Discover electric car charging in Amsterdam. Find charging stations, payment options, and city regulations for hassle-free charging.
Please note, this map is meant for illustrative purposes and does not show a complete overview of all available charging stations in Amsterdam.
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Electric mobility might not be the first thing you think of about Amsterdam – the city known for its canals, picturesque old town, and abundance of cyclists and bike lanes (and some other things such as its Red Light District and the fact that cannabis is somewhat legalized). However, Amsterdam is also renowned for its commitment to sustainability and wants to become climate neutral by 2050.
Reducing harmful emissions from traffic is a big part of the many initiatives the city is undertaking. According to its climate-neutral roadmap, the city aims for traffic to be emission-free by 2030.
Notably, the city has committed to creating a zero-emission zone by 2025 in which only electric or hydrogen-powered vehicles would be allowed to enter, intending to reduce traffic and emissions. The exact zone, as well as which types of vehicles would be concerned – and from what date – remains to be confirmed, but it’s likely this will follow the current environmental zone within the A10 Ring Road.
Amsterdam currently has about 10,000 EV charging points, of these charging points, approximately 450 are fast charging points, and these numbers are only expected to increase in the coming years.
The above numbers refer to both public and semi-public charging points. While public charging points are accessible to everyone, semi-public charging points may have certain access restrictions or require the purchase of specific products or services such as, for example, at commercial parking, hospitality, or retail locations.
Because a single charging station can have several charging points, we estimate that there are currently around 6,000 individual (semi) public charging stations in Amsterdam, and this number is predicted to double by 2025.
A regular AC charging station has a power output of up to 22 kilowatts (kW) and charges up a typical EV in a couple of hours, depending on the size of the battery. AC charging stations are dotted around Amsterdam, with many on-street parking locations having these charging stations installed.
Fast chargers have a power out of 50 kW or higher, enabling much shorter EV charging times. Depending on your vehicle, its maximum charging capacity, and the size of your battery, a fast charger can replenish your battery in minutes instead of hours. For this reason, fast chargers are often used on the go, and placed near highways.
Amsterdam has electric vehicle chargers dotted around the city, with all 8 districts having a high concentration of public and semi-public chargers.
Amsterdam Centrum has many EV charging stations, although much of the Old Centre is difficult to access by car and has limited parking space. Instead, consider one of the many Park and Ride (P+R) locations outside the central zone, each of which has publically accessible EV charging points. Many are conveniently located around major roads in the city, such as at Sloterdijk in Amsterdam West, at RAI in Amsterdam Zuid, or in Amsterdam Noord.
Additionally, more and more hotels, restaurants, gas stations, shopping centers, and other retail locations are starting to offer EV charging to their customers, so you may also be able to charge your EV while shopping, dining, or running errands.
Generally speaking no, charging your car at a public charging station in Amsterdam is definitely not free. In addition, if applicable, you must pay the standard parking charges.
However, there could be exceptions found throughout the city if a business offers EV charging for free at their location. For example in combination with a purchase or using one of their services.
Just as you look for the price of a liter or gallon of gas with a combustion engine car, the main determining factor of how much your EV will cost to charge is the price per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity.
Of course, when using a public charger, you also usually have to pay a margin to the charge point operator on top of the kilowatt price of electricity.
In Amsterdam, there are a few main operators for regular public and semi-public chargers, here’s a quick overview of the price per kWh for AC charging in Amsterdam.
It’s worth noting that these prices might not factor in the 21 percent VAT, as well as any other fees or subscriptions that may be necessary for charging.
The price for fast charging will always be higher than for regular AC charging, to give you a ballpark idea, at the time of writing this we found fast charging prices at the main operators throughout the city range between € 0.54 per kWh and € 0.88 per kWh
Broadly speaking, the two main ways to pay for EV charging are either directly by credit or debit card, or using a charging card, app, or fob provided by a charge point operator.
To charge your EV at a public charging station in Amsterdam, you’ll need a charging card or app.
There are many different providers of charging cards and most offer apps via either the Google Play store or Apple store.
As a general rule of thumb: All cards from Dutch providers always work at all charging points in the Netherlands. However, foreign cards might not.
Find more information about different charging card providers, their coverage, subscription plans, and prices here (in Dutch).
Using a public electric car charging point in Amsterdam comes with a few rules. When parking in a spot designated for electric vehicles, your car must be connected to the charging point. There is no time limit for how long you can stay parked to charge, but you will need to have a valid parking permit or pay the correct parking fee for the whole duration of your stay. Note that some EV charging points can be located at parking spaces reserved for specific users – for example, the disabled or car-sharing services.
If you live in Amsterdam and drive an electric car but don’t have access to a private parking space, you can submit a request for the city to install an EV charging point near you.
There are some conditions you have to meet – for example, you need to have (or be eligible for) a parking permit in the area where you request the charging station, and you must not have access to private parking at home or work. For more information on how to get a public EV charging station near your house in Amsterdam, you can find the full list of requirements, including details on how to apply, here.
