Planner
Google Maps reviewed: what it does and does not do
EV routing has moved into the default map. On a supported car it plans stops from the real battery level with no extra app and no subscription, which is a serious problem for everyone else in this table.
What it does
| Capability | Verdict | What the documentation says |
|---|---|---|
| Plans a charging route | ● Yes | Recommends charging stops with estimated arrival battery level and updated ETA. |
| Models the charging curve | ◐ Partly | Provides an estimate of charging time at each station. |
| Adjusts for weather and temperature | ● Yes | Battery prediction is stated to analyse weather conditions. |
| Accounts for elevation | ● Yes | Battery prediction is stated to analyse elevation changes. |
| Live charger availability | ◐ Partly | Real-time charger information is surfaced; coverage varies by network. |
| Reads the car | ◐ Partly | Real-time battery level on supported vehicles, rolling out by manufacturer. |
| Preconditions the battery | – Unverified | Not stated in the announcements checked. |
| Turn-by-turn navigation | ● Yes | A full navigation app. |
| CarPlay or Android Auto | ◐ Partly | Android Auto and Android Automotive; also available under CarPlay. |
| Pays for the charge | ○ No | Not a payment product. |
| Compares session prices | – Unverified | Not stated in the announcements checked. |
| Food, restrooms and facilities | ◐ Partly | The strongest general points-of-interest data here, but not charging-specific amenity routing. |
| Driver check-ins and reviews | ◐ Partly | General place reviews rather than charger check-ins. |
| Usable without paying | ● Yes | Free. |
Source: blog.google, checked 2026-08-19.
What it is good at
- Plans a charging route. Recommends charging stops with estimated arrival battery level and updated ETA. The dividing line in this category. A charger map tells you where the chargers are; a planner decides which ones you stop at, and for how long. Both are useful and they are not substitutes.
- Adjusts for weather and temperature. Battery prediction is stated to analyse weather conditions. Cold cuts usable range and slows DC charging, and it does both at once. A winter plan built on summer consumption is the single most common way a route planner strands someone.
- Accounts for elevation. Battery prediction is stated to analyse elevation changes. A mountain pass costs range on the way up and returns some on the way down. Flat-earth routing is survivable in the Netherlands and not in the Alps.
- Turn-by-turn navigation. A full navigation app. Several of the best planners are planners only, and expect you to send the route to something else. That is a workable arrangement, but it is worth knowing before you set off.
- Usable without paying. Free. Several of these are free because charging networks pay for placement or the vendor sells electricity. That is not a criticism, but it is worth knowing whose interest the default sort serves.
What it half does
These are the rows where a plain yes would mislead — the capability exists but is behind a subscription, limited to certain vehicles, or confined to one country.
- Models the charging curve. Provides an estimate of charging time at each station.
- Live charger availability. Real-time charger information is surfaced; coverage varies by network.
- Reads the car. Real-time battery level on supported vehicles, rolling out by manufacturer.
- CarPlay or Android Auto. Android Auto and Android Automotive; also available under CarPlay.
- Food, restrooms and facilities. The strongest general points-of-interest data here, but not charging-specific amenity routing.
- Driver check-ins and reviews. General place reviews rather than charger check-ins.
What it does not do
Not a criticism in most cases. A price comparator that does not navigate is not failing at navigation.
- Pays for the charge. Not a payment product.
What we could not confirm
These are capabilities we could not establish from Google Maps's own public documentation on 2026-08-19. Absence here means we did not find a statement, not that the feature is missing — and we would rather say that than guess.
- Preconditions the battery. Not stated in the announcements checked.
- Compares session prices. Not stated in the announcements checked.
Who it suits
Google Maps earns its place if you want a planned charging route rather than a map of chargers, cold-weather range modelling and routing that knows the road climbs. If none of that is what you are missing, something simpler on this list will serve you better and several of them cost nothing.