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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Charging electric car as a guest

51 replies

Idontmeanto · 27/12/2022 13:02

I’ve just worked out that, every time a certain family member visits and needs to charge their electric car it costs their host around £10.

Obviously petrol car drivers cover their own travel costs. I quite like this family member, but they have form for taking the piss and they do this when visiting family members who are struggling far more than they are with the cost of living.

I think they should use a public charging point or offer to cover the cost of electricity AIBU?

OP posts:
IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads · 27/12/2022 15:00

Do you have a public charger nearby ?

Our nearest is 8 miles away. If I had a guest who'd come from a distance, I feel obliged to jet them charge, but since I don't have a proper charger (yet) I'd be keen to let them know where to find one.

Bewarethesealions · 27/12/2022 15:04

I don't think it would be unreasonable to charge a tenner or so for usage.

We stayed at an AirBnB last summer and were more than happy to pay the host for the use of his car charger - after all, we wouldn't expect him to pay for petrol to get there and back in the first place!

Frabbits · 27/12/2022 15:25

gingercat02 · 27/12/2022 14:10

Yep! My app tells me how much it costs on our current EV overnight rate with Octopus

Show quote history

Well, if they aren't charging overnight then it can easily reach £10, can't it.

40p a kwh = 25kwh for £10. That's only about 100 miles or so in some EVS in winter.

UsingChangeofName · 27/12/2022 16:30

I am surprised at some of the outrage here.

If people are close enough to be staying with you, unless I were on the breadline, I wouldn't charge guests for anything. I don't charge them to charge their phones, laptops, toothbrushes, nor to plug in their hairdryers or straighteners, nor to use hot water for a shower, nor do I charge them a laundry bill for washing their sheets, nor do I charge them for food.

I have no skin in this - I don't have an EV, nor has anyone ever asked me to charge their EV here - but, as we are talking various estimates with the greatest being £21, but most thinking it would be less, I would lump it in with the cost of hosting. Of course, if I were the visitor, I would offer, and when the offer were refused, I would compensate in some other way like taking hosts out for a meal or leaving them some of their favourite tipple, etc., but I don't think this is quite as outrageous as some people are implying. If - say - a sibling had driven a couple of hundred miles to come and stay with me, I wouldn't want them to go and sit at a charging point in a supermarket or at a service station for 30mins or more, when they could come straight to me and relax.

SinnerBoy · 27/12/2022 16:34

sixteenthirtyfour

Why not just be honest? "Sorry X, but we are really noticing the cost of living increases, so I'm going to have to ask you to pay the charging cost. I think it's about £10, but we can check the smart meter."

I think that yours is the best answer so far.

SinnerBoy · 27/12/2022 16:36

UsingChangeofName

I am surprised at some of the outrage here.

In the first post, OP Says:
"...they have form for taking the piss and they do this when visiting family members who are struggling far more than they are with the cost of living."

He's taking the piss, even if he doesn't realise.

Tiltedandwilted · 27/12/2022 16:46

How have you calculated that OP?

what you’ve done is made up a calculation, you have no idea how much charge the car will have taken, and if you’re not the person whose home it is, you won’t know the rates they pay.

our electric cars cost £3.80 and £4.10 respectively to charge from near empty overnight at home, I’d doubt this relative is charging from near empty when visiting others.

Pedallleur · 27/12/2022 17:12

As someone posted you don't pay for visitors petrol so why should it be free electricity? Charger down the road just past the petrol station. Give them a lift back if necessary

Pedallleur · 27/12/2022 17:15

Only a matter of time before someone posts that some CF neighbour was charging their car at other people's houses

TwoMonthsOff · 27/12/2022 17:15

People will do this if they are allowed to get away with this, they have zero respect and are just laughing at you, what’s wrong with saying no, or yes if you pay me xxx

GreenFingersWouldBeHandy · 27/12/2022 17:18

Of course they should offer to pay. Why have you not asked them to?

Do they only 'pop around' when they need to recharge, by any chance?

It's a whole new world of CFs...

Tiltedandwilted · 27/12/2022 17:19

GreenFingersWouldBeHandy · 27/12/2022 17:18

Of course they should offer to pay. Why have you not asked them to?

Do they only 'pop around' when they need to recharge, by any chance?

It's a whole new world of CFs...

