Charging your EV in Europe sounds straightforward until you plug in and nothing happens. Continental sockets look almost familiar, with two round pins and a box on the wall, but the UK’s square-pin BS 1363 plug simply doesn’t fit, and your UK granny charger stays in the boot. The good news is that charging ev in Europe is genuinely easy once you understand which cable matches which socket. This guide walks you through every country, every connector, and exactly what to pack.
Why your UK charging kit doesn’t work abroad
Every EV sold in the UK since around 2018 has a Type 2 inlet (IEC 62196-2), the seven-pin oval socket on the side of your car. That part is identical to the standard used across the EU, so the car itself is perfectly at home on the Continent.
The problem is at the other end of the cable. UK domestic sockets use BS 1363, the chunky three-pin square-pin plug that is unique to the British Isles. European homes use a completely different family of round-pin sockets, and no amount of wiggling will make a UK plug fit a French or German wall socket. Physically incompatible.
That means your UK granny charger, the Mode 2 cable with a BS 1363 plug on one end and a Type 2 on the other, is useless in Europe. It stays home. What you need is a cable designed around the European domestic socket standard, which brings us to Schuko.
The socket you’ll meet most: Schuko (CEE 7/4)
Schuko is the dominant domestic socket standard across most of Europe. The name comes from the German Schutzkontakt (protective contact), and the plug is defined under the CEE 7/4 standard: two round pins, 4.8 mm in diameter, spaced 19 mm apart, with earthing clips on the sides of the plug body.
You will find Schuko sockets (or compatible variants) in Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Portugal, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and many more countries. France and Belgium use a closely related standard called CEE 7/5, which has a protruding earth pin in the socket rather than clips. A Schuko plug (CEE 7/4) still fits perfectly into a CEE 7/5 socket. Spain broadly uses the same family. That covers the vast majority of countries UK EV drivers are likely to visit.
The exceptions matter: we cover Italy and Switzerland specifically in the country table below.
- Left end: Type 2 female connector (IEC 62196-2), 7-pin oval, labelled Connects to your EV. Middle: IC-CPD protection box labelled IC-CPD (IEC 62752), earth-fault & overcurrent protection. Right end: Schuko CEE 7/4 male plug, 2 round pins + side earth clips, labelled Plugs into European domestic socket (CEE 7/4 or CEE 7/5). Cable shown as a line connecting all three. Dimensions note: pins 4.8 mm dia, 19 mm spacing.
Type 2 to Schuko cable: what it is and why IC-CPD matters
The cable you need is called a Type 2 to Schuko cable, sometimes written as “Type 2 to CEE 7/4” or “Mode 2 EU charging cable.” One end has a Type 2 connector that plugs into your car’s inlet; the other end has a Schuko plug that goes into the European wall socket.
Critically, a proper Type 2 to Schuko cable is a Mode 2 cable, which means it must contain an IC-CPD, an in-cable control and protection device, as governed by IEC 62752 (in-cable control and protection device for mode 2 charging of electric road vehicles). This little box, usually mid-cable or close to the plug end, is not optional. It provides:
- Earth-fault detection: cuts power if a wiring fault is detected in the socket or cable
- Overcurrent protection: prevents the cable drawing more current than the circuit can safely supply
- Pilot-signal communication: handshakes with the car’s onboard charger to confirm a safe connection before current flows
A bare pin adapter, the kind you might use to run a laptop in a French hotel room, provides none of this. It is simply a mechanical plug converter with no safety intelligence. Using one to charge an EV is not compliant with IEC 62752 and creates real risk of fire or electrocution. We see this advice circulating on EV forums and it is wrong.
If you buy a Type 2 to Schuko cable from a reputable supplier, the IC-CPD is built in. Do not improvise with adapters.
How fast will my EV charge from a Schuko socket?
Schuko sockets are single-phase domestic circuits, so charging is slow by home-wallbox standards, but entirely adequate for overnight stops.
The speed depends on the circuit’s rated current:
- 10 A circuit (most common in European homes): approximately 2.3 kW, adding around 8 miles of range per hour
- 16 A circuit (where the property’s wiring supports it): approximately 3.7 kW, adding around 15 miles of range per hour
A typical overnight stay of eight to ten hours on a 10 A circuit adds 60-80 miles of range, enough to cover most daily driving in Europe, where you are unlikely to be doing huge mileages between stops.
Do not assume a socket is rated for 16 A just because the plug fits. Always ask your host which circuit the socket is on, or err on the side of 10 A if unsure. Your IC-CPD unit will detect an overloaded circuit and reduce current accordingly, but it is better to set the right limit from the start.
