In 2023, Belgium set a national record for registrations with approximately 200,000 electric vehicles registered according to the Federation of Automobile and Cycling (FEBIAC).
Among them, plug-in hybrids were the most chosen (21%), ahead of fully electric cars (19.3%) and regular hybrids (7.6%).
Petrol cars accounted for 42.4% of the market last year, compared to 8.9% for diesel vehicles.
This means that almost half of the registered autos were equipped with electric motors.
The rapid rise of EVs is accompanied by an unprecedented growth in public charging infrastructure.
In 2023, the increase of public and semi-public charging points in Belgium was significant, currently totaling more than 27,000.
In this context, ten companies in the sector stood out as the best charging networks in the country in 2023.
According to the survey conducted by Chargemap, Fastned, the Dutch company that operates primarily in the Netherlands, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Belgium, and Switzerland, took the top spot.
In Belgium, the company currently has 19 operational fast-charging stations and 24 sites under development.
In the second position in the ranking is DATS24, part of the Colruyt Group.
The company boasts one of the largest charging stations in the country, with 109 points, located in the parking lot of the Colruyt Group headquarters in Halle.
Over time, this new charging station will be expanded to accommodate more than 300 electric vehicles simultaneously.
Following closely is Electra, the pioneer in ultra-fast charging for EVs.
They aim to become the largest provider in Belgium and Luxembourg with 250 charging stations implemented by 2030.
Additionally, they are present in France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, and Spain, with the goal of installing 14,500 fast points by the same year.
German-origin supermarket Lidl takes the fourth position.
The company has more than 40 charging stations distributed in the parking lots of its Belgian stores.
In the fifth place in the ranking is EnergyDrive, with more than 37 points.
Their offer is highly competitive, with a fixed price ranging between 0.35 and 0.36 euros per kWh including VAT, making it 25 to 50% cheaper than refueling at home.
Following is the Dutch company Allego.
They provide smart charging solutions for cars, motorcycles, buses, and electric trucks for consumers, businesses, and cities.
They have an international network with over 40,000 operational charging points across Europe.
In Belgium alone, they already have more than 1,500.
French company TotalEnergies holds the seventh position, also with over 1,500 stations.
In 2022, the company achieved a milestone by being selected to install 4,400 of them for electric vehicles in Flanders.
This project will be completed by the end of this year and will offer 22 kW chargers operating under the TotalEnergies brand for a period of 12 years.
Additionally, they will receive 100% renewable electricity generated by offshore wind energy in the North Sea, off the coast of Belgium.
Diego Luxembourg ranks eighth on the list, with over 100 charging points installed in the country.
Meanwhile, the last two positions in the ranking are occupied by E-flux (over 500) and Ionity (16), respectively.
Chargemap’s ranking also highlights the best charging networks in terms of quality/price ratio and the best-rated in terms of the quality of their infrastructure.
In the first list, platform users highlighted the Lidl network among the top three, similar to what happens at the European level.
EnergyDrive and Diego Luxembourg networks also rank high, offering very attractive prices.
Meanwhile, Fastned continues to be the most popular network in the country, although the Belgian EZ Charge enters the ranking in the eighth place.
These forecasts were made considering the more than 390,000 reviews shared by the 112,000 users of the Chargemap platform.