Because it’s not the OPs house, she is getting upset on behalf of someone else, so has no idea about the costs.

hippoinamudhole · 27/12/2022 18:00

Tiltedandwilted · 27/12/2022 16:46

How have you calculated that OP?

what you’ve done is made up a calculation, you have no idea how much charge the car will have taken, and if you’re not the person whose home it is, you won’t know the rates they pay.

our electric cars cost £3.80 and £4.10 respectively to charge from near empty overnight at home, I’d doubt this relative is charging from near empty when visiting others.

Do you have an ev electric tariff?
If so your charges will be much less than someone who doesn't have an electric car and who is on a standard variable rate

Addicted2Kale · 27/12/2022 18:07

They can't plug their car in to your mains without your permission. So just ask them to pay. I don't ask people I'm visiting in London to pay my £70 fuel bill.

modgepodge · 27/12/2022 18:10

I have charged my EV at peoples houses when I’m staying, even if a slow trickle charge on a 3 pin, that’s fine if you’re there overnight or a few days! I would ALWAYS offer to pay, but this has been declined by everyone so far. This includes a friend who also has an EV (I did all the driving around for our 3 day stay for day trips etc, plus she said rheyll
probably want to use ours when they visit, so works out fair), my brother (again I did all the driving around) and my parents in law (generally well off and declined the offer of money).

if someone was staying with me and wanted to charge I would be fine with it as an occasional thing; if it was regular I’d have no issue with asking them to contribute financially.

charging at home is much easier than faffing around at public chargers and much much cheaper, so I’d rather do this and pay relative/friend than go out to charge separately.

Tiltedandwilted · 27/12/2022 18:18

hippoinamudhole · 27/12/2022 18:00

Do you have an ev electric tariff?
If so your charges will be much less than someone who doesn't have an electric car and who is on a standard variable rate

Show quote history

We have a fixed energy deal from years ago.

The op doesn’t know how much the hosts pay for electricity or how much charge the cars will be taking during these visits.

Claudia84 · 27/12/2022 18:22

As with anyone who takes the piss it's perfectly reasonable to say no you can't charge your car here. Or ask for the money.
Nothing to do with cost of living. I wouldn't pay for someone's petrol two years ago either.
It's pretty stupid to let people take the piss and then moan about it afterwards.

Nameneeded · 27/12/2022 19:01

I would bring a bottle of champagne as a thank you for charging, its just good manners. I would not make someone pay to charge their car at my house though.

Irridescantshimmmer · 27/12/2022 19:18

Yes, charge them, they should have had the decency to offer to pay you back for this and they are as cheeky as F.

Do they not know there os a cost of living rise at the moment?

astralpiano · 27/12/2022 19:20

SinnerBoy · 27/12/2022 16:34

sixteenthirtyfour

Why not just be honest? "Sorry X, but we are really noticing the cost of living increases, so I'm going to have to ask you to pay the charging cost. I think it's about £10, but we can check the smart meter."

I think that yours is the best answer so far.

Yeah say something like this. If no one asks them they'll never pay.

AdoraBell · 27/12/2022 19:22

YANBU. They should definitely pay, if it was petrol would ask their host to pay for that?

ElbowsandArses · 27/12/2022 19:27

We have an EV and have just done family rounds. We charged up at supermarket chargers. It’s beyond cheeky fuckery to charge your car at someone else’s house (and takes ages)

PuzzledObserver · 27/12/2022 19:49

If I was visiting someone and needed to charge I would find a rapid not too far away and mention my plan to them. If they said “oh you can plug it in at our house”, I’d tell them that was very kind - but do you realise it might take 40kWh overnight (or whatever), and offer to cover the cost of it. People who don’t have EV’s might have no idea of how much it takes to charge them.

If we have visitors with EV’s, I’m happy to offer them either an overnight charge on our 4 hour cheap rate, or the excess from our solar panels. But if they want to charge all day on my peak rate - well, let’s just say that if they didn’t offer to cover the cost, they would go down in my estimation.

masterblaster · 16/04/2023 10:56

I always charge my car when I visit my mother. I try and sync it with her solar panels, but given that I’m spending 3 hours driving down and 3 driving back to see her, I don’t think it’s that much of an imposition. It’s half the price per unit that a public charger charges.

masterblaster · 16/04/2023 11:00

The time taken to drop someone off at a charger and pick them up, for a fivers worth of electricity at home…. Penny wise and pound foolish. They can take around 2 kW from a domestic charger, so 70p an hour.

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