UK update
Half the UK Supercharger Network Is Now Open to Any EV — Here's the Comparison That Matters
Sam Whitfield, UK EV writer & Tesla owner · filed · updated
More than half of Tesla's UK Superchargers now let non-Tesla EVs plug in. That's a real shift in the charging-network comparison — but it changes nothing about what a referral code actually credits you.
Tesla ran 2,747 chargers across the UK as of the end of June 2026, and — the number that actually moves the comparison — more than half of that network is now open to any compatible EV, not just Teslas. Tesla is also part of a bid to build what would be Europe's largest EV charging hub in the UK. Read together, that's a genuine shift in how a Tesla stacks up against every other EV on the one thing Tesla used to win outright: charging access.
The comparison that's changed
For years the pitch for buying a Tesla over a rival EV included a private-feeling perk: the Supercharger network was yours and largely yours alone. That's no longer the differentiator. With over half of UK Superchargers open-access, a Kia, a BYD or a Hyundai owner can now roll up to most of the same sites Tesla owners use. Tesla's own advantage narrows to price and reliability at those chargers — not exclusivity. If you're cross-shopping a Tesla against another EV on "which network can I actually use," the honest answer today is: increasingly, either.
What it doesn't change: the referral credit
None of this touches what a UK Tesla referral code actually does. The 650 free Supercharging miles a referral applies to a new Model 3 or Model Y are a credit on your own Tesla account, sourced from Tesla, regardless of how many non-Tesla cars are now welcome at the same stations. Opening the network to other EVs doesn't dilute your account balance and doesn't change the referral mechanic (source: Tesla UK — Refer and Earn). It just means the network you're being credited on is doing double duty as public charging infrastructure — which, if anything, is a point in favour of it staying well maintained.
If you're reading this and you don't drive a Tesla
Open access means this page now has a second audience, so it's worth saying plainly which parts of this site apply to you and which don't — rather than letting a Tesla-focused tool imply things it can't deliver.
- The charging comparison applies to you. Whether a Supercharger is worth using instead of another network is a question about tariffs, location and reliability, and none of that depends on the badge on your car. Our cost calculators work on pence per kWh and miles per kWh, so they'll run on your numbers fine.
- The referral does not. A Tesla referral applies to a Tesla order. There's no version of it that credits a non-Tesla vehicle, and we'd rather tell you that in one line than have you work through a checklist that was never going to end anywhere.
- Your own manufacturer may run something equivalent. Several do, with entirely different mechanics and eligibility. We don't cover them, we haven't verified them, and we're not going to guess — but it's the right place to look, and it isn't here.
Worth keeping the two apart, because open access blurs them: the network is increasingly shared, while the referral programme remains tied to buying a specific manufacturer's car. One of those changed in 2026; the other didn't.
What to actually do with this
If you're weighing a Tesla against a rival EV purely on "will I be able to charge on the road," that argument is weaker than it used to be — build the comparison on price, real-world reliability and your own routes instead. If you're already ordering a Tesla, the open-access change is background noise: it doesn't move the number your referral code delivers, and it doesn't require you to do anything differently at checkout.
Sources
Every figure above traces back to one of these. Terms and prices move — check the primary source before you rely on a number.
Tesla VoltBench is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Tesla, Inc. We report on the UK programme and run the numbers; we don't speak for Tesla. Where we link a referral link anywhere on this site it is marked rel="nofollow sponsored" and we may earn Tesla credits from it — see our referral disclosure.