At one Antrim EV charging stop, paying by app can reverse the cheapest-price verdict

Two electric-car charging sites sit a short distance apart at The Junction in Antrim. One lists a 79p standard tariff and connections rated at up to 400kW. The other advertises 74p and 200kW. But the apparent cheapest option changes when the first network's app tariff is included — and one payment service introduces a separate connection fee.

Fastned lists a standard charging rate of 79p per kilowatt-hour at its six-spot site, while E.ON Drive's two 200kW connections at nearby Tim Hortons are listed by Zapmap at 74p. On those published standard prices, E.ON is cheaper by 5p per unit of energy.

But a tariff comparison checked in late October shows a different result when payment is made through the Fastned app without a subscription: a listed price of 71p per kilowatt-hour. On that basis, Fastned becomes 3p cheaper than E.ON, even though its standard bank-card rate is higher.

The comparison is not a guarantee of a price at the moment a driver plugs in. Tariffs and payment methods can change, and the actual charger screen remains decisive. What the published listings expose is the confusing way the cost of charging can depend as much on payment arrangements as on the physical station.

Eight spots, two networks, two different price stories

Fastned's official station page identifies six charging spots at The Junction on Ballymena Road, with maximum advertised power of up to 400kW. Its listed standard rate is 79p per kilowatt-hour, and the operator describes a cheaper rate for its paid Gold membership.

A short distance away within the same retail development, E.ON Drive's Tim Hortons installation has two 200kW CCS connections. Zapmap lists a 74p-per-kilowatt-hour price for both its pay-as-you-go and supported payment routes. The listing was last updated on 9 September 2026.

The Fastned and E.ON figures therefore describe eight advertised spots across two operators, not eight identical chargers. Maximum power, connector arrangements, payment services and the number of spaces differ.

Those differences matter when somebody is travelling, especially with limited time to stop. A charger may look quicker from the headline rating but deliver no advantage for a car that is unable to accept that output. A slightly dearer unit may still be attractive if it is free while another is occupied. The cheapest listed option is not automatically the most convenient.

The cheapest option depends on what the driver opens on their phone

Fastned's own station page lists a 79p standard price. Zapmap also advertises 79p for pay-as-you-go charging at the site, while its Zap-Pay listing specifies an additional 50p connection fee. In other words, a driver using that particular payment route should not compare the per-kWh price alone.

A separate charging-price comparison published by Kargit, checked on 27 October 2026, lists Fastned's no-subscription app rate at 71p per kilowatt-hour. That lower figure is not verified on the operator's publicly visible station page and must be checked in the app before being treated as a live offer. The same comparison lists a lower paid-membership rate, which is not directly comparable without accounting for its subscription cost.

E.ON Drive's nearby Tim Hortons listing shows 74p per kilowatt-hour, with the public Zapmap record last updated on 9 September. The October price check supplied by Kargit agrees on that 74p figure. Two independent listings supporting a price are helpful, but they cannot guarantee that the rate will remain unchanged at the moment of use.

For a driver without an app or membership, the advertised 74p E.ON rate is below Fastned's 79p standard tariff. With the separately listed Fastned 71p app price, that comparison reverses. The underlying energy purchased has not changed. Only the commercial route used to pay for it has.

What 50kWh would cost under each published rate

The arithmetic shows how prices compare before any extra session or overstay charges. At Fastned's 79p standard rate, 50kWh of energy would cost £39.50. At E.ON's listed 74p rate, the same quantity would cost £37.00 — a difference of £2.50.

At the 71p Fastned app rate reported by the independent price comparator, 50kWh would instead cost £35.50. The app option would be £1.50 cheaper than E.ON and £4.00 cheaper than Fastned's standard rate for that illustrative session.

These examples calculate the price of electricity purchased, not a complete receipt for a particular future charging visit. Some payment services may add connection charges, and membership rates may involve a recurring fee. A driver should check the price and any additional charge shown in the chosen app or terminal before starting a session.

