If you're driving an electric car into Bristol, or you live here and need somewhere reliable to charge, the two networks worth knowing are Revive, the council-backed public network, and InstaVolt, which runs a standalone rapid hub south of the river. Between them and the chargers built into several council car parks, you've got fast, rapid and top-up options covering most of the city.
Revive: the council-backed network
Revive is a publicly owned charging network set up by the four West of England local authorities (Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Bath and North East Somerset, and North Somerset), using funding from the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles. Since 2019 it's installed over 240 charging bays across the region, including four rapid charging hubs. Registration is free and there's no subscription, you simply pay for what you use:
| Charger type | Revive user / guest price | Contactless price |
|---|---|---|
| Fast (7-22kW) | £0.55 per kWh | £0.55 per kWh |
| Rapid (50kW) | £0.74 per kWh | £0.83 per kWh |
A 50kW rapid charger adds roughly 50 miles of range in about 17 minutes, so it suits a quick top-up, while the 7-22kW fast chargers are better suited to a few hours of parking, such as while you're at work or shopping.
Council car parks with charging points
Several of Bristol City Council's own car parks have Revive-network charging bays built in. Normal parking charges still apply on top of the electricity cost:
- College Street (BS1 5UU): 4 bays in the covered section
- The Grove (BS1 4RB): 2 bays next to 44 The Grove
- Trenchard Street (BS1 5AN): 8 bays on level 1
- Temple Gate (BS1 6PL): 4 bays on the ground floor
- West End (BS8 1EH): 6 bays on level 2B
Temple Gate is also covered in our guide to parking at Bristol Temple Meads if you're combining a charge with a train journey.
Park and Ride charging
If you're leaving your car outside the centre and taking the bus in, three of Bristol's Park and Ride sites also have Revive charging bays:
- Brislington (A4 Bath Road, BS4 5LR): 4 bays in section C16 at the south end
- Portway (A4 Portway, BS11 9QE): 4 bays across sections A3 and G2
- Long Ashton (BS3 2HB): 4 bays in section J1, behind the waiting room
InstaVolt rapid hub, Bedminster
For a faster, standalone option, InstaVolt runs a 160kW DC rapid charging station in the McDonald's car park in Bedminster, about 3 miles from the city centre just off the A38 and the A3029 ring road. It's contactless, pay-as-you-go with no subscription or connection fee. Standard pricing is £0.89 per kWh, dropping to £0.60 per kWh for InstaVolt app users charging between 8pm and 7am. There's free wifi, hot food and toilets on site while you wait.
Which option makes sense for you
- Topping up while you park in the centre: use a Revive charger at one of the five council car parks above, and budget for parking on top of the electricity cost. See our Bristol city centre parking guide for current car park rates.
- Leaving the car outside town and busing in: Brislington, Portway or Long Ashton Park and Ride all have Revive bays, and public transport into the centre is included in most Park and Ride tickets.
- Need a fast top-up and you're passing through Bedminster: InstaVolt's rapid hub is the quickest option of the ones here, though it costs more per kWh than Revive's rapid rate unless you're charging overnight through the app.