CHAdeMO charger explained: which cars still use it and where to find chargers

A CHAdeMO charger is a DC rapid charger with a CHAdeMO plug, the connector that Nissan Leafs built up to 2024 need for fast charging. In the UK, InstaVolt has committed to keeping CHAdeMO at every site, and charges 92p/kWh by contactless or 55p/kWh through its app after 8pm.

Almost every new electric car now uses CCS instead, so CHAdeMO matters mainly to used car buyers and owners of older Leafs. This guide covers which cars use it, what it costs on the networks that still carry it, how to pay, where the chargers are and how to use one.

What is CHAdeMO and who runs it?

CHAdeMO is a DC charging standard, developed by the CHAdeMO Association, that lets the charger and the car talk to each other and push direct current straight into the battery. The association sets the standard; the chargers themselves are owned and run by networks such as InstaVolt and Gridserve.

Zapmap says the standard covers rapid and ultra-rapid charging from 25 kW to 400 kW, but in practice the most common rating is 50 kW and few UK CHAdeMO chargers go above 100 kW. Like every rapid charger, the cable is tethered to the unit, so you never need your own CHAdeMO cable.

Connector	Current	Typical UK power	Where you find it	Cars that use it
CHAdeMO	DC	50 kW, rarely above 100 kW	Tethered cable on rapid chargers	Nissan Leaf up to 2024; Tesla Model S and X with an adaptor
CCS2	DC	25 kW to 400 kW and more	Tethered cable on rapid and ultra-rapid chargers	Almost all new electric cars, including the new Leaf
Type 2	AC	3.7 kW to 22 kW	Home wallboxes, workplaces, on-street posts	Most electric cars, for slower charging

CHAdeMO is not the same as Type 2. Type 2 is a seven-pin AC plug for slower charging, and our guide to the CCS connector most new cars use explains how CCS adds two DC pins to a Type 2 shape. CHAdeMO is a separate plug with no Type 2 section at all.

Which cars still use CHAdeMO?

The Nissan Leaf is the car that keeps CHAdeMO alive in the UK. Zapmap describes the plug as “primarily used for Rapid DC charging on older Nissan Leaf models”, and electrive reports that the second-generation Leaf was the last Nissan sold in Europe with a CHAdeMO port. That generation includes the 40 kWh Leaf (2018 to 2024) and the 62 kWh Leaf e+ (2019 to 2024).

The new Nissan Leaf changes plug. Nissan’s launch announcement on 17 June 2025 said Japan would keep CHAdeMO but Europe would get a CCS port, so a new Leaf bought in Britain cannot use a CHAdeMO cable at all.

InstaVolt says Tesla Model S and Model X drivers need a CHAdeMO or CCS adaptor at its chargers; the Model 3 needs no adaptor because it takes CCS directly. If you are unsure which plug a public charger offers your car, our guide to whether you can charge any EV at any public charger sets out the rules for each connector.

How much does a CHAdeMO charger cost per kWh?

On the two networks below, CHAdeMO costs the same as CCS: 92p/kWh on InstaVolt by contactless, 55p/kWh through its app or RFID card for sessions started between 8pm and 7am, and 85p to 92p/kWh on Gridserve depending on the site. All prices were checked on the operators’ own price pages on 10 November 2026.

Network	Charger speed	Payment	Price
InstaVolt	50 to 160 kW, CCS and CHAdeMO	Contactless, any time	92p/kWh
InstaVolt	50 to 160 kW, CCS and CHAdeMO	App or RFID, 7am to 8pm	92p/kWh
InstaVolt	50 to 160 kW, CCS and CHAdeMO	App or RFID, sessions started 8pm to 7am	55p/kWh
Gridserve	High and medium power DC, CCS and CHAdeMO	App or contactless	85p to 92p/kWh by location
Gridserve	High and medium power DC	Gridserve Plus member	From 64p/kWh

Because the price is per kWh rather than per minute, a Leaf held to 50 kW pays no more than a faster car; it simply waits longer.

What does a 10 to 80% charge cost on CHAdeMO?

A 10 to 80% rapid charge costs £25.76 for a 40 kWh Leaf and £39.93 for a 62 kWh Leaf e+ at 92p/kWh. EV Compared worked these out as 70% of each car’s battery capacity in our spec data multiplied by the price, ignoring charging losses, with miles added taken as 70% of the WLTP range; our methodology page explains the method. The new Leaf is included for comparison, though it charges through CCS.

Car	Battery	Energy added, 10 to 80%	Cost at 92p/kWh	Cost at 55p/kWh	WLTP miles added	Pence per mile, 92p / 55p	Max DC power	Plug
Nissan Leaf 40kWh (2018 to 2024)	40 kWh	28.0 kWh	£25.76	£15.40	118	21.9p / 13.1p	50 kW	CHAdeMO
Nissan Leaf e+ 62kWh (2019 to 2024)	62 kWh	43.4 kWh	£39.93	£23.87	167	23.9p / 14.3p	100 kW	CHAdeMO
Nissan Leaf Engage 52kWh (new)	52 kWh usable	36.4 kWh	£33.49	£20.02	196	17.1p / 10.2p	105 kW	CCS

Take the 40 kWh Leaf on a journey. A daytime contactless stop at InstaVolt costs £25.76 for about 118 WLTP miles. Start the same session in the InstaVolt app at 8pm or later and it costs £15.40, a saving of £10.36. Its 50 kW limit matches the most common CHAdeMO rating, so it loses little by being on an older unit. The Leaf e+ can take up to 100 kW, which Zapmap says few UK CHAdeMO chargers exceed. To set these against overnight charging, our guide to the cost of charging an EV at home works through home tariffs.