Country-by-country socket guide
Here is how the socket landscape breaks down for the countries UK EV drivers visit most. Use this as your pre-trip reference.
- Row 1: France | CEE 7/5 (Type E, protruding earth pin in socket) | Yes, Schuko plug fits CEE 7/5 | Blue 16A IEC 60309 Commando | Type 2 to Schuko (domestic) / Type 2 to Commando (campsite)
- Row 2: Germany | CEE 7/3 / CEE 7/4 (Schuko) | Yes, native Schuko | Blue 16A IEC 60309 Commando | Type 2 to Schuko (domestic) / Type 2 to Commando (campsite)
- Row 3: Netherlands | CEE 7/5 / CEE 7/3 | Yes, Schuko fits | Blue 16A IEC 60309 Commando | Type 2 to Schuko (domestic) / Type 2 to Commando (campsite)
- Row 4: Belgium | CEE 7/5 (Type E) | Yes, Schuko fits | Blue 16A IEC 60309 Commando | Type 2 to Schuko (domestic) / Type 2 to Commando (campsite)
- Row 5: Spain | CEE 7/5 or CEE 7/3 | Yes, Schuko fits most sockets | Blue 16A IEC 60309 Commando | Type 2 to Schuko (domestic) / Type 2 to Commando (campsite)
- Row 6: Italy | CEE 7/11 (Type L, 3-pin aligned) in older buildings; Schuko in newer | Partial, older buildings need Type L adapter | Blue 16A IEC 60309 Commando | Type 2 to Schuko where Schuko socket present; Type L adapter may be needed in older accommodation
- Row 7: Switzerland | SEV 1011 (Type J, 3-pin Y-shape) | No, Schuko does NOT fit | Blue 16A IEC 60309 Commando | Type J adapter + Type 2 to Schuko (or ask host for Schuko socket)
- Row 8: Norway / Sweden / Denmark | CEE 7/3 / CEE 7/4 (Schuko) | Yes, native Schuko | Blue 16A IEC 60309 Commando | Type 2 to Schuko (domestic) / Type 2 to Commando (campsite)
- Row 9: Portugal | CEE 7/3 / CEE 7/4 (Schuko) | Yes, native Schuko | Blue 16A IEC 60309 Commando | Type 2 to Schuko (domestic) / Type 2 to Commando (campsite)
- Columns: Country | Domestic socket | Schuko fits? | Campsite hook-up | Cable needed
A note on Italy and Switzerland: These two catch drivers out more than any other European destinations. In Italy, modern hotels and newer apartment buildings often have Schuko sockets, but older properties use CEE 7/11 (Type L), which has three pins in a row and is incompatible with Schuko. A Type L adapter may be needed. In Switzerland, the national standard is SEV 1011 (Type J), a distinctive three-pin Y-shape, and a Schuko plug physically does not fit. Swiss accommodation increasingly has Schuko sockets too (particularly in tourist areas), but you cannot rely on it. Check ahead.
EU campsites: Schuko or blue Commando?
Here is the mistake that catches EV drivers out at campsites across Europe: most EU campsite electric hook-ups are not Schuko. They are blue 16 A IEC 60309 Commando sockets, the same industrial round-pin connector standard used on UK campsites.
IEC 60309 (plugs, socket-outlets and couplers for industrial purposes) defines these blue round connectors. The 16 A single-phase blue Commando socket is almost universally fitted to European campsite electric hook-up posts, from Normandy to the Costa del Sol to the Norwegian fjords. For these, you need a Type 2 to Commando cable, not a Type 2 to Schuko cable.
The good news: a 16 A Commando hook-up delivers approximately 3.7 kW, faster than a standard 10 A domestic Schuko socket. If you are touring Europe with your EV and staying on campsites, the Type 2 to Commando cable is arguably more important than the Schuko cable.
Some larger EU campsites now also have dedicated EV charging points with Type 2 sockets, where your standard Type 2 to Type 2 cable is all you need. But these are still the minority. Do not rely on them being present unless the campsite explicitly advertises them.
What about public AC chargers in Europe?
Great news here: public AC charging infrastructure across the EU is standardised on Type 2 (IEC 62196-2) sockets, exactly the same as the UK. Major networks use Type 2 AC sockets: IONITY, Fastned, EnBW, Lidl Charging, and the charging points at most supermarkets, car parks, and motorway services. Your existing onboard Type 2 cable, or any Type 2 to Type 2 cable, works perfectly.
Public DC rapid charging uses CCS (Combined Charging System), which is also standardised across the UK and EU. If your car can rapid-charge at home, it can rapid-charge across Europe.
