Charging mandate for hybrids? You might be in trouble
In the article
The driver of the Lexus NX plug-in was supposed to receive a 100 zł fine and one demerit point for parking while charging.
Since February, signs indicating charging stations now cover both electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids.
The problem is that the regulation regarding the “EV charging” sign has not been changed and still only refers to “electric vehicles”.
The incident was reported by “Gazeta Wrocławska”. The driver of the Lexus NX plug-in hybrid parked next to a public charger on św. Wita Street in Wrocław and connected his car to the power supply. He did not block the charger with a gasoline vehicle nor leave his car at the site without charging. He used the infrastructure exactly for the purpose it was built for.
Nevertheless, the city police showed up. According to the driver’s account, he was initially supposed to receive a 100 zł fine and one demerit point, as the spot was marked with a D-18 “parking” sign as well as an “EV charging” sign. The problem? The Lexus NX plug-in is not officially classified as an “electric vehicle” under Polish regulations.
Electric and hybrid are legally two different things
The Electromobility Act clearly distinguishes between these terms. An “electric vehicle” is a car that uses solely electrical energy stored in a battery charged from an external source. In simpler terms, it’s a classic BEV, or a fully electric car.
A plug-in hybrid has a separate definition. It is a fuel-electric vehicle whose battery can also be charged from a wall outlet. And this is where the legislative confusion begins.
The regulations were changed in February. But not all of them.
On February 19, 2026, an amendment to the regulation on road signs and signals came into effect. It changed the meaning of two important signs. D-23b now means “gas station with a charging point for electric or hybrid vehicles,” while D-23c means “charging point for electric or hybrid vehicles.”
The Ministry of Infrastructure itself explained in the project justification that previous regulations did not cover plug-in hybrids and prevented them from officially using such locations. The change was intended to resolve this issue. However, only the signs indicating chargers were updated, not all regulations related to parking spaces near them.
The “EV charging” sign remains unchanged
The regulation regarding the sign placed under the D-18 parking sign still states that the wording “EV charging” denotes a spot designated for electric vehicles solely for charging purposes. Hybrid vehicles are not included in this description.
If interpreted literally, this leads to an absurd situation. The D-23c sign tells plug-in hybrid drivers that they can charge their vehicle here. A few meters away, the “EV charging” sign at the charging station itself might be interpreted as a spot reserved only for fully electric vehicles. Yet plug-in hybrids also need a place to stop in order to recharge.
Moreover, the law itself allows for hybrids
The mess is even greater when we look at the law on public roads. At publicly accessible charging stations, the traffic manager is required to designate parking spaces for both electric and hybrid vehicles. Both types of cars can use these spaces while charging.
The Ministry of Infrastructure cited this provision when preparing this year’s amendment to traffic signs. The legislator’s intention seems clear: plug-in hybrids should be able to use spaces at public chargers. However, efforts to update all regulatory provisions and signage have not kept up.
There was ultimately no fine
The driver’s experience in Wrocław ended well. After it was explained that the Lexus is a plug-in hybrid, the matter was resolved with a warning. Initially, however, the driver was told that a similar situation might result in a penalty. It was only after the case was brought to light by “Gazeta Wrocławska” and the regulations were reexamined that Wrocław’s city police changed their approach.
The city states that drivers of plug-in hybrids who actually charge their vehicles at a station marked “EV charging” will not be fined. Wrocław also wants to appeal to the Ministry of Infrastructure to standardize the regulations.
This does not mean parking can be done arbitrarily at charging stations
The whole matter doesn’t change one thing: the charging station is not an ordinary parking spot. If there is a “EV charging” sign nearby, the vehicle should be connected to the charger. This also applies to fully electric cars — just having green plates does not give the right to leave it there for several hours without charging.
Especially a gasoline car, which cannot draw any energy from a charger at all, should not occupy such a spot. The Wrocław case is different. The driver had a vehicle capable of charging from an external source and actually used the charger. The problem wasn’t his actions but inconsistent regulations.
Union regulations have gone even further
Additional context is provided by the EU’s AFIR regulation on alternative fuel infrastructure. Its definitions classify plug-in hybrids as electric vehicles equipped with an additional conventional internal combustion engine.
However, Polish regulations use their own narrower definitions of “electric vehicle” and “hybrid vehicle.” Therefore, AFIR alone does not resolve the issue of the old road sign.
And this is where correction is needed.
One word and a major problem
The whole issue essentially boils down to one missing term. In February, the government added hybrids to signs indicating charging points, but it did not do the same for signs marking parking spaces as “EV charging.”
For the driver, the outcome is extremely unintuitive. They buy a car equipped with a charging port by the manufacturer, plug it into a public charger, and then may be asked to explain why they are parked in a charging spot.
In Wrocław, the city police have already stated that they will not punish drivers of plug-in hybrids in such situations. What remains now is to clarify the regulations so that the same interpretation applies not due to the common sense of a particular city, but because it clearly follows from the law.
Piotr Sobczyk