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The Best Countries for EV Road Trips
How well-equipped are some of the most popular routes for electric vehicles?
Over the last few years, we’ve seen a lot of change in our travel habits. Rather than staying put in one location, more of us are looking to explore larger areas of a country, with road trips being a popular choice. Plus, with environmental health becoming such a huge talking point, many travellers are seeking eco-friendly options for their getaways, such as using electric vehicles (EVs) instead of hire cars.
If you’re looking for picturesque journeys in an electric car, it’s important to know which areas are best equipped for your travel. After all, some countries have been slower to adopt EV infrastructure than others. Here’s iSelect’s list of the best (and worst) road trip destinations for EV drivers:
The best road trips for EVs
For every road trip we researched, we looked at factors including charger availability, the average cost of a full charge, and overall TripAdvisor score. The following ten road trip destinations ranked as the best for EVs.
1. Gotthard Pass, Switzerland
Our #1 EV road trip destination is Gotthard Pass in Switzerland – a picturesque road spanning the Swiss Alps. Travellers looking to stop in the towns of Andermatt and Airolo can travel across a 16.8-mile stretch of road with a perfect 5/5 rating on TripAdvisor. With 11 chargers available in the area, and a charge costing as little as €1.16 ($2.07 AUD), it’s one of the cheapest road trips for anyone looking to travel in an electric car. Scoring 99.81 out of 100 on our overall index, it tops our rankings with ease.
2. Kootenay Highway, Canada
When it comes to the best road trips in an EV, Canada’s Kootenay Highway has a perfect 5/5 rating on TripAdvisor, with many travellers eager to see the rolling wilderness and beautiful cliffs of Kootenay National Park. Across its 84.6-mile route, 16 chargers are available, with a typical charge costing $3.17 CAD ($3.56 AUD). This means you can finish your road trip on less than a quarter of a full charge. With an overall score of 99.24 on our index, it’s the second-best EV road trip in the world.
3. The Deep South, USA
Looking to take in the rural sights of the southern USA? On a 356-mile road trip that will take you through iconic cities like Memphis, TN and New Orleans, LA, you’ll be able to charge your EV at a total of 441 locations. Although your recharging might be a tad expensive ($14.28 USD, or $22.05 AUD), a typical EV can complete the whole route with only one recharge needed. Its 5/5 TripAdvisor rating adds to its overall score of 95.64.
4. Transfăgărășan Highway, Romania
Take in the beautiful views of Romania’s Făgărașan Mountains with our fourth-best road trip for EVs. There are 90 chargers are available on this 85.7-mile stretch of road, where a recharge costs as little as €2.87 ($5.13 AUD). Combined with a rating of 4.8 on TripAdvisor, the Transfăgărășan Highway scores 91.93 out of 100 on our EV road trip index.
5. Jurassic Coast, UK
Dorset’s Jurassic Coast is a 95-mile section of coastline that houses some of the best geological landmarks in the UK. EV drivers can recharge at 72 locations across the way, with an average charge costing just £6.25 ($12.91 AUD). The Jurassic Coast scores 91.04 in our rankings, making it the best UK road trip for EVs.
6. Causeway Coastal Route, UK
This road passes the iconic Giant’s Causeway, and covers sights seen in TV shows including Game of Thrones. Across 109 miles, there are 124 recharging locations for EV drivers, with a typical charge costing £7.16 ($14.81 AUD). Add to that a 4.8/5 TripAdvisor rating, and the Causeway Coastal Route scores 90.75 in our index.
7. Sea to Sky Highway, Canada
Canada earns a second place in our top ten with the Sea to Sky Highway, which lands at #7. Starting at Horseshoe Bay and finishing in Pemberton, this road stretches through British Columbia and passes the biggest ski resort in North America, Whistler Mountain. Drivers can recharge their EVs at 49 locations across its 121-mile route, paying just $4.53 CAD ($5.09 AUD) to top up their batteries. Overall, the Sea to Sky route earns 88.15 out of 100 on our rankings.
