Supermarkets, discounters and DIY stores, which advertised that they could charge their cars free of charge while shopping, are now charging money for electricity. In doing so, they work together with energy suppliers and charging infrastructure operators. The free charging option was intended to attract customers to the shops. That is now finally over, the reasons are likely to lie in the high energy prices but also in unrestrained electricity scrounging that occupied the parking lots. The prices per kilowatt hour (kWh) vary greatly - typical of charging infrastructure. The good news: Aldi and Lidl offer electricity for e-cars at discounter prices - more on that later. Let's stay with the very few free options:
Currently still free electricity at Ikea
The Swedish furnishing giant Ikea is the only retail chain that still gives away car electricity - even without shopping. The company has equipped all 54 stores in Germany with charging stations with up to 22 kW charging power. Charging must be done during the opening hours of the respective department store. Unlike other chains, the furnishing company operates the charging stations itself.
Here, too, you can still charge your car for free
Shopping centres, exhibition centres and public authorities are also increasingly no longer offering free electricity. Only occasionally can you charge your car free of charge. Exceptions include Messe München or the Amber Hotel Group (for guests). You can find out how else you can track down free electricity in the course of the article.
Electricity prices at Aldi, Lidl, Bauhaus, McDonald's & Co.
The companies usually work together with energy suppliers and operators of charging infrastructures. They are also responsible for pricing. The charging requirements, such as costs for charging cards or entry fees, are also subject to their conditions. In some cases, you need an app to be able to charge there. So before your visit, find out how this is handled at the respective charging station. EFAHRER.com has compiled the current prices per kWh of individual companies.
| Provider | AC charging price per kWh in euros |
Fast charging (DC) Price per kWh in euros |
| Ikea | free | free |
| Aldi Süd | 0,29 | 0,39 |
| Lidl | 0,29 | 0,48 |
| Rewe | depending on the provider, for example VolTTanken from 0.35 | depending on the provider, for example VolTTanken from 0.35 |
| Kaufland | 0,29 | 0,48 |
| Globus DIY store |
ad-hoc with credit card: 0.62 |
ad-hoc with credit card: 0.79 Pfalzwerke customers (monthly. Basic fee 3.99 euros): 0.60 |
| Bauhaus | 0,79 | 0,96 |
| McDonalds | 0,49 | 0,64 |
How to find free charging stations in the neighborhood
As rare as they have become, they still exist: Here's how to find out where there are free charging stations in your area:
First of all, we recommendGoingelectric.de. The website offers an excellent overview of charging stations in your area. Under "Options" tick the item "Download for free". Under "Details" you can find useful information such as the connections or when another user has successfully charged there. However, the site is not as usable on mobile devices as on a normal PC, as the filter options are a problem here. We advise: Call up the page before you are on the road and check out the charging stations displayed in your area. Because the details say whether you can charge for free or not. Unfortunately, there is no app. Nevertheless, Goingelectric.de offers a very comprehensive overview with valuable information.
Refuel for free here (select "free charging" in the options)
The second good place to go for electricity scroungers is the "Mehr-Tanken" app, which you can download for Android and iOS. Much of the data is based on data from Goingelectric.de, but refueling on a smartphone is much more user-friendly.
- Install the app and allow the app to receive your location.
- Drag the list view up from the bottom.
- From there, go to the small filter icon with the sliders on the right.
- Select the first item "Show only free charging stations" and save the selection
- If necessary, you can also select the connection type (e.g. type 2) and charging power. However, we advise you not to be too picky about free charging stations. Otherwise, you will hardly get any results.
- If you save this setting and move the view back down, you will see all the free charging stations in your area on the map.
- If you see charging stations marked in red, there is a fault message here. You should not drive to them.
Pro tip: Check live availability
With both Goingelectric and the "Mehrtanken" app, you will not receive any information as to whether the charging stations are currently occupied - a crux, because free refuelling is understandably very popular. Here we recommend that you also download the charging card app "EinfachStromLaden" from Maingau Energie for Android or iOS. It offers an overview of Maingau Energie's 90,000 charging points - including the free charging stations. Although you can't filter by this - you have to do that via one of the two platforms mentioned above for the time being, you can use the "EinfachStromLaden" app to find out whether the charging stations you want to visit are currently free.
