A Growing Question for UK Drivers
With over 1 million electric vehicles now on UK roads, one of the most common questions from EV and plug-in hybrid drivers is: does my factory sat nav show charging points? The answer depends on your navigation system and how recently your maps were updated.
What Current Navigation Maps Include for EVs
The latest HERE and TomTom map data — which powers most European factory navigation SD cards — includes electric vehicle charging point locations as a Points of Interest (POI) category. In a current 2025–2026 map update, you should be able to search for “EV Charging” or “Electric Vehicle Charging” in your navigation system’s POI search and see locations near you or along your route.
The data typically includes:
- Charging station location (address and map coordinates)
- Operator name (BP Pulse, Pod Point, Osprey, Gridserve, etc.)
- Connector types available (CCS, CHAdeMO, Type 2, Rapid)
- Number of charging points at the location
What Map SD Cards Don’t Show
Static map data has limitations compared to connected navigation apps:
- Real-time availability — map data can’t show whether a specific charger is currently in use or out of order
- Pricing — tariff information changes frequently and isn’t stored in map data
- New chargers added after the map was published — the UK’s charging network is expanding rapidly; a map from 12 months ago will be missing many newer installations
How Quickly Does EV Charging Data Update?
HERE and TomTom both update their EV charging POI databases frequently — quarterly in most regions. This data is then packaged into annual automotive map releases. A 2025–2026 map update card will have substantially more charging locations than a 2022 or 2023 card, reflecting the rapid expansion of the UK’s public charging network over the past two years.
BMW, Audi and Mercedes EV Navigation
Premium brands with connected navigation (BMW iDrive 7+, Audi MMI Connect, Mercedes MBUX) can supplement static map data with live charging availability from their own connected services platforms. For drivers with older systems using SD card navigation, the static charging POI data from a current map update card is what’s available — it’s useful for planning but should be supplemented with a charging app (Zap-Map, PlugShare) for real-time availability checking.
The Practical Recommendation
If you drive an EV or PHEV and your factory navigation is more than 18 months old, a map update card is worth getting specifically for the expanded charging network data. Use the factory nav to find charging locations along your route, and cross-reference with Zap-Map or your charger network’s app to confirm real-time availability before you arrive.