European electric car drivers are venturing further afield than ever, with Austria and Italy recording spectacular growth in holiday charging sessions.

But while range anxiety is fading, unpredictable charging bills remain a headache. One Dutch driver even received a bill exceeding €400 for a single charging session in Paris.

New figures from the Dutch motoring organization ANWB suggest that Europe’s charging infrastructure is increasingly capable of supporting long-distance travel. However, hidden fees, confusing tariffs, and incompatible payment systems continue to undermine the experience.

Austria and Italy lead the growth

ANWB analyzed charging activity involving more than 600,000 charging cards. During the summer of 2026, its cards were used for over 4.8 million charging sessions.

Germany, France, and Belgium remain the most popular foreign charging countries among Dutch EV drivers. However, the strongest growth is occurring further south. Over two years, the number of drivers charging with an ANWB card in Italy increased by 185%, while Austria recorded an impressive 231% rise.

Even more distant destinations, including Portugal and North Macedonia, increasingly appear in the charging data. Although the figures partly reflect the growing number of electric vehicles on Dutch roads, they illustrate how long-distance electric travel is becoming more commonplace.

A €400 charging surprise

Charging prices are becoming more transparent in many European countries, according to ANWB. In Switzerland, the proportion of charging sessions costing more than €1 per kWh dropped from 25% in 2024 to 9% this summer. Austria recorded a decline from 16% to 9%.

Remarkably, fast charging is now regularly cheaper than slower AC charging in countries such as Germany, France, and Austria, challenging the traditional assumption that faster charging necessarily comes at a premium.

But hidden costs remain a problem. In Paris, one driver received a bill exceeding €400 after leaving an electric car connected for three days. Most of the amount consisted of idle fees rather than electricity.

ANWB recorded several similar cases at the same location. Although extreme bills are becoming less common, parking fees and occupancy charges remain particularly problematic in France, Italy, and Poland.

Albania illustrates the remaining challenges

NewMobility.News encountered another side of the problem during its recent electric road trip to Albania and Greece.

Our Kia EV6 covered 4,157 kilometers in three weeks, averaging just 14.4 kWh/100 km. Even in Albania, where public charging infrastructure is less developed than in Western Europe, finding electricity was not necessarily the biggest challenge.

A 120 kW fast charger in Gjirokastër demonstrated that modern charging infrastructure is reaching destinations well beyond Europe’s established EV markets.

However, international charging cards did not always work as expected, and payment instructions were sometimes ambiguous. A charger inviting drivers to swipe a card or scan a code did not necessarily accept an ordinary bank card.

For travelers, knowing that a charger exists is only half the story. Knowing whether it accepts their payment method, and what the final bill will be, is equally important.

Brussels faces a new challenge

According to environmental organization Transport & Environment (T&E), the EU had reached 1.1 million public charging points by the end of 2025. The organization argues that the focus must now shift from the quantity of chargers to the quality and affordability of charging.

In a recent policy briefing, T&E called for standardized pricing, clear disclosure of additional fees, and the ability to pay with an ordinary bank card at every public charging point.

Europe’s Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR) already addresses some of these issues. New public chargers with a capacity of 50 kW or more must display their ad hoc electricity price and any applicable occupancy charges.

However, idle fees remain permitted, and different charging cards can still produce different bills at the same station. Consumer organizations therefore want stricter rules as Brussels prepares to revise the legislation.

For EV drivers, the next breakthrough may not be another hundred kilometers of battery range, but the ability to plug in anywhere in Europe, pay with an ordinary bank card, and know exactly what it will cost.