8. Grossglockner High Alpine Road, Austria
The Grossglockner High Alpine Road is a beautiful mountain pass crossing the Austrian Alps, spanning 277 miles of road. Along the way, 250 charging spots are available, with services available from €17.80 ($31.85 AUD). A typical EV will need 78% of a recharge along the way, with Grossglockner scoring 87.93 out of 100 on our overall rankings.
9. Czech Paradise Route, Czechia
Finishing in ninth place, with an index score of 87.37, is the Czech Paradise Route. Although only 2 chargers are available across its 14.5 miles of road (giving it 50% charger distribution on our charger distribution rankings), a recharge costs less than a euro (€0.97, or $1.74 AUD), making it one of the cheapest EV road trips available. Plus, with a 5/5 TripAdvisor rating, tourists highly recommend the sights of the area.
10. Peak District Scenic Drive, UK
Rounding out our top ten with a return to the UK, the Peak District is renowned for its mountain views and beautiful valleys. This 19.3-mile scenic route offers 12 locations for recharging, giving it a charger distribution of 75%. However, a recharge costs only £1.27 ($2.63 AUD), making it an economical choice for EV road trippers. It scores 86.36 overall to earn the #10 position.
The worst road trips for EVs
Now that we’ve covered the best equipped areas for EV road trips, here are some of the worst destinations for hitting the road in an electric car.
1. Savannah Way, Australia
With just 48 chargers available across a massive 2,444-mile stretch of road, Savannah Way needs 6.85 charges to complete. With a recharge costing as much as $212.47 AUD, it’s one of the most expensive EV road trips available, scoring 37.78 on our index.
2. Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland
Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way spans for 1,533 miles, and with 199 chargers available, it’s reasonably well-equipped. However, with a recharge costing €131.60 ($235.47 AUD), it’s one of the most expensive EV road trip destinations, with an index rating of 40.71.
3. Route 66, USA
Although it’s perhaps the most iconic road trip destination in the world, Route 66’s length means it needs 6.38 full recharges to cover the distance. With 730 chargers across 2,278 miles of highways, you can expect to pay $91.39 USD ($141.13 AUD) every time you need to top up your battery. These all combine for an index score of 46.38.
4. Stuart Highway, Australia
Australia’s long and ill-equipped roads continue to prove a problem in our rankings of the worst EV road trips. Stuart Highway stretches across 1,694 miles of road, but only 48 chargers are available along the way. With a recharge costing roughly $147.26 AUD, and 4.75 charges needed to complete the trip, it receives a score of 49.24 in our EV road trip index.
5. Trans-Canada Highway, Canada
Spanning Canada’s mainland, the Trans-Canada Highway connects the east and west coasts of the country, making it the longest road on our list at 4,158 miles long. Completing the trip needs 11.65 charges, with each costing an estimated $155.86 CAD ($175.05 AUD). Even with 585 charging stations to choose from, it ranks as the fifth-worst EV road trip destination, scoring 49.29.
6. Tanami Road, Australia
The third Australian road to appear in our bottom 5, Tanami Road’s 655-mile route is served by only 10 chargers, with a charger distribution of 18%. With recharging costing $56.95 AUD at 1.83 charges needed to complete the route, it earns a total score of 51.83 in our index.
7. Big Sur Coast Highway, USA
Known for its beautiful views of the Californian coastline, the Big Sur Coast Highway has a charger distribution of 33% (86 chargers are available across 203 miles). With an average recharge costing $8.15 USD, or $12.58 AUD, its 55.91-point score earns it the seventh-lowest placement in our rankings.
8. Bow Valley Parkway, Canada
Canada’s second appearance on our rankings of the worst EV road trip locations is Bow Valley Parkway. This 36.1-mile road has 12 chargers for EV drivers, with low charging costs of $1.34 CAD ($1.51 AUD). However, its 4.5/5 TripAdvisor rating contributes to a total score of just 56.91.
