Often, yes — larger hospitals increasingly have chargers in their car parks, but they are usually ordinary chargers standing in a car park that has rules of its own. Whether you can use one depends on which car park it sits in — patient, visitor or staff — and on the hospital’s parking terms, not on the charger itself. Check before an appointment, not from the car with the clock running.
Key Takeaways
- Hospital chargers live in car parks with their own rules — patient and visitor parking is the visitor’s option, staff parking is not.
- Appointments suit a Level 2 top-up; unplanned trips need a public fallback, not hope.
- Parking and charging are billed separately; check both before assuming either is covered.
- Charge while you are there, then free the bay — hospital car parks serve people in a hurry.
Which Car Park the Charger Sits In Decides
| Car park | What it usually means for charging |
|---|---|
| Patient and visitor parking | The chargers, where fitted, are for the people the car park serves — the realistic option for appointments and visits |
| Staff parking | Restricted to staff permits; a charger there is not a public charger, however empty it looks |
| Drop-off and emergency areas | No charging at all — these areas are for ambulances and immediate drop-off, and bays must stay clear |
| Long-stay and overflow parking | Sometimes fitted with chargers for people staying nearby for days; terms vary by site |
Match the Charge to the Visit
Hospital visits come in three lengths, and they suit charging differently. An outpatient appointment may park the car for an hour or two: on a Level 2 charger, which adds roughly 10–20 miles of range per hour, that is a useful top-up rather than a full charge. Visiting hours park the car for an afternoon — enough for a substantial charge. The hard case is the unplanned one: a car that arrives nearly empty because the trip to hospital was not planned. Treat a hospital charger as a help, not a plan: know your nearest public fallback near the hospital, the way you would for any public charging station, and use the hospital’s own pages or a station map — covered in our guide to where to find EV charging stations — to see what is fitted before you set off.
Parking and Charging Are Two Separate Bills
A hospital visit can involve two separate charges: the car park’s parking tariff and the price of the charging session itself. One does not automatically include the other. Some sites make charging free to drivers who have paid to park; others price the electricity separately through a charging app, and the arrangements change, so read the signs in the car park and the hospital’s parking pages rather than assuming. If you are a regular visitor — dialysis, ongoing treatment, a relative in for weeks — ask the hospital’s parking office what the arrangement is for repeat visits; they are the people who can tell you, and it is a reasonable question to ask.
For Hospitals Adding Charging
Hospitals need two kinds of charging at once: dependable units for staff on long shifts, and turnover-friendly charging in visitor car parks. The EVDANCE EV-AC03201T charging station supports OCPP 1.6J and RFID access, which is how a site keeps staff bays for staff while recording use. Where a site wants shorter dwell times, the EV-RHDC30K-L compact DC charger brings faster charging to a constrained car park. EVDANCE’s commercial charging range covers the planning picture for estates teams.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I charge while I am visiting a patient?
If the visitor car park has chargers and you are parked there properly, usually yes. The visit and the charge run in parallel — just observe the car park’s maximum stay and move the car when you leave, not when the battery is full.
The only charger I can see is in the staff car park. Can I use it?
No — treat staff parking as restricted even if the charger looks free. Use the visitor car park’s units, or a public charger near the hospital instead.
What if I am at the hospital all day, or overnight?
Charge while you are there, then move the car off the charging bay once it has enough — another visitor may need it. For overnight stays, check the car park’s own terms first; not every hospital car park allows overnight parking.
Related Reading
- Where to Find EV Charging Stations: Maps, Apps and Tips
- Can You Use Any EV Charging Station?
- Are EV Charging Stations Open 24/7?
- Do Hotels Have Charging Stations for Electric Cars?