There is another practical limit. A vehicle may not accept 50kWh during a stop, depending on its battery capacity and starting charge. The calculation simply keeps the energy quantity identical so that different tariffs can be compared fairly.

For somebody using rapid charging regularly, small tariff differences become more substantial over time. If 50kWh were purchased twenty times, a four-pence difference would amount to £40. Such calculations are useful when deciding whether app registration is worth the inconvenience, but they should never be mistaken for a forecast of personal spending without knowing the driver's charging habits.

There is one extra item in the Fastned comparison that a price-per-unit figure can hide: Zapmap lists a 50p connection fee for the Zap-Pay route. At the stated 79p rate, the illustrative 50kWh purchase would therefore cost £40 through that service, rather than £39.50 before the fee. That is £3 above the listed E.ON 50kWh energy price and £4.50 above the separately quoted Fastned app-price scenario. Four identical sessions would widen the last difference to £18.

A 400kW sign does not promise double the speed

Fastned's higher maximum power is an eye-catching difference from E.ON's 200kW equipment. Yet for many electric cars, that difference may be irrelevant to the actual charging session.

Electric vehicles have their own maximum DC charging capabilities. A car accepting at most 100kW does not charge faster simply because the equipment is advertised at 400kW instead of 200kW. Even vehicles designed for very rapid charging may sustain peak power for only a limited portion of the session.

Battery temperature, state of charge and the charger configuration influence what happens after the connector is attached. The amount of power available at a shared charging installation can also be affected by other users, depending on the design.

This is why drivers should compare a car's charging capability with the equipment rather than assuming the highest figure will produce the quickest result. It is also why a lower-priced 200kW unit may be a perfectly sensible choice for a car that cannot use the additional capability of a 400kW charger.

The relevant question is not which network has the largest number on its sign. It is which accessible connection can deliver the energy the car needs, at a reasonable cost, within the time the driver has available.

Connector compatibility is another reason the two networks cannot be treated as equivalent. Fastned lists CCS and CHAdeMO connections, while the E.ON Drive listing identifies CCS. Charging speed, free spaces and price are irrelevant if a connection does not suit the vehicle.

The payment method may matter before the journey starts

Fastned's own page lists card and app payment options. E.ON's site appears in Zapmap with supported payment arrangements, including Zap-Pay. A driver cannot assume that each network will offer the same price through every interface, even where two providers operate at the same destination.

The distinction may become particularly relevant for infrequent EV users or visitors. Someone accustomed to tapping a bank card may prefer not to install another app. Another motorist who charges regularly may accept an app or subscription if it produces meaningful savings. Neither preference is inherently wrong; the financial calculation depends on actual use.

This creates a challenge for price comparison websites. They need to distinguish a standard card price from a discounted app price, and a free app account from a paid membership. Combining them into one headline figure can make one operator look cheaper or more expensive than it really is for a particular customer.

The Junction example also illustrates why comparing headline energy rates alone is incomplete. Additional connection fees, parking arrangements, restricted access or membership costs can alter the result. Only the rate applicable to the intended payment method gives a usable comparison.

Why this one retail park matters beyond Antrim

Northern Ireland had 60 public chargers per 100,000 residents in July 2026, according to Department for Transport statistics, substantially below the UK average of 174.9. Where local alternatives are limited, motorists may have less freedom to avoid an inconvenient or expensive option.

The Junction is not a representative sample of Northern Ireland's network. It is a useful controlled example: two operators within the same development, both advertising high-powered DC charging, with public pricing information that can be compared on the same quantity of electricity.

The outcome is not as simple as saying one network is always cheaper. At the published standard rates, E.ON wins. At the separately listed Fastned app rate, Fastned can win. The faster power rating does not settle either comparison.

At The Junction, the same 50kWh of electricity ranges from a hypothetical £35.50 on a separately listed Fastned app tariff to £40 using a listed Zap-Pay route, with E.ON Drive's published charge falling between. The result is not a universal winner; it is evidence that a charging price is incomplete without the payment method, any session fee, connector and actual usable speed.