# Comparing EV charging cards: how to choose the right one > How to compare charging cards: start from your own charging habits, check the subscription, start fee and coverage, and see where the price differences really come from. Published: 2026-09-01 · Language: en · Source: https://laadpaalvinden.be/en/blog/compare-ev-charging-cards/ There are dozens of charging cards, each with its own pricing model. A card that suits your neighbour perfectly can be the most expensive option for you. Start with your own charging habits. ## Start with a few numbers about yourself Write down what you do in a normal month: - How many kWh do you charge away from home? - How many charging sessions is that, and are they short or long? - Do you mostly use AC chargers, or fast chargers too? - Do you regularly drive abroad? If you have no driveway and charge at a street charger every week, your profile is very different from someone who charges at home and only uses public chargers on holiday. The first counts dozens of public kWh each month. The second may not charge publicly once. ## Where the money really goes A charging card usually has a few cost items, and not every card uses all of them: - a fixed fee per month or per year - a price per kWh, often different for AC and DC - a start fee per session - a fee for occupying the charger after you finish, see [avoiding idle fees](/en/blog/avoid-idle-fees-charging/) Pay attention to the price per kWh itself, too. It often depends on the charger you use, not just on your card. The card gives you access, and the charger's operator helps decide what you pay. You can read how that works in our piece on [CPOs and MSPs](/en/blog/cpo-and-msp-explained/). ## Worked example 1: subscription or not? Say card A costs 5 euro a month and charges 0.55 euro per kWh. Card B has no subscription and charges 0.62 euro per kWh. These are assumptions for the example, not real tariffs. The difference is 0.07 euro per kWh. You earn back the 5 euro subscription from 5 / 0.07 = just over 71 kWh a month. If you regularly charge below that, card B is cheaper. Above it, card A wins, and the more you charge, the bigger the advantage. ## Worked example 2: the start fee Say card C charges 0.50 euro per kWh plus 1 euro per session. You need 40 kWh. - One session of 40 kWh: 40 × 0.50 + 1 = 21 euro, or 0.525 euro per kWh. - Four sessions of 10 kWh: 4 × 0.50 × 10 + 4 = 24 euro, or 0.60 euro per kWh. With the same card and the same amount of electricity, you pay 3 euro more. A start fee weighs heavily if you often top up briefly, and hardly at all if you charge rarely and for long. So don't judge a card by the advertised price per kWh alone. ## Coverage: does the card work where you charge? A cheap card is no use if it doesn't work at the chargers near you. Check the [map](/en/map/) to see which operators are around your home, your work and your regular routes. If you mostly see one or two operators, coverage at those operators matters more than the total number of chargers a card claims. If you drive abroad, check whether the card works there and at what rate. Foreign rates often differ from what you pay in Belgium, and not every card works at every charger. Check that before you leave. ## The app and the invoice A card is also an app. Does it show the price before you start? Can you see afterwards what each session cost? Can you stop a session if something goes wrong? Test that with a short session before you plan a long trip. ## A second card as a backup A card without a subscription costs nothing when you don't use it. It is a handy backup for when your main card doesn't work at a particular charger. Paying by bank card or QR code is sometimes possible too, see [paying at the charger without a card](/en/blog/pay-by-card-or-qr-at-charger/), but it isn't available everywhere and can cost more. ## When comparing doesn't achieve much If you charge almost everything at home, the differences between cards are small in euro terms. A simple card without a subscription is enough. The comparing is mainly worth the effort if you charge publicly a lot. ## Keep your choice up to date Prices and terms change, even within a running contract. A promotional rate can disappear after a few months. Look at your provider's current terms now and then, and redo your example with your latest month of sessions. You can find the basics on the [charging cards](/en/charging-cards/) page and in [what is an EV charging card](/en/blog/what-is-an-ev-charging-card/).