9. Noto Peninsula Route, Japan
The Noto Peninsula stretches out from Japan’s main island of Honshu, near the city of Kanazawa. With a 4.8/5 rating on TripAdvisor, it’s a hit with the tourists, but only 45 chargers are available across its 138 miles of road. Expect to pay ¥1,041.53 ($10.82 AUD) for a recharge, and make sure your EV has at least 40% battery to complete the route. With a score of 66 out of 100, it finishes at #9 on our worst EV road trip locations.
10. North Coast 500, UK
While the UK earned three spots in our list of the best EV road trips, it also has a place in our list of the worst. The 443-mile North Coast 500 has 88 charging locations, with charging costing an estimated £29.11 ($60.19 AUD). It earns 66.06 out of 100 on our index, rounding out our list of the 10 worst roads for EVs.
Conclusion
While European countries and shorter routes tend to be better equipped for EV travel, Australia’s long and sparsely populated roads can be a stumbling block for anyone looking to travel in an electric car. There’s still a long way to go when it comes to EV infrastructure, and it’s important to be well-prepared for long journeys when using battery-powered vehicles.
Written by:
Sarah Grealy
Digital Public Relations Specialist
0413 363 690
Sarah is our Digital Public Relations Specialist, and brings more than a decade of experience in the insurance comparison industry to iSelect.
With a passion for storytelling through data-driven insights, Sarah strives to empower Aussies with practical guides and tips.
About the data
This dataset ranks 48 road trips, based on how good they are for travelling in an electric vehicle. To do this, different factors were used. Once the data for the factors was collected, the factors were then normalised, to provide each factor with a score between 0 and 1. If data was not available, a score of 0 was given. The normalised values were then summed and multiplied, to give each road trip a total score out of 100. The road trips were then ranked from highest to lowest, based on their total scores.
The factors used are as follows:
– Charger Density
– Short Routes: The percentage of each road trips’ key stops (i.e. major cities/towns), that have at least 1 EV charger.
– Mid-Range & Long Routes: The percentage of each road trips’ segments, that have at least 1 EV charger.
– For routes less than 357 miles, number of charges needed will be calculated based on the route’s total distance divided by the Tesla Model Y’s range (357 miles).
– For routes longer than 357 miles, the route will be divided into 100 km segments, and the number of charges needed will be calculated for each segment.
– Estimated Charging Cost – Using the Tesla Model Y Rear-Wheel Drive energy efficiency (13.9 kWh/100km) & household electricity prices in each country, we estimated the cost of charging for each road trip based on the length of each route.
– Number of Charges Needed – The total number of charges needed for each road trip, for a Tesla Model Y with a max range of approx. 357 miles/575 km.
– Charging Station Availability – Road was searched and number of ‘plugs’ recorded.
– Distance – Calculated by entering key stops along each route and calculating the distance through Plugshare. Segments are a short part of the road trip that have been broken up in the following ways for the different route types:
– Short Range (Under 575km) – Broken up via key stops along each route.
– Mid-Range (Above 575km & Below 1609km) – Broken up into increments of 100km.
– Long Range (Above 1609km) – Broken up into increments of 575km, the max range of the Tesla Model Y.
– TripAdvisor Score – To add a qualitative travel element to the ranking, we sourced and analysed Tripadvisor review scores for the overall route and/or key stops. This reflects traveller satisfaction and the scenic or cultural value of each road trip.
– The factors were indexed as follows:
– Charger Density – Higher is better.
– Estimated Charging Cost – Lower is better.
– Number of Charges Needed – Lower is better.
– TripAdvisor Score – Higher is better.
All data is correct as of 09/07/25. The ranking data shown is a compilation of multiple data sources and may not be representative of real life. All data is accurate with regards to the sources provided.
Currency converted on 09/07/25 using XE Currency Converter at the following rates:
– US$1 à AU$1.53
– US$1 à GB£0.74
– US$1 à EU€0.85
– US$1 à CA$1.36
– US$1 à JP ¥147
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