Charging times and charging electric cars - your guide for 2026

At Gowago, we are all about convenience and being free to enjoy the experience with your personal car. Hence, it is our mission to ensure that you pick the right car on Gowago for you - maybe you are considering an EV right now, but still apprehensive about the logistics of charging.

One of the main reasons many people are hesitant to switch to fully electric vehicles is the fear of running out of battery and finding themselves stranded on the side of the road. In reality, range anxiety is largely unfounded today, for several reasons.

Once you start driving an EV, you’ll realize charging is not an inconvenience — it’s just a new habit that fits effortlessly into your life.

In this article, Gowago will give you a detailed breakdown of ways to soothe your mind when it comes to EVs and the horror of the empty battery. You will find tips, tricks, and strategies to keep your car charged without you having to go out your way to secure your range as well as a comparison of the charging times and ranges of the most popular electric cars in Switzerland.

In this article, you will find out about:

• Charging stations in Switzerland: Where are they?
• How long does it take to charge an electric car?
• Which electric car charges the fastest in 2026?
• Do you need a charger at home?
• How to never wait for your car to be charged ever again
• Charging on long journeys

## In a nutshell: Everything you need to know about charging The best tips and tricks if you’re still worried about running out of juice.

Why do we know this? Quite a few of us on the team drive electric cars – without ever worrying about charging. We were all a bit unsure before leasing our electric cars. But as soon as they’d charged a few times, they got the hang of it: charging in Switzerland is simple, quick and hassle-free.

Charging stations in Switzerland: Where are they?

Where can I actually charge my electric car?

One big point of anxiety for people not familiar with electric mobility is the apparent lack of charging stations. While there definitely still needs to be an expansion of the charging network in Switzerland, the situation is not as dire as it may seem.

Switzerland has over 14,000 electric chargers—far more than the 3,300 petrol stations. Each petrol station averages six pumps, totalling 19,800 fuel points. But when you compare this to the growing EV infrastructure, the gap isn’t as big as it seems.

Charging stations are literally everywhere! You just haven’t trained yourself to notice them yet! Once you keep an eye out, they start popping up all over the place.

The proportion to the amount of vehicles running on each propulsion form should take away even more anxiety of not being able to charge your car.

• For every petrol / diesel pump, there are 202 ICE cars.
• For every charger in Switzerland, there are only 15 EVs.

Add to this privately run charging stations at people’s homes, and the share of charging stations per electric car improves even more.

Here you will find a detailed map of all public charging stations currently available in Switzerland.

The difference in opportunities to “fill up” your car is actually not that extreme. So how come there is this belief of a lack of places to charge your car? There are several reasons for this falsity.

• Petrol stations are highly visible — large signs display fuel prices, and many have attached shops from major retailers. They're located on main roads and lit-up advertising boards at night. In contrast, EV charging stations are more discreet.
• Keyword “low profile”: Charging stations need significantly less space and infrastructure than petrol stations, making them, by nature, less obvious to spot.
• We are more conditioned to spot petrol stations. Since being a kid, you have been used to the concept of a petrol station, but not the new concept of an electric charger. But once you change your mindset, you will spot them everywhere, often in more convenient places, hidden away from unaware eyes in parking garages, at the back of petrol stations, in between blue zone parking in the city, or on the car parks of shopping centres.

Charging is all around you

Next time you are out, try this simple experiment: For one week, take note of how often you pass by petrol stations vs. how often you stop at places where chargers are available (shopping centres, offices, public parking, restaurants). You’ll likely find that EV chargers are already in the places you go every day—you just haven’t noticed them yet!

It’s basically the red car theory: once you focus on something—say, buying a red car—you suddenly start seeing red cars everywhere. They were always there; your awareness just shifted. The same happens with EV charging stations.

Once you start driving an electric vehicle, you’ll realize how many charging options surround you, from shopping centre car parks to office buildings, on residential streets or motorway rest stops.

Considering the growing number of EVs on the road today, charging opportunities are far more common than you might think, helping ease the anxiety of running out of power.

EV Charging Times

How long does it take to charge an electric car?

Alright, so there are a lot of charging stations, but it takes hours to charge an electric car, you may now think. This is also largely a misconception for electric cars. There are two major factors that determine the time it takes to save your car from the dreaded empty battery:

• What kind of charger you use
• Whether you want to charge it to 100% or not

What types of charger are there? Three typical strengths:

Your charging speed depends on the type of charger you use. There are three main types found on Swiss roads and in homes. Think of them like filling a swimming pool with water:

Faucet (11-22 kW/h): You can fill the pool with your kitchen faucet. This takes a long time, but that’s okay if you do it, for example, overnight. That’s exactly why such charging stations are often installed in residential homes or office buildings – places where cars are parked for extended periods. Usage: You charge while at work or overnight and continue your journey with a ‘fully fuelled’ car.

