EV Charging Etiquette: Unwritten Rules at NZ Public Chargers

Nobody hands you a rulebook when you buy an EV, but public charging has its own set of unwritten rules — and breaking them, even accidentally, is the fastest way to become the subject of a frustrated post in an NZ EV owners' Facebook group. Here's the etiquette that actually matters.

Don't camp at 100% once you're done

This is the big one. DC fast chargers slow down significantly once a battery passes roughly 80% charge — it's simply how lithium-ion charging curves work — so pushing on to 100% at a public rapid charger can take as long as the first 80% did. If there's no one waiting, fine. If someone's pulled in behind you waiting their turn, charge to a sensible level (80–90%) and move on, saving the slow top-up to 100% for overnight home charging instead.

Move your car once charging is finished

A charger sitting occupied by a fully charged car that's just been left there — sometimes called "charge parking" — is one of the most common complaints in NZ EV owner groups. Most apps (ChargeNet, PlugShare, and similar) send a notification when your session completes. If you're not going to be back within a few minutes, don't start the session in the first place, or return promptly once you get the alert.

Don't unplug someone else's car

Even if a session looks finished, don't unplug another car to free up a charger, particularly at a DC site. It's a legal grey area around someone else's property and vehicle, and there could be a reason — like the owner grabbing coffee before returning — that isn't obvious. If a charger is genuinely occupied by an abandoned, long-finished session, most networks have a support line you can call to check status or intervene properly.

Don't block chargers with a petrol car ("ICEing")

This one applies to non-EV drivers, but EV owners should know the term and report it when it happens — parking a petrol or diesel vehicle in a designated EV charging bay, blocking access, is a genuine and recurring issue at malls and car parks around the country. Most sites have signage, and reporting persistent ICEing to the site owner or council (in council-managed car parks) is a fair response, not an overreaction.

Rural and single-charger towns need extra consideration

In small towns with only one or two public chargers — common throughout much of the East Coast, inland Otago, and parts of Northland — the etiquette stakes are higher because there's no alternative charger down the road. If you're passing through and don't strictly need a full charge, consider taking only what gets you comfortably to the next reliable option, leaving more capacity for the next traveller who might need it more urgently.

Home charger sharing (if you offer it)

Some NZ EV owners share home chargers informally with neighbours or via apps designed for peer-to-peer charging access. If you're on the receiving end of someone's generosity here, the basic courtesy is straightforward: offer to cover the electricity cost (a rough guide is $0.30–$0.40 per kWh to fairly compensate a host on a standard power plan), don't overstay beyond what you agreed, and leave the area as tidy as you found it.

Keep cables tidy and out of walkways

At public AC destination chargers — mall car parks, hotel car parks — a cable left trailing across a walkway or another parking space is a trip hazard and a minor nuisance for other users. Route it sensibly and coil any excess rather than leaving it in a heap.

Report broken chargers, don't just move on

If you arrive at a charger that's faulted, offline, or physically damaged, take thirty seconds to report it through the network's app rather than simply driving to the next one. This directly helps the next EV driver who needs that charger, and NZ's charging networks generally respond faster to reported faults than ones they discover through routine checks.

Be patient with new EV drivers

Charging etiquette isn't intuitive if you've never done it before — everyone's first session involves some fumbling with connectors, apps, and payment methods. If you see someone struggling at a charger, a quick offer of help is far more useful than an impatient sigh from the car behind. NZ's EV community has grown quickly, and a welcoming culture at charging stations does more for wider EV adoption than almost anything else at the grassroots level.

Single-bay chargers at supermarkets and workplaces

A specific version of the etiquette question comes up constantly at supermarkets, gyms, and workplaces with just one or two charging bays shared among staff or customers. If your car doesn't genuinely need charging during that particular visit, leave the bay for someone who does — treat it the way you'd treat an accessible parking space, as a resource for people who actually need it right now rather than a convenient park with a bonus. Some workplaces run informal booking systems or time limits for exactly this reason; if yours does, it's worth following even when no one's obviously watching.

The general principle

Nearly all of this comes down to one idea: public charging infrastructure is a shared, still-growing resource, and treating it the way you'd want to be treated — moving promptly, not hogging capacity you don't need, reporting problems, and helping newcomers — keeps the whole system working smoothly for everyone relying on it, including yourself on your next trip.