Why has my electric car stopped charging?

Start by working out whose fault it is. Unplug and plug in again, then try a different charge point or cable — if it charges elsewhere, the car is fine and the charge point was not. At home, check whether the charge point's breaker or the RCD in the consumer unit has tripped, and check whether the car has a scheduled charging window or a charge limit set, which is the commonest non-fault of all. Only if the car refuses several different chargers is it worth booking a diagnostic on the on-board charger or the charge port.

Is it safe to charge an electric car in the rain?

Yes. The connector and the charge port are designed and type-approved to be used outdoors in British weather, and no current flows until the car and the charge point have confirmed a locked, earthed connection. That interlock is the reason a charging cable is safe to handle in a downpour. What you should not do is use a domestic extension lead or a plug adaptor sitting in a puddle, because those were never designed for hours of continuous current.

Can I charge an electric car from a normal three-pin socket?

You can, using the portable cable most cars come with, and it is a useful fallback. It is slow — a full charge from a domestic socket takes most of a day or longer — and it should be plugged straight into a good-quality wall socket on its own circuit, never into an extension lead, a reel or a multi-way adaptor. If you find yourself doing it every night, the socket and its wiring are being asked to do something they were not designed for and a proper wall charge point is the right answer.

Why is my charging cable stuck in the car?

The charge port has a locking pin that holds the plug in place while current flows, and it stays locked if the car has not registered that the session has ended, if the car is locked, or if the actuator has failed. Try unlocking the car, opening and closing the driver's door, and ending the session at the charge point before pulling. Nearly every EV also has a manual release, usually a cord or lever behind a trim panel in the boot near the charge port, and the handbook will show you where.

Dashboard warning light

EV charging cable warning light

Last updated 27 July 2026

Quick answer

The car has found a problem with the charging session and has either stopped charging or refused to start. It is a warning about the cable, the connector, the charge point or the supply far more often than about the car itself.

What to do: Book it in, not urgent
Can you drive?: Yes

Why it is amber

A system has reported a malfunction, or something needs attention. The car is usually still driveable, but the fault will not clear itself and several amber lamps are an automatic MOT failure.

What turns it on

Before any current flows, the car and the charge point run a handshake over the control pilot line, agreeing the maximum current and confirming the earth connection and the locking pin. If any part of that fails, or the connection is interrupted mid-session, the car stops the session and lights the lamp. The same lamp usually covers a charge flap that will not lock or unlock.

What to do about it

Unplug, wait a few seconds and plug in again. A surprising proportion of charging faults are a handshake that simply did not complete, and reseating the connector clears them.
Look inside both ends of the connector for damage, corrosion, grit or a bent pin. Public charging cables get dropped on wet ground and dragged over kerbs all day.
Try a different charge point, or a different cable if you have one. That single test tells you whether the problem is yours or theirs, and saves an expensive diagnostic on a car that is fine.
At home, check the consumer unit and the charge point's own breaker. Domestic charge points trip on earth faults by design, and a tripped RCD looks exactly like a car fault from the driver's seat.
Check whether scheduled or off-peak charging is switched on. A car sitting deliberately idle until a cheap-rate window is the most common reason for a charge that never seems to start, and it is not a fault at all.
Never use a domestic extension lead, a reel or a multi-way adaptor to charge from a three-pin socket. Sustained current for hours is precisely what those are not designed for and it is a genuine fire risk.

Can you keep driving?

Yes

The car drives normally; it just may not charge, which is a different sort of problem. The practical risk is being stranded rather than being unsafe, so before you rely on the car for a long trip, confirm it will take a charge from a public rapid as well as from home. If the charge flap will not release the cable, most cars have a manual release cord behind a panel in the boot.

What causes it

A dirty, wet or physically damaged connector at either end
A faulty or unreliable public charge point, which is the single likeliest cause when the car charges fine elsewhere
A tripped RCD or earth fault protection on a home charge point, common on supplies where the earthing arrangement is being monitored
A failed charge port locking actuator, so the car cannot confirm the plug is secure and refuses to energise it
A failing on-board charger, which is the expensive end of the range but rarer than owners fear
Scheduled charging, departure timers or a charge limit already reached, none of which are faults
A damaged portable granny cable, particularly the control box partway along it

Does it fail an MOT?

No.

The MOT does not inspect the charging system, the charge port, the on-board charger or the cable, and there is no defect for this lamp. A home charge point is a fixed electrical installation covered by the wiring regulations rather than by anything DVSA does, and it is the sort of thing worth having checked by a qualified electrician if it keeps tripping.

Common questions

Why has my electric car stopped charging?: Start by working out whose fault it is. Unplug and plug in again, then try a different charge point or cable — if it charges elsewhere, the car is fine and the charge point was not. At home, check whether the charge point's breaker or the RCD in the consumer unit has tripped, and check whether the car has a scheduled charging window or a charge limit set, which is the commonest non-fault of all. Only if the car refuses several different chargers is it worth booking a diagnostic on the on-board charger or the charge port.
Is it safe to charge an electric car in the rain?: Yes. The connector and the charge port are designed and type-approved to be used outdoors in British weather, and no current flows until the car and the charge point have confirmed a locked, earthed connection. That interlock is the reason a charging cable is safe to handle in a downpour. What you should not do is use a domestic extension lead or a plug adaptor sitting in a puddle, because those were never designed for hours of continuous current.
Can I charge an electric car from a normal three-pin socket?: You can, using the portable cable most cars come with, and it is a useful fallback. It is slow — a full charge from a domestic socket takes most of a day or longer — and it should be plugged straight into a good-quality wall socket on its own circuit, never into an extension lead, a reel or a multi-way adaptor. If you find yourself doing it every night, the socket and its wiring are being asked to do something they were not designed for and a proper wall charge point is the right answer.
Why is my charging cable stuck in the car?: The charge port has a locking pin that holds the plug in place while current flows, and it stays locked if the car has not registered that the session has ended, if the car is locked, or if the actuator has failed. Try unlocking the car, opening and closing the driver's door, and ending the session at the charge point before pulling. Nearly every EV also has a manual release, usually a cord or lever behind a trim panel in the boot near the charge port, and the handbook will show you where.

This is general guidance, not a diagnosis. Manufacturers draw the same system differently and reuse symbols for more than one function, so check the handbook for your own car before acting on anything here.

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