IONITY is the closest thing Europe has to a unified highway fast charging network, and in 2025–2026 it has taken a significant step forward with the deployment of 400 kW stations across its flagship corridors. For European EV drivers planning long-distance journeys, knowing where IONITY's high-power sites are, which vehicles can use the full output, and how to pay without getting the worst rate is genuinely useful intelligence. Here's the full picture.

What IONITY Is

IONITY was founded in 2017 as a joint venture between BMW Group, Mercedes-Benz, Ford, and Volkswagen Group (Audi, Porsche, VW, Škoda, SEAT/CUPRA). Hyundai Motor Group joined later as an investor. The mandate was straightforward: build a high-power charging network along major European highways, using CCS2 as the universal connector, and price it in a way that makes long-distance EV travel viable.

Unlike North American networks that have largely grown organically or through acquisition, IONITY was designed as a network from day one — with consistent hardware standards, site design, and a stated goal of covering all major trans-European routes. As of early 2026, IONITY operates over 700 sites across 24 European countries, with more than 4,800 individual charging points.

The 400 kW Hardware: What's Actually Deployed

IONITY's 400 kW stations use ABB Terra 360 and Alpitronic Hypercharger 400 units — both established names in high-power commercial EV charging hardware. The 400 kW rating is per-cabinet, not per-site. How that power is distributed depends on the number of vehicles simultaneously charging.

At a single-vehicle session (common at less-busy highway locations), a 400 kW-capable vehicle can draw the full rated output. At busy sites with multiple simultaneous sessions, power management divides available capacity across active stalls — which is normal behavior for any shared-infrastructure charging station.

Which Vehicles Can Use 400 kW

Very few current production vehicles can accept 400 kW. The power rating of the station sets a ceiling — your vehicle's own onboard charge rate sets the floor. As of 2026, vehicles that can approach or exceed 300 kW DC charging (and thus make meaningful use of 400 kW infrastructure):

For most current EVs — including popular models like the Volkswagen ID.4 (135 kW max), Renault Megane E-Tech (130 kW), and Peugeot e-208 (100 kW) — IONITY's 400 kW stations are simply more capable than the vehicle can use. That's fine: you still benefit from the improved station reliability, better power management, and cleaner infrastructure that comes with a modern installation.

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Key IONITY Corridors in Europe

IONITY's site density is strongest on the routes most used by cross-border long-distance travelers. The corridors below have the best current coverage:

The North–South Arteries

• →A7 / E45 (Norway to Germany to Austria) — One of IONITY's historically best-covered routes. Sites roughly every 100–120 km through Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and Austria.
• →A1 / A4 (Netherlands – Germany – Poland) — The main East–West corridor through the densely populated Rhine-Ruhr area, continuing into Poland where coverage is improving but still sparser.
• →A8 / E52 (Germany – Austria – Italy) — Munich to Milan via the Brenner Pass is one of the highest-traffic cross-border corridors in Europe. IONITY has multiple sites on this route, including at the challenging alpine waypoints.
• →A9 (Germany North–South, Berlin to Munich) — Germany's internal backbone route has strong IONITY coverage, complemented by Autobahn fast chargers operated by EnBW.

The Iberian Peninsula

• →AP-7 / E-15 (Barcelona to Malaga) — Spain's Mediterranean coast route has improved dramatically since 2023. IONITY has added sites through Valencia and the Murcia region where coverage was historically poor.
• →A-6 / AP-9 (Madrid to Porto / Santiago de Compostela) — The Madrid–Galicia route crosses terrain where charging was genuinely difficult before 2025. IONITY now has usable coverage along the key waypoints.
• →Portugal (Lisbon to Porto) — Portugal's A1 motorway corridor has IONITY presence, supplemented by Galp and other national operators.

Eastern Europe

Eastern European coverage is IONITY's weakest area relative to vehicle population and route usage. Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic have IONITY presence but with longer gaps between sites. IONITY has announced expansion targets for 2025–2026 in these markets, prioritizing D1 (Prague–Bratislava–Budapest) and A4 (Kraków–Warsaw). Until that expansion matures, supplement IONITY with national operator data — particularly for Romania and Bulgaria, where IONITY coverage is minimal.

How to Pay at IONITY: Getting the Best Rate

IONITY's pricing has two tiers, and the difference is significant.

Ad-Hoc (IONITY Direct / IONITY Go)

Without any membership or subscription, the ad-hoc rate at IONITY is approximately €0.75/kWh on IONITY Direct (contactless payment terminal) across most of Europe, with IONITY Go (via the app) slightly below that. Prices vary by country. At €0.75/kWh, a 60 kWh session costs roughly €45 — expensive compared to home charging but broadly comparable to fuel costs for a similar-sized petrol vehicle.

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IONITY Passport (Subscription)

IONITY offers a monthly subscription — "IONITY Passport" — that drops the per-kWh rate well below ad-hoc in exchange for a monthly fee. Exact pricing varies by country and IONITY has revised the tiers several times, so check the IONITY app for current rates in your country before signing up. As a rough 2025–2026 Germany baseline: the monthly fee is in the €6–€12/month range, and subscribed kWh rates typically land around €0.39–€0.49/kWh vs. roughly €0.59–€0.79/kWh ad-hoc.

The subscription is month-to-month and can be cancelled at any time. For drivers who use IONITY more than once or twice a month on road trips, it almost always pays for itself.

OEM Partner Rates

Vehicles from IONITY's founding OEM partners may have access to discounted IONITY rates through the vehicle's connected services app:

• →Porsche Charging Service — discounted IONITY rate for Taycan and Macan EV owners
• →BMW Charging My BMW — discounted IONITY access for BMW EV owners
• →Mercedes me Charge — access to IONITY at preferred rates for Mercedes EV owners
• →Volkswagen Group cars (Audi, Porsche, VW, CUPRA, Škoda) — IONITY access through their respective brand charging apps at preferential rates
• →Hyundai Charge myHyundai — IONITY access for Ioniq 5, Ioniq 6, and Ioniq 9 owners

Using IONITY: The Practical Process

1. 1Download the IONITY app or use your vehicle's OEM charging app if your brand has a partnership.
2. 2Create an account and add a payment method. Credit/debit cards, PayPal, and SEPA direct debit are accepted.
3. 3If you're subscribing to IONITY Passport, enable the subscription in the app.
4. 4Navigate to the station using your vehicle's nav, Google Maps, or ABRP (A Better Route Planner). IONITY stations show in all major EV routing apps.
5. 5At the station, find an available stall. Use the IONITY app to initiate a session, or swipe/tap your payment card at the station terminal for ad-hoc charging without the app.
6. 6Plug in with the CCS2 cable (provided at the stall). Charging initiates within a few seconds of session start.
7. 7Monitor the session in the app or on the station's display. The station shows real-time kW delivery and cost.

IONITY vs. Other European Highway Networks