How to Plan an Electric Car Road Trip Using PlugShare

How Do You Set Up PlugShare for Your Car?

The first thing to do is add your car model in PlugShare's settings. This is the step most new users skip, and it causes problems later. Without your car model set, PlugShare shows every charger on the map, including ones with connectors that do not fit your car.

Open PlugShare, go to Settings, and select "My EVs." Add your car's make, model, and year. PlugShare will automatically know which connector types your car supports (CCS, CHAdeMO, Type 2, NACS/Tesla, or a combination). From now on, the map only highlights compatible chargers, and the trip planner only suggests stops where you can actually plug in.

If you drive multiple electric cars (or want to plan a trip for someone else's car), you can add more than one vehicle and switch between them.

How Does the PlugShare Trip Planner Work?

The trip planner shows you every compatible charger along your route so you can pick your stops before you leave. Tap the trip planner icon (or navigate to it from the menu), enter your starting location and destination, and PlugShare plots available charging stations along the route.

You can add waypoints if your trip includes intermediate destinations like a hotel or a restaurant. The planner adjusts the route and shows relevant chargers near each segment. Tap on any station to see its details, including connector types, charging speed, PlugScore, photos, and recent reviews.

One thing to know: PlugShare's trip planner shows chargers by location, but it does not calculate your battery state of charge along the route. It does not know how much battery you will have when you arrive at each station. For that level of planning, you need A Better Route Planner (ABRP), which factors in your car's battery size, driving speed, elevation, and weather. Many drivers use both: ABRP to figure out when and where to stop, PlugShare to verify the station is actually reliable.

How Do You Read PlugScore and Station Reviews?

PlugScore is the single most useful number on any station listing. It is a rating from 1 to 10, calculated from recent driver check-ins within the past few months. A station with a PlugScore of 9 or 10 means drivers have consistently been able to charge there without issues. A score below 7 is a warning sign. Below 5 means multiple drivers have reported problems recently.

Beyond the score, read the actual reviews. Look for patterns, not just one bad experience. If three drivers in the past month mention that connector 2 is broken, believe them. Also check the dates. A station that had great reviews two years ago but nothing recent may have changed ownership, been neglected, or closed.

Photos are equally valuable. They show you the parking layout (is it easy to pull in with a trailer?), the condition of the cables and connectors, whether there is lighting at night, and sometimes even the charger screen showing pricing or error messages.

How Do You Filter by Connector Type and Speed?

PlugShare's filters let you cut through the noise and see only the chargers you can actually use. If you added your car model, connector filtering is already handled. But you can go further.

• → Connector type. Filter by CCS, CHAdeMO, Type 2, NACS, or J-1772. If your car model is set, this is automatic. You can also manually add or remove connector types if needed.
• → Network. Show only specific networks (Tesla Supercharger, Electrify America, Ionity, ChargePoint, etc.) or exclude networks you do not have accounts with.
• → Minimum power. For road trips, filter for DC fast chargers at 50 kW or higher. If your car supports 150 kW or faster charging, filter for that to minimize stop times. Showing all chargers, including slow Level 2 stations, clutters the map on highway trips.
• → Availability. PlugShare can show real-time availability for some networks. A green icon means available. Orange means in use. Grey means status unknown. This data is not available for every station, but when it is, it saves you from driving to a charger only to find every plug taken.

Set your filters once and save them. You do not need to reconfigure every time you open the app.

Why Should You Check In After Charging?

Your check-in is how PlugShare knows a station is still working. The entire community depends on drivers reporting their charging sessions. When you check in, you confirm the station is functional (or flag problems), update the PlugScore, and help the next driver decide whether to stop there.

After charging, open PlugShare, tap on the station, and submit a check-in. You can rate it, add a comment, and upload a photo. It takes less than a minute. If something was wrong, like a broken connector, a confusing payment screen, or a charger stuck in an error state, describe it briefly. That information is incredibly valuable to the next person planning a road trip through the same area.

Stations with recent check-ins always feel more trustworthy than stations where the last review is from six months ago. Be the driver who leaves useful information behind.

What Are the Best PlugShare Tips for Road Trips?

A few habits make the difference between a smooth road trip and a stressful one.

• → Always check reviews from the past 30 days. A station that worked perfectly last year might be offline today. Recent reviews are the only reviews that matter for trip planning.
• → Look at photos before you drive there. Photos show you things reviews do not: tight parking, no pull-through access for longer vehicles, no lighting at night, or a charger tucked behind a building with confusing access.
• → Have a backup station for every planned stop. Pick a second charger 10-20 km away from each stop on your route. Chargers go offline, get occupied, or have payment issues. A backup turns a potential crisis into a small detour.
• → Download the offline map for your route. PlugShare allows you to save areas for offline use. If you lose cell signal in rural areas, you can still see where chargers are located.
• → Install the network apps before you leave. PlugShare tells you which network operates each charger. Before your trip, install the apps for the networks you will use and set up payment. Do not wait until you are standing at the charger in the rain.

PlugShare vs ABRP: Which Do You Need?

They solve different problems, and experienced EV drivers use both.

A solid road trip workflow: plan your route and charging stops in ABRP first. Then cross-reference each suggested stop in PlugShare to check the PlugScore and read recent reviews. If a station looks unreliable, find a nearby alternative in PlugShare and adjust your ABRP plan. This takes an extra 10 minutes before you leave, but it can save you hours of frustration on the road.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Bottom Line

PlugShare is the best tool for finding reliable chargers and learning from other drivers' experiences. Set up your car model, use the trip planner, check PlugScore and recent reviews, and always have a backup station. For battery-aware route planning, pair it with ABRP.

The 15 minutes you spend planning a road trip in PlugShare before you leave will save you from pulling into a broken charger, a station with the wrong connector, or a parking lot where the charger is blocked by a delivery truck. Check the reviews. Look at the photos. Plan a backup. Then go enjoy the drive.

EVcourse is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by PlugShare, A Better Route Planner, or any of the charging networks mentioned on this page. All trademarks and brand names belong to their respective owners. App features, station data, and PlugScore calculations may change. Always verify current information in the app directly.