Garden Hose (Up to 100 kW/h): Filling up with a garden hose is significantly faster. Such charging stations are often located in public parking areas and shopping centres. Usage: You can go for a meal, to the gym, get your nails done, or shop, and depending on the state of charge and charging speed, continue your journey with a full battery

Fire Hose (Up to 350 kW): This is the fastest charging option, akin to using a fire hose to fill a pool. Such charging stations are often found along highways, with Tesla Superchargers being a prime example. Usage: During trips, you plug in, take a bathroom break or grab a bite to eat, and your car charges in the meantime. Most modern electric cars can charge from 10% to 80% within 15 to 30 minutes.

Which electric car charges the fastest in 2026?

You can find all of these cars on Gowago, as well as thousands of other electric vehicles, ready for you to finance and hit the road with. For every one of them, we give you their exact range and consumption, so you know exactly whether it suits your needs or not:

Find the perfect EV for your style

### Do you need a charger at home?

In short, no. You wouldn’t have a petrol pump at home either, would you? Depending on how much you drive, you will only have to charge your car 1-3 times a month, just like you would only visit the petrol station a couple of times a month.

If you only drive 200-300 km a week, you’ll probably need to charge just 1-3 times a month. In that case, a charger at home is not even necessary - there are more than enough ways to top up your battery throughout your daily life.

But let’s be honest - a charging station at home is the most convenient and cheap way to charge your EV. Specifically, if you live far from a public charger and can’t charge at work, a home wallbox might be a smart investment. The same goes if you drive a lot (200-300km a day) - being able to charge overnight at your home is the best option.

If you are looking to get a wallbox charger alongside your new electric freedom, your Gowago advisor will be able to help you. Alternatively, if you would like to have an overview of wallbox options, you can read our blog article on wallboxes and home charging.

Can I install a wallbox at home, even as a tenant?

Until now, it hasn’t been that straightforward in Switzerland. If you didn’t own your own house or were a co-owner, you always had to ask your landlord or property management first whether you were allowed to install a wallbox in the garage or on the outside of the building.

But that’s now a thing of the past: In Switzerland, the right to charge is now a reality – and it’s here to stay. This means that even if you don’t own your own home or have bought a flat, your landlord or property management cannot stop you from installing a wallbox. [The Council of States approved this in June 2025.](https://www.parlament.ch/de/ratsbetrieb/amtliches-bulletin/amtliches-bulletin-die-verhandlungen? SubjectId=68235) This is really great news for electric cars.

And what if you don’t have your own parking space or park in a blue zone? No problem there either. As mentioned earlier: you don’t need your own wallbox to live comfortably with an electric car, especially if you only drive a few kilometres a month.

Are faster chargers more expensive?

Generally, yes. Faster charging stations are often more expensive per kilowatt-hour compared to slower ones. The prices in a Swiss household are around 20-25 cents per kW, and at fast chargers, the prices range between 45 and 90 cents per kW.

So if you have the option to install a charger at your home, this will be the most cost-effective. Alternatively, choose slower public chargers that conveniently fill up your battery while you are doing other things (at work, while shopping, going to the gym etc.).

More power, lower costs.

An economical petrol car like the Skoda Fabia 1.0 with 65 hp takes around 12 seconds to go from 0 to 100 km/h and consumes 5.7 l/100 km. With petrol costing CHF 1.75 per litre or more, that works out at min. CHF 10.– per 100 km.

A Tesla with over 500 hp consumes around 20 kWh/100 km. At 20 centimes per kWh, that costs just CHF 4.– per 100 km – and you accelerate to 100 km/h in 4.1 seconds.

In short: more power, more driving pleasure – and still cheaper.

How to never wait for your car to be charged ever again

Do you have to charge your electric car to 100%?

“But won’t I then suddenly run out of battery if I don’t charge it 100%?”, you might ask. “Unlikely”, is the answer, unless you completely neglect your responsibility of keeping an eye out for chargers.

It’s all about strategy and mindfulness.

There is one simple trick to never having to worry about charging: Adapt an EV-centric mindset and depart from the thought that charging is the same as filling your car up with fuel.

You don't have to wait next to your car for it to charge! Charging is something that happens in the background — while you work, shop, hit the gym, have dinner with friends, or simply take a break.

