Tesla EV Chargers: Can You Use Them?

If you drive an electric car that isn't a Tesla, you may have wondered whether you can use a Tesla EV charger. The answer is increasingly yes, but it hasn't always been that straightforward.

Tesla began opening selected Supercharger sites to non-Tesla EVs in the UK in May 2022, initially opening 15 of its 98 UK Supercharger sites to other brands. Since then, access has expanded considerably, with more Tesla Superchargers now available to CCS-compatible EVs.

The older generations of Tesla Superchargers, particularly the V3 network, understandably left some drivers of other EV brands unsure about whether they could actually use them. The issue wasn't necessarily that every V3 charger was Tesla-only, but that availability was very site-specific, creating uncertainty around a network that many EV drivers would otherwise have considered extremely useful. Arguably, that confusion didn't do much to help an EV community that was already trying to navigate a rapidly changing charging network.

The arrival of V4 Superchargers has made things considerably clearer. The V4 chargers are the tall, slim posts with the distinctive black and white Tesla design and, importantly, a much longer charging cable. Tesla says the longer cable is designed to make charging easier for all EVs, accommodating the different positions of charging ports across modern electric cars. In the UK and Europe, non-Tesla access is for CCS-compatible EVs, so if your car uses CCS, V4 Superchargers are designed with you in mind. Tesla's charging guidance explains the current compatibility and site-specific access.

There are some great examples around the UK. Mour Hotel in Nottinghamshire has 10 Tesla Superchargers capable of up to 250kW, while Radstone Hotel in Larkhall has 16, also capable of up to 250kW. Both locations are listed as being available to Tesla vehicles and other CCS-compatible EVs.

Then there are Tesla Destination Chargers, and this is where things can become a bit of a minefield. Tesla Destination Chargers can be found at hotels, restaurants and other destinations, but historically their availability to non-Tesla drivers has varied considerably. Some are available to other EVs, some have restrictions, and some have been intended specifically for Tesla drivers or particular customers. Simply seeing the Tesla name on a charger doesn't always tell you whether your car can use it.

That's something we wanted to remove from Dine & Charge.

Dine & Charge is built for all EV owners. We aren't a Tesla site, a Volkswagen site, a Polestar site, a particular charging network, or an advocate for one manufacturer over another. We don't have little EV cliques, brand preferences or commercial loyalties influencing what gets listed. Whether you drive a Tesla, BMW, Kia, Hyundai, Polestar, MG, Volkswagen or anything else, the aim is exactly the same: help you find somewhere genuinely useful to charge.

That's why our database only includes Tesla charging locations where the charger is usable by EVs of different brands. We're interested in the venue, the food, the charging and the experience, not the badge on the front of your car.

As the UK charging network continues to grow, our aim is simple: to build trust with the EV community and create the UK's most exhaustive, accurate database of places where you can charge your car while you eat, drink, stay or explore.

Over the coming weeks, we'll also be introducing and testing community-based features, giving EV drivers a greater role in helping us keep the database as accurate and complete as possible. The more people who use Dine & Charge, contribute and share their experiences, the better the platform becomes — improving Dine & Charge for the benefit of the entire EV community.

No brand loyalty, no favourites, just useful charging information for every EV owner.