Charging your EV in 2025 is a bit less of a hassle. Despite very real economic headwinds and the withdrawal of NEVI federal funding, the U.S. public charging network is showing signs of improvement, particularly in terms of reliability. According to the latest J.D. Power report, this progress is largely attributable to Tesla.
Progress in Reliability Despite an Overall Decline in Satisfaction
Overall user satisfaction, however, recorded a drop of 10 points. The main customer complaints in 2025 concerned the cost of charging and problems encountered during the payment process. However, one positive point stands out: users report a notable improvement in the reliability of charging stations, with fewer charging failures upon arrival at a station.
The Ecosystem Mobilizes Without Federal Funding
“In the absence of NEVI funding, the industry is seeing a concerted effort from various EV ecosystem stakeholders—particularly automakers and charging networks—to improve the public charging experience for customers,” said Brent Gruber, EV expert at J.D. Power.
He adds: “With or without federal funding, the NEVI guidelines have made their mark by establishing a guide for industry success. Although overall satisfaction scores are down this year, our data shows a clear improvement in the reliability and success of public charging.”
Tesla, Still the Benchmark, But the Competition is Catching Up
Tesla’s Supercharger network remains the absolute benchmark for the fast-charging experience in the United States, with a satisfaction score of 709. Its advantage stems less from technological superiority than from having been built for a single brand, ensuring homogeneity and simplicity.
Notably, networks operated by non-Tesla automakers (such as Mercedes-Benz, Rivian, and Ford) collectively achieved an identical score of 709. The report highlights that although their coverage is still limited, their early performance indicates that they are successfully applying lessons learned from the Tesla ecosystem.
Multi-Brand Networks Lagging Behind
Conversely, charging networks intended to be used by all EV brands are consistently the lowest rated. Blink ranks dead last, behind EVgo and Electrify America, whether for DC fast charging (DCFC) or Level 2 charging.