What must a driver be able to do without a contract?
The manager tests the charger as a stranger would: no app, no card from any provider, just a bank card.
Can she charge, and does she know the price first?
The questionWhat does EU law guarantee to a driver without a contract?
| Since | Article | |
|---|---|---|
| Charge without a contractad hoc | 13 April 2024 | 5(1) |
| Pay with a common instrumentcard; below 50 kW also QR | 13 April 2024 | 5(1) |
| Know the price firstbefore the session | 13 April 2024 | 5(4) |
| Refuse automatic authenticationchoose ad hoc instead | 13 April 2024 | 5(2) |
For charge points deployed from 13 April 2024; existing points of 50 kW and more along the TEN-T network must offer card or contactless payment from 1 January 2027.
Always a way to pay
Operators must let end users charge on an basis, and at points deployed from 13 April 2024 accept electronic payments through a payment card reader, a contactless device that reads payment cards or, below 50 kW, an internet-based payment such as a QR code.
Where an operator offers automatic authentication, such as , drivers always keep the right not to use it and to charge ad hoc or with another contract instead, and the operator has to show that option clearly.
The test in practice
The manager's test covers the whole chain: the price per kWh and any on the screen before plugging in, the card accepted, a receipt available. How ad hoc payment works technically is shown in Payments and billing, stop 03.
Check your understanding
3 questions. Answer all of them to complete this stop. Each answer explains itself.
A new public 22 kW point offers payment only by QR code. Is that enough under AFIR?
Article 5(1) lists QR-style internet payment as an option for points below 50 kW.
What right does a driver have at a charger with Plug & Charge?
Article 5(2): end users always have the right not to use automatic authentication.
From when must existing points of 50 kW and more on the TEN-T network offer card or contactless payment?
Article 5(1) extends the requirement to existing high-power points along TEN-T from 1 January 2027.
- Ad hoc Charging without a contract, paid directly at the charger, for example by card or QR code. EV charging fundamentals, stop 05 Glossary
- Plug & Charge The car identifies itself with a certificate when plugged in, so no card or app is needed. EV charging fundamentals, stop 08 Glossary
- Occupancy fee A price per minute that AFIR allows at fast chargers to discourage cars from blocking a charge point after charging. Charging infrastructure, stop 07 Glossary
- EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2023/1804 (AFIR), Articles 3, 4, 5 and 20. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/1804/oj. Checked 09 Oct 2026. © European Union, reused under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU.
- EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2023/1804 (AFIR), Articles 3, 4, 5 and 20. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/1804/oj. Checked 09 Oct 2026. © European Union, reused under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU.
- EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2023/1804 (AFIR), Articles 3, 4, 5 and 20. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/1804/oj. Checked 09 Oct 2026. © European Union, reused under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU.