A charger refusing to start is more often a quick fix than an actual broken unit. Work through these roughly in order — most sessions that fail get sorted by the first two or three steps.
Try these, in order
- Unplug and reconnect properly. By far the most common cause — a connector that isn't fully seated. Unplug completely, check both ends for debris or bent pins, and reinsert firmly until it clicks.
- Check for a network outage. Open the network's app (or check Zap-Map) for reported faults at that specific charger before assuming it's your car or card.
- Try a different payment method. If the app won't authenticate, try a contactless card instead (or vice versa) — remember contactless is legally required on rapid chargers, so it should always be an option. Poor mobile signal at the site is a common reason apps fail even when the charger itself is fine.
- Try a different bay at the same site. Often only one unit at a location is faulted or tripped, while the others work fine.
- Wake the screen. Some units go into a sleep state and need a tap on the physical screen before they'll start a new session.
- Pre-condition the battery in cold weather. Some EVs slow or refuse rapid charging when the battery is very cold — many cars can pre-warm the battery from the app or navigation system if you set the charger as a destination in advance.
- Try a different network entirely. If your car won't charge at more than one network's chargers in a row, the issue is more likely with the car than the infrastructure — worth a call to the manufacturer or an EV-experienced garage.
If nothing works
- Every public charger is legally required to display a free 24/7 helpline number — call it and report the fault on the spot; see our Network Guides page for more on your rights as a driver.
- Report the broken charger on Zap-Map or the network's app so other drivers see it's down before they arrive.
- Use our Find a Charger tool to locate your next-nearest alternative rather than waiting around at a faulted unit.
Specific fault codes and screen messages vary a lot by charger manufacturer and network, so we haven't tried to list them all here — the steps above solve the large majority of failed sessions regardless of which network or hardware you're dealing with.