Top 10 fastest charging electric cars on sale 2023

Open gallery Close News by Autocar 7 mins read 13 March 2023 Follow @@autocar Share

For many potential EV buyers it’s range anxiety that often stops them from reaching for the wallet – that worry that you’ll be left stranded in the middle of nowhere with a flat battery. Yet wrapped up in these concerns about how far you can travel is the issue of how long you’ll be waiting to top up a battery when you find a charger.

For many owners charging at home overnight means waiting for a full battery isn’t a problem, because you’re asleep and the car would be parked up anyway. Yet when you’re out on the road and tackling a long journey, kicking your heels for a few hours is both frustrating and extremely time-consuming.

However, the advent of increasingly rapid DC (Direct Current) chargers means you’re unlikely to be stationary for as long as you think. And while it’s going to be a while before EV charging is as quick and convenient as filling a tank with petrol or diesel, the likelihood of you being at a loose end for large chunks of time continues to diminish as car makers develop increasingly fast and efficient charging methods.

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For our top 10 fastest charging cars we’ve used manufacturer-claimed figures for the maximum rate in kW (kilowatts) at which the battery will accept charge, as well as the time it takes to reach 80% capacity (few brands recommend rapid-charging to 100%, and to protect the battery the final 20% is added much more slowly).

Top 10 fastest charging EVs on sale

Lucid Air – 350kW

Due to hit UK shores later this year, the handsome Lucid Air has made plenty of headlines with its knockout 1096bhp power output as well as its impressive claimed range of 520 miles. However, these are not the only impressive numbers about the American executive saloon, which has been engineered by the same person behind the Tesla Model S. With an electrical architecture that’s rated at above 900V, the Lucid is able to take almost full advantage of the latest 350kW rapid chargers. The brand is cagey about exactly how much the Air can accept but states “over 300kW”, which means the large, 118kWh battery can be replenished from 10-80% in as little as 15 minutes.

Hyundai Ioniq 5 – 350kW

The first of a number of cars from Hyundai and its subsidiary brands Kia and Genesis, the Ioniq 5 turned the family EV market on its head when it arrived in 2021. It finishes ahead of its Korean cousins here because it was the first one to hit showrooms. Underpinning the Ioniq 5 is the firm’s clever E-GMP platform that includes powerful 800V electrics, a feature that had previously been reserved for the much pricier Porsche Taycan. According to Hyundai, this allows the car to be charged at a rate of up to 350kW, which is good for 10-80% in 18 minutes. However, experience suggests this figure is only achieved for the briefest of moments, and more often than not the angular hatchback accepts electricity at around 230kW.

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Kia EV6 – 350kW

Under the skin, the eye-catching Kia EV6 is largely identical to the Hyundai Ioniq 5, which explains how it claims the same fairly brief 18-minute stop at rapid chargers to bump the capacity from 10-80%. Not only do the two cars share the same structure, 800V architecture and 77.4kWh lithium ion battery, they also share the optionally fully reclining driver’s set that allows you to take a nap if you can’t find a a 350kW charger and so need to spend a little longer topping up. Where the Kia scores is in the availability of its flagship GT model that offers a potent 577bhp for a kidney-crushing 0-62mph time of 3.5sec. It also gets a Drift mode, which looks good on paper but can deliver some pretty wild slides if you’re not fully awake.

Genesis GV60 – 350kW

The Genesis name is fairly new to Europe, but Hyundai’s luxury sub-brand has been doing good business both in its native Korea and the US for the best part of a decade now. The GV60 was the firm’s first all-electric offering and, unsurprisingly, it’s underpinned by the same E-GMP architecture as the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6. Like those two, there’s a choice of single- or dual-motor set-ups (for four-wheel drive), with the Performance model offering 482bhp. As with its close relations, the V2L (vehicle-to-load) system allows you to use the drive battery to charge larger devices, including other EVs. Given its identical 800V electrical gubbins, you get the same 350kW charging potential and up-to-18-minute 10-80% charging time.

Genesis Electrified GV70 – 350kW

Another entry, another Genesis. The upmarket Korean brand is making a big push into electrification, and all its recent additions use parent firm Hyundai’s 800V electrical hardware. Like the GV60, the GV70 uses the familiar 77.4kWh battery and is capable in optimum conditions of charging at up to 350kW, which means an 18-minute pause to get the cells from 10-80%. However, like the Electrified G80, the GV70 is based on an existing internal-combustion-engined design, which means it doesn’t get the same futuristic looks as its smaller SUV sibling, or the option of a cheaper single-motor model. As with the G80, the driving experience is geared towards comfort and refinement rather than driver fun, although with 482bhp it’s no slouch.