EV charging fault: usually the charger, not the car
The car could not complete a charge, or stopped one it had started. Try a different cable and a different charge point before assuming the car is at fault. Most charging faults are not the car.
Can you keep driving?
Yes, but only on the charge the car already holds.
What the warning actually means
No current flows until the car and the charger have agreed, electronically, that the connection is sound. When that agreement fails or breaks off, the car shows a charging fault. A charge that is only slower than expected is a different thing, and not a fault.
Common causes
- A damaged charging cable
- A dirty or wet connector
- A tripped supply
- A charge point that failed its handshake with the car
- A fault in the car, if it fails on two different chargers with two different cables
What to do now
- Try a different cable and a different charge point.
- Look at the cable and connector. Do not use a damaged cable, a cracked housing, or a charge point that has been flooded.
- Use the cable and equipment the manufacturer approves, never a household extension lead or an unapproved adapter.
- If the car fails on two chargers with two cables, have the car read.
What people often get wrong
That the car is the problem. A damaged cable, a dirty connector, a tripped supply or a charge point that failed its handshake all show the same warning, and each is far more common than a fault in the car.
When the car must go to a workshop
When it fails on two chargers with two cables, or if the charge port or any orange cabling is damaged. With damage, do not touch it and do not charge it: have it inspected.
Read next
- EV battery temperature warning: too hot, or a cooling fault?
- Traction battery low on an EV: find a charger now
- The EV will not wake up: usually the small battery, not the big one
- Charging an EV at home: the habits that help the battery
- EV fast charging: why it slows down, and what actually wears
This page is general information and does not replace a professional assessment. Symbols, codes and behaviour vary between makes. Always check the handbook for your own car.
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