Which EV charging card should you choose in Belgium?

Last summer, Spy motorway rest area on the E42, heading towards Namur. Three Ionity chargers free. I plug in, tap my bank card — €0.79/kWh. The bloke next to me, same charger, same kWh: €0.39. The difference? A charging card with a subscription. On a 50 kWh "fill-up", he paid €19.50 and I paid €39.50. Twenty euros difference for having ignored the topic of charging cards.

Since then, I've tested six cards and passes on Belgian roads. Here's what I found, no sugar-coating.

Why does a charging card change everything about the price per kWh?

The Belgian public charging market works like the mobile phone industry fifteen years ago: the headline rate means nothing without looking at the subscription.

Without a charging card or subscription, you pay the "visitor" rate — the highest. On Ionity, that's €0.79/kWh. On Fastned, €0.59/kWh. At this price, charging an EV on the motorway costs as much as filling up a diesel.

With the right card, the same chargers bill €0.39 to €0.49/kWh. Over 15,000 km per year with 30% public charging, the difference reaches €300 to €500 per year.

What are the main charging cards available in Belgium?

Six cards cover virtually the entire Belgian network. Here's the comparison with rates as of April 2026.

DATS 24 — the versatile Belgian card

DATS 24, a subsidiary of the Colruyt group, is the most logical card for a Belgian driver who charges with a mix of home and public stations.

The subscription costs €1.99/month (billed annually at €23.88). The AC rate is €0.40/kWh, the DC fast rate €0.60/kWh. Through roaming, it gives access to 90,000 chargers in Belgium — 9 out of 10 — and 500,000 across Europe.

The strong point: Belgian network coverage is near-total, including Allego chargers in Flanders, municipal chargers in Wallonia and Shell Recharge stations.

Chargemap Pass — the universal badge with no subscription

The Chargemap Pass is ordered once (€14.90), with no mandatory subscription. It covers 850,000 chargers in 19 European countries.

Rates vary by charger operator: expect €0.40 to €0.55/kWh for AC and €0.55 to €0.70/kWh for DC on the Belgian network. The Comfort Pass (around €5/month) lowers these rates by 10 to 15%.

The strong point: European coverage. For a driver who regularly does Brussels–Amsterdam, Brussels–Cologne or Brussels–Paris, it's the most flexible card abroad.

Shell Recharge — motorway access with no subscription

Shell Recharge requires no subscription or sign-up fee. The app and card are free. A transaction fee of €0.35 per session applies, capped at €7/month.

Per-kWh rates depend on each charger operator, as Shell Recharge works through roaming across 700,000 chargers in 33 countries. In Belgium, expect €0.45 to €0.60/kWh depending on the station.

The strong point: zero commitment. For a driver who rarely charges in public (home wallbox), it's the perfect backup card.

Electra+ Boost — the fast-charging champion

For €9.99/month, Electra+ Boost gives access to the ChargeLeague network: Electra, Ionity, Fastned and Atlante. In Belgium, that covers the majority of DC fast chargers on motorways.

The Electra rate is €0.29/kWh. On Ionity and Fastned, expect around €0.49/kWh — 15 to 30 cents less than the visitor rate.

The strong point: one subscription for four major European fast-charging networks. Pays for itself from 3 fast charges per month.

Fastned — for loyal users of the yellow network

Fastned offers a subscription at €11.99/month that drops the rate from €0.59 to €0.41/kWh. Without a subscription, the rate is fixed and transparent — no roaming surprises.

The Fastned network in Belgium includes 19 operational stations and 24 under development, mainly on the A8, E40 (Ghent–Bruges) and E411 (Namur). Stations are clean, reliable — rarely out of service in my experience.

The strong point: reliability. In two years, I have never found a Fastned station out of service in Belgium.

Ionity Passport — the premium motorway option

Ionity offers the Passport at €5.99/month, giving access to the network at €0.39/kWh instead of €0.79/kWh at visitor rates. That's the most aggressive discount on the market: -50% on the face rate.

The Ionity network in Belgium covers the main routes (E40, E411, A54) with 350 kW chargers. Fewer stations than Fastned, but among the highest charging speeds in the country.

The strong point: the lowest per-kWh rate on motorways for a moderate subscription.

What is the real cost per Belgian driver profile?

Cards are not equal depending on your usage. Here are three typical profiles with the annual cost calculated.

Urban profile — 12,000 km/year, 80% home, 20% public AC

You live in Brussels or Liège, you have a wallbox, you charge in public at the supermarket or the office.

Annual public charging need: around 360 kWh in AC. With DATS 24 (€0.40/kWh + €23.88/year sub), total cost is €168/year. With Chargemap Pass (average €0.45/kWh, no monthly sub), total cost is €177. Shell Recharge (average €0.50/kWh + session fees): around €195/year.

Verdict: DATS 24 wins by a small margin. But if you only charge once or twice a month in public, the Chargemap Pass with no subscription is enough.

Commuter profile — 20,000 km/year, 60% home, 40% mixed public

You do Brussels–Namur or Brussels–Ghent every day. You charge at the office on AC and fast DC on the motorway once a week.

Annual need: around 800 kWh public AC + 400 kWh DC. With DATS 24 (0.40 AC + 0.60 DC + sub): €584/year. With DATS 24 + Ionity Passport (€0.39/kWh DC Ionity): around €520/year. With Electra+ Boost alone (0.49 DC + variable AC rates): around €560/year.

Verdict: the DATS 24 (daily AC) + Ionity Passport (motorway DC) combination is the most economical for this profile.

Road-tripper profile — 25,000 km/year, 50% home, 50% public with heavy DC use

You regularly do Brussels–Amsterdam, Brussels–Belgian Coast, Brussels–Ardennes at weekends.

Annual need: around 600 kWh AC + 1,200 kWh DC. With Electra+ Boost (0.29–0.49 DC + variable AC): around €780/year. With Fastned sub + DATS 24 (0.41 DC Fastned + 0.40 AC): around €810/year. Without subscription (average visitor rate 0.65 DC): around €1,050/year.

Verdict: Electra+ Boost is the logical choice. The gap with the visitor rate exceeds €250 per year — the €120/year subscription pays for itself three times over.

In practice, the best strategy for a Belgian driver doing between 15,000 and 20,000 km: DATS 24 as your main card, and a fast-charging subscription if you hit the E411 or E40 every week. Two cards, not six.

Is contactless bank card payment an alternative?

Since the AFIR regulation (2024), new DC chargers of 50 kW and above must accept contactless bank card payment. In Belgium, Fastned, Ionity and Electra already offer this.

The problem: the bank card rate is consistently higher. On Ionity, it's €0.79/kWh by contactless versus €0.39/kWh with a Passport. At DATS 24, the bank card rate on AC chargers is €0.53/kWh versus €0.40/kWh with the charging card.

Contactless payment is a safety net — not a charging strategy. It helps when your app crashes or your badge doesn't work. For regular use, the charging card remains essential.

What hidden fees should you watch out for?

Three types of fees that commercial websites don't highlight.

Idle fees — If you leave your car plugged in after charging completes, some operators charge by the minute. Ionity applies idle fees after 10 minutes past 80%. Fastned charges after the charging session ends.

Roaming fees — When you use a charging card on another network's charger (for example, your DATS 24 card on an Allego charger), a roaming surcharge may apply. It's rarely displayed clearly before you plug in.

Per-minute billing — Some Blue Corner chargers bill by the minute rather than per kWh. If your car accepts a low charging speed (Dacia Spring at 30 kW DC), you pay more per effective kWh than a driver whose car charges at 150 kW. Always check the billing method before plugging in.