EV Charging Points in North Shields

Owning an electric car in North Shields is a lot easier than it was a few years ago. The town now has public chargers in a council car park right in the centre, at all three of the big discount and superstore sites, down at Royal Quays and, for anyone in a hurry, a high-powered unit on the edge of town. Here is where to plug in, what each site is good for, and what North Tyneside Council says about charging at home.

Tariffs and networks change often, so treat this as a map of where to look rather than a price list, and check the operator's app for current prices and live availability before you set off.

Town centre: Norfolk Street car park

The most useful public charging in North Shields sits in the council's Norfolk Street car park (NE30 1NQ), a few minutes' walk from Howard Street, Northumberland Square and the top of the banks down to the Fish Quay. North Tyneside Council lists two kinds of charger here: two rapid bays run by Evolt, and two fast 22kW bays run by Zest, which you pay for through the Zest app.

The council rules at its car parks are worth knowing. You can charge for a maximum of three hours, and the bays are for charging only: leave the car there unplugged, or stay longer than three hours, and you risk a penalty charge notice. Once you are charged you are expected to move to an ordinary bay and pay for any further parking in the usual way. For a wider picture of where to leave the car around town, see our guide to where to park in North Shields.

Best for: Best for a quick top-up while you shop, eat or work in the town centre.

Supermarket charging

Combining a charge with the weekly shop is the easiest habit for most drivers, and North Shields has three good options. Our supermarkets in North Shields guide covers the stores themselves.

Tesco Extra, Norham Road

Tesco Extra at Chirton has Pod Point chargers in its car park: two units with four Type 2 connectors at 7kW. That is a slow speed, so think of it as adding a useful chunk of range during a long shop rather than a full charge. You start and pay for a session through the Pod Point app.

Best for: Best for topping up during a big weekly shop.

Aldi, Hawkey's Lane

Aldi North Shields on Hawkey's Lane has four 7kW Type 2 charge points in its car park, so there is a decent chance of a free bay even at busy times. Like Tesco, these are slow chargers suited to the time you spend in the store.

Best for: Best for a short top-up with the most bays of the three supermarkets.

Lidl, Preston Grange

Lidl Preston Grange on Rake Lane is the only supermarket in town with a rapid charger. Its single unit has three connectors (CCS, CHAdeMO and a 22kW Type 2), though only one car can rapid charge at a time. The charger is listed for customer use only, and you can pay through the Lidl Plus app or other supported apps.

Best for: Best for a rapid charge on the northern side of town while you shop.

Royal Quays Marina

Down by the river, Royal Quays Marina has six 22kW Type 2 chargers on the Monta network, which makes it one of the larger banks of fast chargers in the town. It is a handy spot if you are walking the marina and the Albert Edward Dock waterfront, or heading over to the shops and leisure at Royal Quays. Payment is through the Monta app or Zapmap's Zap-Pay.

Best for: Best for a fast charge combined with a walk around the marina.

Other chargers in and around town

• The Redburn service station on the Waterville Road roundabout at Percy Main has an ultra-rapid unit listed on Zapmap at up to 150kW, with two CCS connectors on the Forward EV network. If you need a lot of range quickly, this is the fastest option in North Shields.
• North Tyneside General Hospital on Rake Lane has a sizeable bank of chargers on site, mixing 7kW units with rapid CCS and CHAdeMO connectors. Check the hospital's own guidance and the app for current pricing.
• Tynemouth Pool car park (NE29 9PX), on the North Shields side of Tynemouth, is another council site with two rapid and two fast bays run by Evolt, under the same three-hour rule as Norfolk Street.
• Just along the coast, the council's Beaconsfield car park on Tynemouth's Grand Parade has rapid bays run by Monta alongside slower Zest units.

Charging at home and on the street

If you have a driveway or garage, a home charger is still the cheapest and most convenient way to run an electric car. North Tyneside Council points drivers with off-street parking towards the government's charge point grant schemes for eligible homes and workplaces, so check what currently applies to you before booking an installer.

Terraced streets are harder, and much of North Shields is terraced. The council is clear on a few points:

• No cables across the pavement. Running a charging lead across the footway is not allowed, because of the trip risk to pedestrians, wheelchair users and people with pushchairs, and the council treats it as an offence under the Highways Act 1980.
• No private on-street charge points. Individuals cannot install their own charger on the street outside their home.
• No lamp-post charging for now. Streetlight charging is not being pursued, mainly because of trailing cables and the cost of upgrading columns.

Instead, the council says it will work with commercial operators on off-street charging hubs for areas without driveways. It does not respond to individual requests for a charger, but suggestions for locations can be emailed to parkingcontrol@northtyneside.gov.uk.

Tips for charging in North Shields

• Download Zapmap for live availability across every network, plus the apps for the operators you use most (Zest, Evolt, Pod Point, Monta).
• Rapid bays are few, so have a back-up in mind, such as Lidl or the Redburn, if Norfolk Street is busy.
• Remember the three-hour limit and the penalty for parking unplugged in council charging bays.

Know of a charger we have missed, or one that has changed? Let us know via /contact.