Going to a petrol station is in fact more of a hassle than charging your car. You need to stand next to your car while it is filling up, then go into the shop to pay, where you often have to queue, then come back outside and drive off again. It is its own event that you have to look after for successful completion.

Electric charging is something you do in the background. You should organise yourself in a way where you never have to remain in the car while it is charging. Instead, take advantage of the convenient placement of most charging stations. If you make it a habit to be aware and proactive about your charging, there will barely be any moments where you have to go out of your way to charge.

And your car will even make it easy for you: your EV will know where the nearest charging station is, and what charging speeds they offer. This will be displayed on their navigation system, and some cars even plan routes to include charging stops, if a charge is necessary while on the go.

Smart Charging: The Tesla App

For example, the native Tesla App will give you a precise calculation of when you need to stop to charge during your trip - the stops are as short as possible, so you can get back on the road as quickly as possible, losing minimal time:

Discover it for yourself! With Gowago, it is easy to finance a more affordable, used electric car for a shorter lease or credit term. You don't need to fully buy the car yet - when choosing Leasing or Credit as a financing method, you can choose a short contract period and, if you are not happy with the car after your contract ends, simply swap out the car for a petrol or hybrid again.

Check out EV options on Gowago

## Charging on long journeys ### But what if I want to drive great distances?

So far, we have given you an overview of charging in an everyday setting, where you only cover short distances to shop or go to work. However, how should you approach charging when you are taking longer trips to go, for example, on holiday?

Trust me: You will need to stop for a break before your car does — so why not plug in while you grab a snack or use the restroom?

Indeed, compared to a diesel, which can reach 1000km when driven with a very light right foot on the motorway (obviously also depending on the specific model), an EV’s range of 500km sounds like very little. However, most petrol and also diesel cars will need to refuel after 500km as well. Plus also, think about the last time you drove more than 500km in one go without a break - it’s likely a very rare occurrence.

I mean, we all probably had that one road trip in our youth where we drove to Prague or wherever else during the night stuffed into a tiny car together with our friends and only stopped to refuel on petrol and red bulls - but let’s be honest, that was neither safe nor very enjoyable. You likely ended up tired and cramped with a bad mood because you never took a proper break - only to save like two hours.

After all, you don’t usually have to do ANYTHING but charge. A meal, a toilet break, a coffee, a nap – and in the meantime, your range recharges.

With an electric car, you are forced to take breaks, which might save your life - and save friendships and relationships, because you aren’t locked into a tiny cabin for 8 hours. You can get out, breathe, freshen up, stretch your legs, gather your strengths.

After all, your car is not the only part in the equation that will run out of juice. You, yes you! The driver will also need to stop at some point, be it to grab some food or drinks, or use the restroom. This is especially true if you are travelling with family or friends.

Driving for hundreds of kilometers without stopping isn’t just unlikely — it’s unsafe. Your attention span decreases the longer you're behind the wheel, making regular breaks essential.

Have a break, have a charge

Think about your last long drive—how often did you stop for a coffee, snack, or restroom break? Probably every 2–3 hours, right? That’s exactly how long your EV will go on an 80% charge. The difference? While you’re grabbing a snack, your EV is refueling itself. No extra time wasted!

Arguably, electric cars are even more convenient than fuel powered vehicles on long journeys. If you want to refuel and use one multiple of the service station’s facilities, you can’t simply park your car.

No, you will have to pull up to the petrol pump, refuel, go inside to pay, then move your car to the car park, go to the restaurant, eat, visit the restroom, then walk back to the car and drive off. Estimated time: 30mins. Estimated hassle-level: annoying.

Modern EVs will charge from 10% to 80% in just 15 to 30 minutes — the perfect time for to take a coffee break or run errands.

With an EV, you cut out the back and forth. Simply pull up to the charger, plug it in, go into the service station to do what you need to do, come back 25 minutes later, pay the charge via card at the charger, and you’re off. Estimated time: 30 minutes as well. Estimated hassle-level: easy-peasy lemon-squeezy.

Conclusion

Switching to an electric car might feel like a big change, but as you’ve seen, charging is far simpler than most people expect. Range anxiety is largely a myth—most modern EVs can add hundreds of kilometers in just minutes, and with thousands of charging points across Switzerland, you’re never far from a top-up.

Gowago is here to help you in your transition. If you have been thinking about getting an EV and, even after this article, you have your reservations, our team of dedicated and highly rated advisors will help you gain additional clarity and find the right vehicle for your needs!

Ready to move on from range anxiety? Explore our selection of EVs on Gowago and start driving electric today!

Find the perfect EV for your style