Discover electric car charging in Paris. Find charging stations, payment options, and city regulations for hassle-free charging.
During COVID-19, Paris made major strides toward sustainable mobility, launching its public EV charging network called Belib’. This reflects the growing number of EV registrations in Paris, which increased by a whopping 41% from 2020 to 2021.
Paris is also pursuing efforts to increase the number of EV charging points by offering a 60 percent subsidy (up to €4,000) to businesses that install an EV charging station.
There are currently around 2,300 public EV charging stations in Paris, operated under the city’s Belib'public EV charging scheme. This doesn’t include any private EV charging stations or charge points installed by hotels, restaurants, shopping centers, or workplaces for use by their customers or employees.
The majority of publicly-accessible EV charging stations in the Belib' scheme are standard Level 2 AC charging stations, which can charge a typical EV in anywhere from 1 to 8 hours.
Belib' also operates 18 Level 3 DC fast charging stations, which can charge most EVs in under an hour.
Paris’ municipal Belib’ network has EV chargers installed across the city. Belib’ chargers are usually located in on-street parking bays, although many parking garages owned by the city are also equipped with public charging stations. This includes the Saemes Madeleine-Tronchet underground parking garage in the 8th Arrondissement, the largest public charging location in France with over 505 charging stations.
Other major parking garages, including Porte d’Auteuil and Jean-Bouin in the 16th Arrondissement, as well as Saint-Augustin Bergson in the 8th Arrondissement, are all EV charging hubs with dozens of charging stations.
On-street EV charging is available in many popular neighborhoods and around famous attractions such as Montmartre in the 18th
Arrondissement, the Latin Quarter in the 5th and 6th
Arrondissements, and Le Marais in the 3rd and 4th
Arrondissements. The popular Opéra neighborhood and the Montparnasse area are also well-equipped with on-street EV charging stations.
No, you generally can’t charge your electric car in Paris for free. The municipal Belib’ network has different tariffs for residents and visitors and different costs based on the power output of a given station and the time of day.
Some hotels, restaurants, or shops may offer complimentary EV charging to customers, but these are usually dependent on making a purchase or staying at the given hotel.
There are three tariffs on Paris’ Belib’ network depending on your situation, with EV charging either billed by the minute, the kilowatt-hour, or both. The subscription for residents and non-residents costs €7 per year. Alternatively, you also have the option to pay as you go on the resident tariff.
Visitors
Non-resident subscribers
Resident subscribers
7 to 22 kW charging: €2.05 per 15 minutes
Fast charging on the Belib’ network is billed by the minute and varies whether you are a visitor, a resident, or a non-resident subscriber.
Visitors
Non-resident subscribers
Resident subscribers
There are three ways to pay for electric car charging in Paris. Belib’ subscribers can start and pay for charging sessions using their membership badge, while visitors can either pay directly by credit or debit card or using a fob or card from a partner charging network if they’re subscribed to one.
The main charging app/card you need in Paris is Belib’, allowing you to access over 2,300 public charging stations within the city and unlock the cheapest charging rates. Belib’ EV chargers are also compatible with cards and apps from partner charge point operators, including Total, ChargeMap, and PlugSurfing.
On-street parking in Paris is free for low-emission vehicles, including electric and plug-in hybrid cars. To benefit from this, drivers need to apply for a permit and the scheme is open to both residents and non-residents, as well as people working in Paris.
Parking and charging your EV in a parking garage is subject to any standard parking fees that have to be paid on top of charging costs, and depend on the car park operator.
There is currently no framework for requesting a public EV charging station to be installed near your home in Paris. Belib’ is constantly installing new public charging stations across the city to meet the growing demand for EV charging, many of which are in residential areas and streets.
