Motoring organisation ANWB has warned Dutch electric car owners to be careful when charging their vehicles abroad this summer, because in some places they have to pay for both electricity and the time spent at the charging station.

Dozens of people have contacted the organisation about bills of over €100, with one person charged €480 for charging their car on a French campsite. All had left their cars at the charging stations for long periods.

Some Dutch charging stations operate a similar system, but they are much more common in France, Germany and Austria, the ANWB said.

The ANWB said it is not opposed to the extra fees, because they stop motorists hogging the charging station when their car’s battery is full. “But they should be reasonable,” the spokesman said.

In 2022, appeal court judges in the Netherlands said motorists who charge their electric cars using a public charging station must remove the vehicle as soon as the battery is full or they could face a fine if local laws permit it.

The case concerned an MG owner from Noordwijk who was fined €95 after leaving his car in a public parking bay for at least two hours after the battery was full. Noordwijk bylaws state that motorists cannot occupy a charging station longer than necessary.