MEP Elena Kountoura (The Left) has asked the European Commission to address excessively high and non-transparent public charging prices for electric vehicles, warning that opaque pricing undermines the transition to e-mobility and penalises citizens without home charging options.
In a written parliamentary question dated 7 July 2026, Kountoura cited a recent study for the European Parliament's Transport and Tourism (TRAN) Committee, which found that public charging remains significantly more expensive than home or workplace charging, with final costs varying by provider, app, card or payment method. The study also noted that price information is often unavailable before charging starts, violating Article 5 of the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR), which requires prices to be reasonable, comparable, transparent and non-discriminatory.
first, what measures the Commission intends to take to tackle high and non-transparent charging prices; second, whether it plans to revise AFIR to introduce minimum EU requirements for price transparency, including mandatory display of the total price before charging begins (including all surcharges) and mandatory display of both the member state price and the ad hoc charging price.
Kountoura's intervention signals a push for stronger consumer protection in the EV charging market, targeting the business model of charging point operators. If the Commission takes up the proposal, it could impose new transparency obligations on operators, potentially lowering costs for consumers but increasing compliance costs for the industry. The question also highlights a cleavage between consumer affordability and operator pricing flexibility.
The Commission is expected to reply within approximately six weeks; its answer will indicate whether it considers the current AFIR framework sufficient or whether legislative revision is on the table.