The biggest obstacle to electric cars is charging: how long are drivers willing to wait compared to the 5 minutes for gasoline.

05/11/2026 10:00

Updated to

05/11/2026 10:00

Range remains one of the concerns regarding electric cars, but there is another factor that could prove far more decisive in determining whether a driver is willing to give up internal combustion engines: the time it takes to recharge and continue the journey. While filling up with gasoline or diesel takes only about three to five minutes, charging an electric vehicle is a factor that directly affects travel planning, especially when covering long distances.

Spanish drivers have already set the limit they are willing to tolerate: 24 minutes. This is reflected in the Arval Mobility Observatory 2026, which analyzes the barriers that still hinder the adoption of electric mobility in Spain. According to its findings, 38% of corporate drivers believe that a charging stop on the road should take less than 24 minutes for an electric vehicle to meet their productivity needs.

Making charging less of a hassle

Breaking that time limit means facing discomfort that could end up outweighing the advantages offered by battery models, and the figure highlights another significant hurdle to overcome: the fact that drivers do not view stopping to recharge as an excessive interruption to their journey.

In fact, the habits of drivers show that most try to avoid this situation whenever possible. 49% prefer to charge their vehicles at home at night, while only 28% regularly use fast charging stations on the road. This difference is significant and highlights a usage pattern in which electric cars perform best when they can recharge while their owners are sleeping, working, or engaged in other activities, but the situation changes when charging occurs during travel time.

In addition to convenience, cost savings are another factor that explains much of this preference. Traveling 100 kilometers using electricity charged at home during off-peak hours costs between 1.44 and 2.15 euros, a figure significantly lower than the approximately 12 euros for gasoline and 13 euros for diesel required to cover the same distance. However, at ultra-fast charging stations—those that allow shorter stops—the cost can range from 6.46 to 11.34 euros per 100 kilometers, almost completely eliminating this advantage.

The charging network must keep up

But what does the infrastructure need to make those 24 minutes a reality? The answer lies in power. Analysis shows that connectors with at least 150 kW are essential to reduce waiting times to acceptable levels for intercity travel. Simply increasing the total number of chargers isn’t enough; they must deliver power fast enough, and this has yet to be achieved in Spain. The country currently has around 6,000 public connectors of this type, though figures vary by source—ANFAC reports 6,252 locations, compared to approximately 4,950 recorded by AEDIVE.

The perception that infrastructure is still lacking is very widespread, as shown by the fact that 30% of drivers cite the scarcity of public charging stations as the main obstacle to adopting an electric vehicle.

There is another phenomenon that helps explain why even a high-capacity charging network does not always result in short stops: drivers tend to stay connected longer than strictly necessary. According to Álvaro Sauras, vice president of AUVE, the average charging time is around 25 minutes, although in many cases 18 to 23 minutes would be sufficient to continue the journey with confidence. This extra time is not gratuitous; it stems from a desire for peace of mind, as users not only want to reach their next destination but also have enough battery to handle unexpected situations or avoid another stop too soon.