Frequently Asked Questions

PlugCompass is a free map of public EV charging stations in the United States. Every station gets an independent PlugCompass Score from 0 to 10, and you can see its real charger power in kW, opening hours, what kind of place it is, what's within a short walk, and whether other drivers' charging sessions worked. No sign-up needed.

The score is a weighted average of five factors built from published facts: price (30%), charging speed (25%), reliability from driver check-ins (20%), access and opening hours (15%) and number of ports (10%). If a factor has no data, such as an unpublished price, it is left out and the other weights are scaled up, never guessed. Distance and advertising never change a score. Each station shows its full breakdown. Full method and thresholds →

Station details come from the U.S. Department of Energy's Alternative Fuels Data Center (NREL). Driver check-ins come from PlugCompass users and Open Charge Map (CC BY 4.0). Place types and nearby cafés, restrooms and shops come from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors).

The map asks the NREL station database live every time you search. City and state pages use a full copy that is refreshed every week, and show the date of the last update. Open Charge Map data is refreshed every 12 hours per area, OpenStreetMap places monthly, and PlugCompass check-ins count immediately.

No. Most networks do not publish prices in the national database: only about 1 in 7 U.S. stations list one, and listed prices can be out of date. When a price is listed, PlugCompass turns it into a comparable cost per kWh. When it isn't, the station shows "Price not published". Always confirm the price in the network's app or on the charger.

After charging, tap "Worked" or "Didn't work" on the station. Check-ins are anonymous, limited to one per station every few hours, and feed the station's reliability score together with Open Charge Map reports from the last 18 months.

Cafés, places to eat, restrooms, grocery stores and shops within about 300 m of the charger, roughly a 4-minute walk, from OpenStreetMap.

It depends on the station and network. Listed U.S. prices are typically about $0.30-$0.65 per kWh for DC fast charging and $0.15-$0.45 per kWh for Level 2; some stations are free, often for customers or guests. Some charge by the hour or add session, idle or parking fees. Charging at home is usually cheaper.

Level 2 is AC charging, usually 6-19 kW, adding roughly 20-65 miles of range per hour. DC fast chargers deliver about 50-350 kW and can add 100+ miles in 20-30 minutes, depending on the car. PlugCompass shows each station's maximum kW where it is published.

Yes. The map, scores and calculator are free and need no account. Signing in (optional) lets you leave feedback. Sponsored spots are clearly labelled, shown outside the ranked list, and never change scores or the order of stations.

Every network listed in the U.S. Department of Energy database, including ChargePoint, Tesla, Electrify America, EVgo, Blink, Shell Recharge, EV Connect, FLO and non-networked chargers.

Open a station and use "Report price", the "Did it work?" buttons, or the feedback section. Reports are shown on the station so other drivers can see what you paid.