer a provider, differs markedly. Automaker services, for example, score with their integration into the vehicle. Drivers associate EnBW mobility+ with good coverage on the road, and Aldi and Lidl with low ad hoc prices. Providers that want to become the first choice need a profile that fits their customers.
“Public charging is becoming the norm for more and more EV drivers, and charging providers are delivering. High satisfaction shows it,” says Dr. Axel Sprenger, founder and CEO of USCALE. “Reliability and a good app are table stakes. Beyond that, customers set very different priorities depending on the provider. Providers that know what their customers value them for can deliberately become the first choice. With this study, we support charging providers in their strategy work.”
About the study
For the CPO/eMSP Charging Services Study 2026, USCALE surveyed 2,507 drivers of purely battery-electric vehicles in Germany who charge publicly in July 2026. The study is conducted for the eighth consecutive year. It shows how the charging market is evolving as e-mobility ramps up, that is, which charging services are used, how and why, which criteria EV drivers apply when choosing a provider, and how they perceive the largest charging providers. For each provider, a brand health funnel shows where it wins and loses customers. USCALE offers the detailed study report, including an analysis dashboard and a conjoint simulator, as a license.
Additional resources
More information about the study
Press handout with charts
About USCALE
USCALE is a market research company specializing in electric mobility, based in Stuttgart, Germany. The company supports automakers, infrastructure providers and fleet operators with data-based market research and strategy consulting.
Contact
USCALE GmbH, Silberburgstrasse 112, D – 70176 Stuttgart, +49 711 620014-0, media@uscale.digital