These are the fastest-charging electric cars on sale in the UK

Features

From BMW and Volvo to Xpeng and Denza, these cars offer the most powerful charging around, all the way up to 1,500kW

MA

Matt Allan

12 November 2026, 14:30 GMT · 6 min read

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Of all the biggest shifts in the EV world over the last few years, there are two key areas.

The first is range. We’ve gone from being impressed by 200 miles to demanding 400 or even 500 in just a few years.

The second is charging power. Arguably, how quickly your car can recharge is every bit as important as how far it goes between charges. And, here the tech has grown perhaps even more impressively.

Recent months have seen Geely reveal tech that will charge at a mindblowing 2.25mW – that’s 10 times faster than a Polestar 2 from just a couple of years ago. Elsewhere, we’ve got promises of 1,400kW or 1,500kW charging from the likes of Chery and BYD.

Those bring claims of 10-80% top-ups in under five minutes. But virtually all of those cars and chargers to support them are only available in China for the moment. So while the Zeekr Z01 is technically the fastest charging EV in the world right now, we want to focus on cars our readers can actually buy.

Charging time will depend on a car’s battery size, charging power and how long it can sustain that power, but to keep things simple we’ve stuck with stated peak DC charging as a measure of charging speed.

So here’s a list of the fastest charging electric cars on sale in the UK right now.

Mercedes CLA/Porsche Taycan/Audi e-tron GT – 320kW

At the lower end of the super-fast charging table (if that makes sense), there is a bit of congestion. So to kick off, we’ve got a three-way tie.

Porsche and Audi’s closely related four-door grand tourers are high-end, high-power, high-price machines that will top their 97kWh “performance” battery from 10-80% in just 18 minutes and look damn cool while doing it. The Mercedes CLA in contrast, is a far more accessible mainstream saloon that showcases Merc’s latest 800V technology. Designed for the up-and-coming executive, it’s all about long ranges and short charging times, with up to 480 miles of range and a 10-80% time of just 22 minutes.

Polestar 5/Polestar 3/Volvo ES90/Lotus Eletre – 350kW

Another multiple-tie-up for our next spot. The Polestar 3 and Volvo EX90 are related Swedish SUVs both built on the Volvo SPA2 platform, recently upgraded to 800V architecture. While the EX90 leans into Volvo’s heritage of building sophisticated seven-seat SUVs, the Polestar has sportier aspirations. Both get a 107kWh battery that will recharge from 10-80% in 22 minutes. Also based on the SPA2 system and with the same hardwares stats, the ES90 is the saloon-shaped sibling to the Volvo’s seven-seat EUV.

The Polestar 5, meanwhile is entirely its own thing – an 872bhp grand tourer with pace and poise to spare, plus the ability to get its 106kWh battery from 10-80% in 22 minutes.

The Lotus meanwhile sits somewhere amid all those models. It’s a full-size luxury-tinged SUV, but one that can go from 0-62mph in less than 3 seconds. This first SUV from Hethel aims to be a high-tech, high-performance complete package, with more than 900bhp and a 10-80% time of 20 minutes for its 109kWh battery.

BMW ix3/i3/Volvo EX60 – 400kW

The BMW iX3 was a landmark car for being the UK’s first 500-mile EV, although it has since been eclipsed by the related i3, which can manage 566 miles. Both the iX3 SUV and i3 saloon run on a dedicated 800V EV platform with BMW’s latest Gen6 EV hardware. That means impressive power – up to 463bhp – but more impressive charging that will take its 108kWh battery from 10-80% in just 21 minutes.

Hot on the iX3’s heels is the Volvo EX60, which went on sale a few months later and immediately took the Beemer’s range crown with a maximum capability of 503 miles. Like the iX3, the EX60 is a premium SUV majoring on comfort and tech, and blends high power and impressive range with equally impressive charging. Find the right public device and the smaller 95kWh battery will go from 10-80% in 16 minutes while the larger 117kWh unit will take 19 minutes.

Lotus Emeya – 443kW

For a while the Emeya was actually the fastest charging electric car on sale, but the last year or so has seen it eclipsed. Nonetheless, its 443kW capability is still hugely impressive and means its 99kWh battery can be replenished from 10-80% in under 14 mins. Once charged, that battery supplies energy to two motors packing up to 905bhp, which will shift Lotus’s high-end, high-tech super-saloon from 0-62mph in just 2.78 seconds.

Xpeng G6 – 451kW

In a lot of ways, the Xpeng G6 is a fairly unremarkable thing. It looks like a Tesla Model Y clone from the outside, and feels like any other Chinese EV inside. It’s also not particularly exciting to drive, although the Performance model does pack 480bhp. Where the G6 does stand out is in its 451kW DC charging ability, which is enough to get its 80.8kWh battery from 10-80% in just 12 minutes.

Mercedes-AMG GT SUV – 600kW

Not content with building the world’s most powerful SUV, Mercedes-AMG has also built one of the fastest-charging EVs on sale right now. With a peak DC rate of 600kW, the super-SUV can recharge its massive 128kWh battery from 10-80% in just 16 minutes. That’s probably just as well because with more than 1,150bhp on tap, we reckon owners will probably chew through the GT SUV’s energy reserves pretty quickly. The soon-to-launch GT 4-Door Coupe shares the SUV’s 800V underpinnings and peak charging power.

Denza Z9 GT – 1,500kW

BYD doesn’t do things in half measures and nowhere is that more obvious than with the Denza Z9 GT. Denza is the posh wing of BYD and the Z9 GT is its showcase car. It’s a £107,000 tri-motor shooting brake with 1,140bhp and a 0-62mph time of just 2.7 seconds. More relevant here is the fact it’s the first car in the UK to support BYD’s 1,500kW Flash Charging, which is slowly being rolled out at BYD dealerships. In ideal conditions the four-figure charging power will take the Z9 GT’s 122.4kWh battery from 10-80% in an astonishing five minutes. The two-door Z shares the same 1,000V architecture and charging speed.