Hybrid & Electric Information

Plug & Charge introduces a novel authentication approach for public charging stations. For CUPRA vehicles that are compatible, initiating the charging process at applicable charging points is effortlessly accomplished by connecting the charging cable. This enhances the convenience of charging at quick-charging stations or at home. With the Plug & Charge function, the vehicle autonomously registers at a charging station, triggering the activation of the station and initiating the charging process automatically. A compatible charging contract, such as the one offered by the CUPRA Charging service, is required for this seamless experience. After the initial setup, you no longer need to use a charging card or an app when charging your vehicle at a public charging station. Please note however, that Plug & Charge is not yet available at all public charging stations.

To use Plug & Charge you need the following: Firstly a vehicle software 3.1 or later, a Plug & Charge compatible public charging station (e.g. Ionity) and lastly, a charging tariff which supports Plug & Charge.

Yes, being enrolled as a primary user in CUPRA CONNECT is essential for activating Plug & Charge in your CUPRA vehicle.

In some cases, the Plug & Charge menu will not be shown in the Connectivity app, if the vehicle does not have the software 3.1. or later installed. If you do see the Plug & Charge option but have an incompatible vehicle, an error message will appear in the app telling you that the vehicle’s software does not support Plug & Charge.

First, you need a charging tariff which supports Plug & Charge, such as the one offered by the CUPRA Charging service. With this tariff you can activate and install Plug & Charge through your My CUPRA App. The Plug&Charge function must be activated on the car's infotainment system, this option is available at the charging settings menu.  

Once the certificate is installed, the Plug & Charge toggle will appear under the charging settings in your vehicle.

Your vehicle needs software 3.1 or later to support Plug & Charge. Vehicles with older software need to be updated. Some vehicles are eligible for an “over the air update,” while older models must be updated at a workshop.

Additionally, you need a charging tariff which includes Plug & Charge, such as the one offered by the CUPRA Charging service.

After a factory reset of the vehicle, please put your vehicle into deep sleep by keeping it locked and online for 15 minutes. If your vehicle comes with keys, please make sure that they are at least 20 meters away from the vehicle while it’s in deep sleep mode. After you will bring your vehicle from deep sleep, you should be able to activate and install Plug & Charge.

When installing the Plug & Charge certificate in the vehicle, please make sure your car is online, has good reception and is not in privacy mode. If issues persist, please contact customer care.

Plug & Charge is an additional authentication method (like the RFID charging card). As such, there are no additional costs for using Plug & Charge.

A special cable is not necessary to use Plug & Charge.

Depending on the speed of the servers, it will take about one minute for charging to start.

Please contact customer care and inform them exactly which error message you see in your app.

If you want to disable Plug & Charge for a short-time period (e.g. troubleshooting at a station), you can quickly turn it off by using the Plug & Charge toggle in the vehicle's charging settings. If you would like to disable Plug & Charge for a longer time period or stop using Plug & Charge altogether (e.g. because you have sold your vehicle), you should uninstall the certificate from the vehicle and remove the Plug & Charge option from your charging tariff.

You can remove the Plug & Charge certificate from your vehicle at any time by uninstalling the certificate in the vehicle and removing it from your charging tariff. During this process the Plug & Charge certificate will be removed from the vehicle identification number (VIN). After this is completed, you can activate a new certificate with your charging tariff and install this certificate in your new vehicle, providing that the vehicle meets the software requirements for Plug & Charge and is linked to your My CUPRA App.

Use the map feature in the My CUPRA App, to see which charging stations around you are Plug&Charge compatible. A station operator must support the DIN ISO 15118 standard for Plug & Charge to work. At this time, this standard is supported by Ionity, Shell, Arral, BP, Mer, Allego, E.ON Drive, Iberdrola and Enel. More operators will be adopting the DIN ISO 15118 standard and will be supporting Plug & Charge in the future.

If a given public charging station is not Plug & Charge compatible, the vehicle will simply wait for the RFID card or app authorization.

First, please confirm that the charging station is compatible with Plug & Charge. If you are experiencing issues at a Plug & Charge compatible charging station, turn off the Plug & Charge functionality using the toggle in the charging settings. Next, please try the following steps: Make sure that your charging tariff includes Plug & Charge, Check your app if the certificate needs to be updated – if an update is necessary, you will see a notification in the app. If the above does not resolve the issue, contact customer care for further assistance.