How do you pay at a CHAdeMO charger?

You pay the same way as at any other rapid charger: contactless, the network’s app, an RFID card or a roaming app. The Public Charge Point Regulations 2023 require contactless on every existing charger of 50 kW and above, and every paid charger must accept at least one roaming provider.

• Contactless: tap a bank card or phone wallet on the screen. Gridserve pre-authorises £10 on contactless payments, released once charging ends.
• Network app: InstaVolt reserves £5 during each recharge and gives app users the 55p/kWh off-peak rate. Gridserve pre-authorises £30 through its app.
• Roaming: InstaVolt charges roaming users 92p/kWh at all hours.

The regulations also require the maximum price of a session to be shown clearly in p/kWh. Our round-up of EV charging apps compares the apps that work across networks.

Does a subscription pay for CHAdeMO charging?

Gridserve Plus pays for itself after about 35 to 38 kWh of Gridserve rapid charging a month, which is roughly 146 to 158 miles in a 40 kWh Leaf. It costs £7.99 a month for 25% off; at a 92p/kWh site that saves 23p per kWh, and at an 85p/kWh site 21.25p. EV Compared divided the fee by the saving per kWh, then used the Leaf’s WLTP figure of 4.2 miles per kWh (168 miles from 40 kWh). Gridserve’s page names more than 200 locations for the member rate and does not list which charger types it covers.

InstaVolt has no subscription. Its free app is the saving: 37p off every kWh in sessions started between 8pm and 7am, from the first session.

Where are the CHAdeMO chargers in the UK?

InstaVolt is the network to rely on: Zapmap reported on 29 September 2026 that at least one CHAdeMO connector will be kept at each of its 900 existing sites and the 300 in development. Chief executive Delvin Lane said: “Every InstaVolt site, existing and new, has CHAdeMO alongside CCS.” Our InstaVolt network guide covers its locations and prices in full.

Gridserve still lists CHAdeMO among its DC connections, but newer bays drop it. At Beaconsfield services on junction 2 of the M40, opened in January 2026, the six 50 kW bays support CCS and CHAdeMO while the twelve 400 kW bays are CCS only.

Across all connectors, Zapmap counted 30,060 rapid and ultra-rapid chargers at 7,202 UK locations at the end of October 2026. It does not publish a separate CHAdeMO count on that page, so plan each stop around a site you know has the plug; our guide to finding working chargers on a road trip explains how to plan stops.

Is CHAdeMO being phased out?

CHAdeMO is shrinking but not disappearing in the UK. Allego said in September 2023 that it would fit only CCS at new and renovated sites, adding that just under 4% of electric cars sold in 2021 used CHAdeMO, and electrive reports that some operators have begun removing the connector. New cars have moved to CCS, the Leaf included.

The common mistake is to assume an older Leaf is about to be stranded. InstaVolt’s commitment covers 1,200 sites, and SMMT figures show used battery electric car sales rose 67.0% to 110,761 in the second quarter of 2026, a record 5.5% share of the used market where older Leafs change hands.

How reliable are CHAdeMO chargers, and are there idle fees?

The legal reliability standard applies to rapid chargers whatever the plug. Rapid chargers of 50 kW and above must be available 99% of the time on average across each operator’s rapid network over the year, and every operator must run a free helpline staffed 24 hours a day.

InstaVolt’s pricing terms list no idle fee, and its FAQ says it sets no maximum stay but asks drivers to move once charging is complete.

How do you use a CHAdeMO charger, step by step?

Using one takes five steps, and on contactless you need no account.

1. Park in a bay where the charger has a CHAdeMO cable and the screen shows it as available.
2. Pay: tap a contactless card, or start the session in the network’s app (on InstaVolt, start at 8pm or later for 55p/kWh).
3. Open the car’s charging flap and plug in the CHAdeMO connector.
4. Press start on the screen.
5. Press stop when you have enough charge, unplug and hang the cable back up. You pay only for the kWh delivered.

For the slower AC side of charging, our guide to how long charging takes at every speed covers wallboxes and posts, and Best Chargers compares home chargers and installers.

Verdict: should a CHAdeMO car put you off?

An older Nissan Leaf with CHAdeMO still suits drivers who charge mostly at home and rapid charge a few times a month, because InstaVolt’s commitment keeps a CHAdeMO cable at every one of its sites. It suits regular long-distance drivers less well: the newest high-power bays are CCS only, most CHAdeMO units run at 50 kW, and operators such as Allego are no longer adding the plug. This verdict rests on the operators’ published prices and commitments and Zapmap’s data, not on our own charging sessions.