{"id":1859,"date":"2026-02-03T09:30:49","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T08:30:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uscale.digital\/en\/?p=1859"},"modified":"2026-03-26T15:11:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T14:11:15","slug":"charging-payment-study-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uscale.digital\/en\/2026\/02\/03\/charging-payment-study-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Press Release: Charging Payment Study 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Why paying at charging stations is so frustrating and what providers can do about it<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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Charging Payment Study 2026: Why paying at charging stations is so frustrating and what providers can do about it<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Stuttgart, 03\/02\/2026 – Charging power, range and infrastructure have increased significantly over the past ten years, and many aspects of charging have improved. One key pain point, however, remains unresolved: paying at public charging stations continues to be a source of frustration for many EV drivers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new USCALE Charging Payment Study 2026 is the first comprehensive analysis of EV drivers\u2019 payment behaviour at public charging points in Germany. The representative study defines so\u2011called payment personas and examines which payment methods are actually used, why preferences and reality diverge, and which payment strategies providers now need.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThere is no shortage of payment options, but none of them is truly convincing,\u201d says Dr Axel Sprenger, Managing Director of USCALE. \u201cThis is a problem for providers. Our data show that payment has become a key factor in the choice of charging service – and thus also influences the pace of EV adoption.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preferences and reality are worlds apart<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

EV drivers use several payment methods at public charging stations: on average, respondents name two to three methods they use regularly. Despite a broad range of options, they do not always use their preferred method. In an ideal world, Plug & Charge and direct (ad\u2011hoc) payment are the most popular: they are preferred by 40% and 29% of respondents respectively, but only used at least occasionally by 49% and 55% (see chart in the attached press handout). The opposite is true for charging cards and charging apps: they are preferred by only 13% and 17% of respondents, but used by 70% and 77%. There is therefore a clear gap between preferred and actual payment behaviour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One major reason is the limited availability of certain payment methods, such as Plug & Charge \/ Autocharge. Even at DC charging stations this option is not yet offered consistently. Where it is available, high roaming surcharges often apply if the driver does not have a contract with the respective provider. As most vehicles can only store a single contract, this situation occurs frequently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Direct (ad\u2011hoc) payment, the second\u2011most preferred option, also falls short of expectations. It is not available at all charging stations, and where it is, many respondents perceive the payment process as cumbersome and unintuitive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many payment options \u2013 none of them convincing<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The study concludes that none of today\u2019s established payment methods fully meets users\u2019 expectations. Each option has specific advantages and disadvantages and caters to different needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The strengths of one payment method are often the weaknesses of another. As a result, no single solution succeeds in meeting all basic requirements \u2013 such as simplicity, cost control, transparency and convenience \u2013 equally well. The growing number of options therefore does not automatically translate into higher satisfaction. On the contrary, many EV drivers consider today\u2019s payment ecosystem to be in urgent need of improvement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Quote from Dr Axel Sprenger<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs long as the payment experience at public charging points remains so unsatisfactory, it will not only frustrate the 4% of current EV drivers. The still complex charging landscape also deters many potential adopters in the next segment from switching to an EV.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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About the Charging Payment Study 2026<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For the Charging Payment Study 2026, a total of 1,510 EV drivers in Germany were surveyed in November 2025. The study provides detailed analyses of the actual and preferred use of closed\u2011loop and open\u2011loop payment methods, preferred payment instruments, payment personas, innovative payment approaches, the relevance of receipts and invoicing, and the implications for CPOs, OEMs and oil companies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Further informations:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Press handout<\/a> on the study
Information on the Charging Payment Study<\/a>
Overview of the study contents<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Company Abstract<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

USCALE is a consulting and market research company for electromobility based in Stuttgart, Germany. USCALE’s work is based on customer insights studies on all touchpoints of the e-mobility customer journey. USCALE is the only provider to have a panel specialized in e-mobility with over 10,000 panelists in German-speaking countries. USCALE studies show the pain points of users and the potential for all providers in the electromobility market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Contact<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

USCALE GmbH, Silberburgstrasse 112, 70176 Stuttgart, GERMANY, media@uscale.digital<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Why paying at charging stations is so frustrating and what providers can do about it<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":1948,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1859","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press"],"yoast_head":"\nPress Release: Charging Payment Study 2026 - uscale.digital<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The\u00a0USCALE Charging Payment Study 2026 shows which payment methods EV drivers actually use and where their dissatisfaction comes from.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/uscale.digital\/en\/2026\/02\/03\/charging-payment-study-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Press Release: Charging Payment Study 2026 - 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