Travel Insurance

Europe’s best road trips by electric car

More charging points and improved battery ranges mean EU holiday-goers can opt electric for cleaner, cheaper road trips this year. Here’s the best EU road trips in an electric car.

An expanding charger network and improved EV battery ranges make those iconic European road trips cheaper, cleaner, and easier than ever.

Although there are now more charging points across the EU they’re still heavily outnumbered by BEVs, so it’s important to plan your route carefully and ensure there’s plenty of facilities along the way.

From the Black Forest highway in Germany to the vineyards of Slovenia, Switcher.ie compares 15 iconic routes across Europe, comparing:

• public and private charging costs
• number of charging points
• accommodation with charging facilities
• tourist hotspots and national parks on route.

Public charging prices fluctuate across the 15 countries on our list, but it costs, on average, €9.62 per 100km to charge an EV at public stations. There was also an average of 80 public chargers and 14 hotels with chargers per 100km.

Best countries for an EV road trip

Routes that topped our index offered low electric car charging costs, a wealth of public charging choices and lots to do and see along the way.

Sweden’s Stockholm to Lake Mälaren route had the cheapest public charging prices on our list, plenty of chargers around hotels, cafes, shops and restaurants and green spaces, too.

The remaining top four routes were ideal for EV drivers with many charging points, reasonable charging costs and a host of tourist hotspots:

• Luxembourg City to Mondorf-les-Bains
• Slovenia’s Ljubljana to Piran
• Belgium’s Brussels to Ypres
• The Netherlands’ Rotterdam to Groningen

6. Switzerland: Zurich to St. Mortiz

One of the first official road trips for electric cars, Switzerland’s ‘E-Grand Tour’ is truly an EV driver’s heaven, and it came in at number six on our index.

Although the full e-trip stretches over 1,000km, we’ve featured a shortened version of 272km which starts in Zurich, continues to St. Gallen and finishes in St. Mortiz.

7. Hungary: Pécs to Hévíz

Hungary’s 188km route, which starts in the Roman city of Pecs on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains, continues north to Kaposvár, Keszthely, and finishes in the spa town of Hévíz.

The trip earned seventh place in our study, with some of the cheapest public charging prices, tourist attractions, and a reasonable number of charges along the way.

8. Denmark: Odense to Svendborg

Boasting the second highest number of public charging points per 100km, Denmark’s Odense to Svendborg trip is an idyllic drive for any EV owner.

The 112km journey is based in Funen, a vast Danish island with coastal towns and ancient castles. From Odense, head southeast to the town of Ringe, then from the renowned Egeskov Castle to the town of Faaborg, with its brightly-coloured, timber frame buildings.

Finish in Svendborg, but not before you visit Valdemar’s Castle.

10. Spain: Malaga to Cadiz

Although charging is pricey and it’s not awash with public chargers like other routes, Spain’s 271 km Andalusian road trip offers stunning coastal views.

Starting in Malaga, head southwest toward the palm-lined resort town of Estopena, continue along the coast to the surfer-haven of Tarifa, and finish in the old port city of Cadiz.

11. Austria: Salzburg to Lienz

This 294 km journey through the snow-capped Austrian Alps starts in Salzburg then heads southwest to the mountain villages of Salzkammergut and Hallstatt, to finish in the medieval town of Lienz.

With some of the most ev friendly hotels and national parks along the way, it claimed eleventh spot on our list.

12. Finland: Helsinki to Turku

This 222 km trip starts in the beautiful city of Helsinki, and heads southwest to the artisan village of Mathidedal, stopping at the thriving art villages of Fiskars and Billnäs, then further west to Turku - the oldest town in Finland.

Although hotels with chargers were more sparse than other routes, it had plenty of other public charging points along the way, and an abundance of green spaces.

14. Ireland: Cork to Killarney

The Cork to Killarney route begins in Cork City, winding southward through the harbour towns of Kinsale, Clonakilty, Skibereen, Schull and Glengariff, and taking the legendary Moll’s Gap mountain pass to finish in Killarney.

Although stunning, the 206 km route offers fewer points to charge your EV, so any trip will need to be planned carefully.

15. Croatia: Split to Dubrovnik

The Dalmation coast offers cliff-top views and mountain roads from Split to Dubrovnik, winding through Krka National Park and across the new Pelješac Bridge and into the stunning capital.

Though the 232 km journey is breathtaking, it has some of the lowest numbers of chargers in our study, and the highest prices for public charging.

Best for charging facilities

• Belgium’s Brussels to Ypres route, stretching 267 km through the towns of Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges, and De Haan, ranked fourth best overall our index and topped our list for access to charging facilities; with the most hotels with chargers and chargers beside cafes, restaurants or shops.
• Switzerland’s Zurich to St. Moritz, Sweden’s Stockholm to Lake Mälaren, Netherlands’ Rotterdam to Groningen, and Slovenia’s Ljubljana to Piran were the top four routes for public charging facilities.

Cheapest charging costs

• Sweden’s Stockholm to Lake Mälare, France’s Lyon to Grenoble, Slovenia’s Ljubljana to Piran, and Hungary’s Pécs to Hévíz routes were the cheapest for public charging, and cost, on average, €6.89 per 100km.
• Hungary’s Pécs to Hévíz route, Croatia’s Split to Dubrovnik route, Luxembourg city to Mondorf-les-Bains and Slovenia’s Ljubljana to Piran routes were the cheapest for private charging, and cost, on average, €3.05 per 100km.

That’s compared to the most expensive public trips - in Croatia, Denmark, Netherlands and Germany - where it cost an average of €11.85 per 100km for a public charge. .

Best for tourist attractions

Road trips in Germany, Denmark, Luxembourg and Ireland featured the most tourist attractions and green spaces along the route; from museums to national parks and famous landmarks.

From German clog factories to fairy-tale castles, archaeological sites cathedrals, harbours and forest trails, there’s something for everyone along each of the routes in our study.