The only socket problem is at the domestic end (overnight at a house, guest house, or campsite), and that is exactly what this guide addresses.
Packing checklist: what to bring for a European EV road trip
Based on everything above, here is what we recommend packing:
Essential for most trips: - Type 2 to Schuko cable: for overnight charging from domestic sockets in France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Scandinavia, and most other EU countries
Essential if you plan to stay on campsites: - Type 2 to Commando cable: for blue IEC 60309 16 A hook-up posts at European campsites (see our EV caravan and campsite guide)
Useful for specific destinations: - Type L adapter: for older accommodation in Italy - Confirm socket type with Swiss hosts in advance (SEV 1011 / Type J country, where Schuko may not fit)
Leave at home: - Your UK granny charger: the BS 1363 plug is physically incompatible with European sockets - Any bare plug adapter: not compliant with IEC 62752; not safe for EV charging
Frequently asked questions
What cable do I need to charge my EV in France?
France uses CEE 7/5 (Type E) sockets with a protruding earth pin in the socket body. A Schuko CEE 7/4 plug fits into a CEE 7/5 socket, so a Type 2 to Schuko cable is the right tool. The cable must include an IC-CPD unit (IEC 62752). A bare plug adapter is not safe or compliant. The same Type 2 to Schuko cable works across Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, and most of Scandinavia, making it the single most versatile cable you can pack for a European EV trip.
Can I use my UK granny charger in Europe?
No. A UK granny charger has a BS 1363 three-pin plug on one end, the square-pin plug used in British homes. European domestic sockets are all round-pin and physically incompatible with BS 1363. No adapter will make it work safely for EV charging. You need a Type 2 to Schuko cable for European domestic sockets. If you are using campsite hook-ups, you need a Type 2 to Commando cable instead. Your UK granny charger is a useful backup at home but has no place in a European charging kit.
Is a Schuko adapter safe for EV charging?
No. A bare pin adapter, the kind used to plug a shaver or phone charger into a foreign socket, is not safe or legally compliant for charging an EV. EV domestic charging requires a Mode 2 cable containing an IC-CPD (in-cable control and protection device) as defined by IEC 62752 (in-cable control and protection device for mode 2 charging of electric road vehicles). An IC-CPD provides earth-fault detection, overcurrent protection, and pilot-signal handshaking. A passive adapter provides none of these. The result could be a circuit fire or an electrocution risk. Always use a proper Type 2 to Schuko cable with IC-CPD built in.
Do EU campsites have EV charging?
Many do, but the socket type may surprise you. Most European campsite electric hook-up posts use blue 16 A IEC 60309 Commando sockets, defined under IEC 60309 (plugs, socket-outlets and couplers for industrial purposes), rather than domestic Schuko sockets. For these you need a Type 2 to Commando cable, not a Schuko cable. A growing number of larger campsites also have dedicated EV Type 2 chargers, where a standard Type 2 cable works fine. Check what your campsite provides before you travel, and see our full EV caravan and campsite charging guide for more detail.
What socket do I need for Germany?
Germany uses Schuko sockets, both CEE 7/3 (socket) and CEE 7/4 (plug), as the standard domestic fitting. A Type 2 to Schuko cable plugs straight in with no adapter needed. Most German homes, guest houses, and hotel car parks have Schuko sockets. For faster charging, look for public Type 2 AC charging points at supermarkets, parking garages, and motorway rest areas. Your existing onboard Type 2 cable handles those. German campsites generally have blue IEC 60309 Commando hook-ups, for which you need a Type 2 to Commando cable.
How fast will my EV charge from a Schuko socket?
Charging speed from a Schuko socket depends on the circuit rating:
- 10 A circuit (most common in domestic settings): ~2.3 kW, adding roughly 8 miles of range per hour
- 16 A circuit (where the property supports it): ~3.7 kW, adding roughly 15 miles of range per hour
A 10 A Schuko charge over a typical eight-hour night adds around 60-65 miles, more than enough for most European touring days. These speeds are slower than a home wallbox or public AC charger, but the whole point of a Schuko cable is overnight convenience, not speed.
Does Schuko work in every EU country?
Schuko (CEE 7/4) works in the majority of European countries, but there are two notable exceptions. Italy: older buildings commonly use CEE 7/11 (Type L), which has three pins in a line and is physically incompatible with Schuko. Newer Italian hotels and apartments increasingly have Schuko sockets, but you cannot guarantee it. Switzerland: the national standard is SEV 1011 (Type J), a distinctive three-pin Y-shape, and Schuko does not fit without an adapter. Tourist-area accommodation in Switzerland often has Schuko sockets alongside Type J, but always confirm with your host in advance.