Many assume that in a commodity market — like gasoline or energy — price is the decisive factor. But our latest survey, and my own experience as an EV driver, show that public charging works differently. In EV charging, price plays only a secondary role. What drivers value most today is reliability and support: the confidence that when they arrive at a charging point, it will work, and if something goes wrong, someone will help them. On long trips, that peace of mind is worth far more than saving a few cents per kilowatt-hour.

This is not just theory. I see it myself when I plan long journeys: I build my route only around networks I trust. I might pass cheaper stations along the way, but if I don’t know they will be available and functioning, I won’t risk them. And this is exactly what thousands of other drivers tell us in our survey — that price comes into play, but only once availability and support are guaranteed.

Confidence Over Cost

For many drivers, the biggest anxiety about going electric is not the price of charging — it’s the fear of not being able to charge at all. Public charging is still new, and that creates uncertainty. A charger out of order, a connector locked, an app that won’t start a session — these are the real pain points. And when they happen on a long trip, price feels irrelevant. What matters is whether the driver can get back on the road quickly.

That’s why support is not an add-on. It is central to the EV charging experience. When something fails, drivers expect it to be solved, fast. Trust is built not when everything goes perfectly, but when things go wrong and are fixed. The networks that win loyalty are those that deliver this confidence, not necessarily those that advertise the lowest tariff.

What the Data Shows

In our sixth wave of the Spanish EV driver survey — with more than 8,500 participants to date and 1,300 new responses in 2024 alone — this reality comes through clearly. When asked where they most want to see more fast-charging points, drivers overwhelmingly point to service stations and public roads. These are the places that guarantee confidence: the reassurance that charging will be available on the routes where people most need it.

Urban locations like supermarkets and malls still matter, but they are not the top priority. Drivers tell us loud and clear that reliability on the move is what counts. They want the certainty that when they set out on a long trip, the charging network will support them.

Price as the Tie-Breaker

None of this means price is irrelevant. It does matter — especially for home charging, where most energy is consumed. And even in public charging, when two networks are seen as equally reliable, cost can tip the balance. But it is the tie-breaker, not the starting point.

This represents a fundamental shift in mindset. In fuels like gasoline, where every station works the same way, price dominates. In EV charging, where user experience can vary dramatically, trust in reliability, availability, and support outweighs cost.