Planner
Zapmap reviewed: what it does and does not do
The UK charging map, with payment attached. Deep where it operates and absent everywhere else, which makes it an easy decision either way.
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What it does
| Capability | Verdict | What the documentation says |
|---|---|---|
| Plans a charging route | ● Yes | Route planning for longer electric journeys is listed. |
| Models the charging curve | – Unverified | Not stated on the page checked. |
| Adjusts for weather and temperature | – Unverified | Not stated on the page checked. |
| Accounts for elevation | – Unverified | Not stated on the page checked. |
| Live charger availability | ● Yes | Filtering by availability is listed. |
| Reads the car | – Unverified | Not stated on the page checked. |
| Preconditions the battery | ○ No | Not a vehicle-control product. |
| Turn-by-turn navigation | – Unverified | Not stated on the page checked. |
| CarPlay or Android Auto | ◐ Partly | An in-car dashboard is listed; the exact platforms are not stated. |
| Pays for the charge | ● Yes | Zap-Pay covers over 80,000 chargers across 40 networks in one app. |
| Compares session prices | ◐ Partly | Premium is stated to include discounts at qualifying charge points. |
| Food, restrooms and facilities | – Unverified | Not stated on the page checked. |
| Driver check-ins and reviews | – Unverified | Not stated on the page checked. |
| Usable without paying | ● Yes | Free, with a paid Premium tier. |
Source: www.zapmap.com, checked 2026-08-19.
What it is good at
- Plans a charging route. Route planning for longer electric journeys is listed. 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.
- Live charger availability. Filtering by availability is listed. The difference between a planned stop and a real one. Note that "live" means the network told the app, which is not the same as the charger working.
- Pays for the charge. Zap-Pay covers over 80,000 chargers across 40 networks in one app. One account across many networks, instead of an app per operator. This is a different product category from routing, and the apps that do it well mostly do not plan routes well.
- Usable without paying. Free, with a paid Premium tier. 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.
- CarPlay or Android Auto. An in-car dashboard is listed; the exact platforms are not stated.
- Compares session prices. Premium is stated to include discounts at qualifying charge points.
What it does not do
Not a criticism in most cases. A price comparator that does not navigate is not failing at navigation.
- Preconditions the battery. Not a vehicle-control product.
What we could not confirm
These are capabilities we could not establish from Zapmap'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.
- Models the charging curve. Not stated on the page checked.
- Adjusts for weather and temperature. Not stated on the page checked.
- Accounts for elevation. Not stated on the page checked.
- Reads the car. Not stated on the page checked.
- Turn-by-turn navigation. Not stated on the page checked.
- Food, restrooms and facilities. Not stated on the page checked.
- Driver check-ins and reviews. Not stated on the page checked.
Who it suits
Zapmap earns its place if you want a planned charging route rather than a map of chargers, live charger status and to start and pay for charging in the app. If none of that is what you are missing, something simpler on this list will serve you better and several of them cost nothing.