Important: You might save money by choosing a non-fixed price charge card.
Why? Because charger networks often compete with each other on price. With a fixed-price card like Shell Recharge, you could miss out on those lower prices. With a charge card like Tap Roamer, you only pay the price set by the charger operator.
Charge card comparison:
Shell Recharge charge card vs Tap charge cards
The Tap Light subscription works just like a charge card without a subscription since there’s no cost to sign up. That’s why we’ve compared these options in the same category.
Monthly cost
€0,00
€0,00
Price structure per session
Fixed pricing per kWh
+ €0,35 transaction cost*
Charger price set by operator
+ 5% transaction cost
Charge card shipping cost
€0,00
€0,00
*Transaction fee: €0.35 per charging session (max €7.00 per month or 20 sessions), which is slightly more compared to other charge cards like E-Flux Flex and ANWB charge card without a subscription.
Why choose a Tap Light charge card?
Tap Light plan is a good option for drivers who charge occasionally chargers, want flexibility, and the convenience of a charge card.
- No monthly fee
- Charger price set by operator + 5% transaction cost
- Free charge card for easier charging
- One monthly payment
- Upgrade or switch at any time
Shell only offers a monthly subscription for fleet or split billing.
Monthly cost
N/A
€2,50
Price structure per session
N/A
Charger price set by operator only
Charge card shipping cost
N/A
€0,00
If you’re looking for a fleet or split billing solution, Tap offers a cheaper option for only €2,07 (excl. VAT) per driver per month. Contact [email protected].
Why choose a Tap Roamer charge card?
Tap Roamer is the best choice for frequent chargers. This charge card is recommended for drivers who spend more than €50.00 /month on charging and want the convenience of a charging card (Tapkey).
- €2.50 monthly fee
- Only pay the charger price set by operator
- Free charge card for easier charging
- One monthly payment
- Cancel anytime
Shell Recharge charger prices in the Netherlands
Shell Recharge offers a fixed, pricing structure for EV charging. This means you pay the same price per kWh across the country based on the charger’s power.
If you’re using chargers not owned or operated by Shell Recharge, these are the rates you pay:
€ 0.73/kWh
Fast charging ( over 50 kW )
€ 0.75/kWh
Fast charging along highway ( over 50kW )
€ 0.53/kWh
Regular charging ( 7-22kW ) Roaming network
Take note: You need to pay blocking costs on chargers on the E-Flux by Road network.
Shell charges blocking costs after 4 hours of charging, you pay €0.05 per minute, with a maximum of €12 per charging session.
To help you understand how charging costs can vary, we compared Shell Recharge’s fixed-price charge card with Tap Roamer’s variable-price charge car in cities across the Netherlands. This comparison will show you how location and pricing models affect your overall charging costs:
Average cost based on:
10 kWh at 10 kW for 10 hours
Tap Roamer - charger price set by operators
Shell Recharge - fixed price per kWh
Amsterdam
€4,43
€5,73
Den Haag
€4,74
€5,92
Utrecht
€5,05
€5,67
Rotterdam
€5,10
€5,77
Eindhoven
€5,15
€6,03
Groningen
€5,20
€5,94
Breda
€5,41
€5,86
Tilburg
€5,33
€5,61
Nijmegen
€4,27
€5,75
Almere
€4,93
€5,59
Live data taken from Map Intel in the Tap map on 22 October 2024. All costs only use the charger operator’s price.
Other important details
What kind of coverage do these charge cards have?
- Shell Recharge gives access to over 700.000 charging points across Europe.
- Tap charge cards can be used in:
- Austria,
- Belgium,
- Germany,
- France,
- Ireland,
- Luxembourg,
- the Netherlands,
- and the United Kingdom.
- Both providers have comparable coverage in the Netherlands.
Do I need a charge card to start a session?
- With Shell Recharge you don’t need to have a physical card to charge, however you need to order and connect your charge card in the app before your first charge. Once that’s done, you can use your app to start a charge session. Note that charge card delivery can take up to 5 days. You have the option to order a charge card or key.
- With the Tap app, you can start charging right away via the app. You don’t need to order or use a charge card to start your first session.
- Tap also offers a pay-as-you-go option for drivers who want to charge without a charge card. However, if you plan on charging more than once with Tap, it’s always better to sign up to Tap Light since you get cheaper prices than pay-as-you-go.
Can I have more than one charge card on my account?
- You can only have one charge card per Shell account.
- With Tap Electric, you can only have one charge card (Tapkey) per account. Tap recommends leaving the charge card in the car if several EV drivers use it.
Looking for a New Motion charge card?
Shell acquired New Motion in 2017 and integrated all New Motion charge card customers and the New Motion charger network into their Shell Recharge Solutions ecosystem.
Want to compare more charge cards? See how ANWB laadpas compares to Tap or check out our full charge card comparison.
App Comparison: Shell Recharge vs Tap Electric App
A charging app is just as important as a charge card. A good charging app should help you find and use affordable chargers and understand how much you’ll pay for every time you charge your car.
Our experts have rated the Shell apps and the Tap app on 4 criteria.
- User experience
- Functionality and features
- Customer support and resources
- User reviews and ratings
For the best app experience, enable location services to see relevant, nearby chargers.
Best app overall: Tap Electric
Both the Tap Electric and Shell Recharge apps meet the basic criteria, but the Tap app offers EV drivers much more detailed charger pricing and has in-built charger comparison tools like Price Intel and Map Intel. Shell also offers a complementary Shell: Fuel & Reward app to the Shell Recharge app that offers a loyalty program to EV drivers.
Tap overall: 4.2
Shell Recharge overall: 2.9
User experience
User-friendliness, navigation and updates
Tap app experience: 4/5
Pros and Cons
Pros
Cons
No need to sign up to explore the app or even charge your EV
Multiple sign-in options: Google, Apple, email, and guest mode
If you’re new to Tap, the "For You" section guides you on how to charge and explains how Tap prices work
One-Tap charging from the home page when you are in front of the charger
Push notifications for charger availability, when an idle price kicks in, and progress updates on your charging sessions
Manage your home charger in the same app
The app is frequently updated
It may take some time to find and explore all the features.
Shell Recharge app experience: 3/5
Pros and Cons
Pros
Cons
The app has a simple layout
Plan your route feature
Manage your home charger in the same app
Multiple support options in-app
Can not explore all of the app features without creating a Shell account
Only one sign-in option (Shell account)
Functionality and features
Detailed comparison of map functionality, charger information, payment options, and charging session features.
Charger map, search and map filters
Tap charger map: 4/5
Pros and Cons
Pros
Cons
See the nearest chargers to you even on the home page
Only shows chargers on the map that have complete information - you’ll never see a charger without its prices
Important information about the charger is shown directly on the map, including price (and whether there is a complex pricing system), availability, and operator
Search for providers, addresses, charger names, and points of interest
Quickly see charger availability from the search results
Filter based on availability and charger power
Option to remember your filters
No pin drop appears on the map, but it does zoom in to the correct location.
No option to filter fast chargers further - all chargers above 50 kW are grouped as high-speed.
No option to filter based on charger types.
Shell Recharge map: 3/5
Pros and Cons
Pros
Cons
Shows the nearest charger to you
View charger availability using a colour legend directly on the map
Filter based on availability, Shell Recharge stations, app-enabled chargers, connector type, and charging speed
Plan your route across Europe
Option to see a list of chargers instead of on the map
Map can be slow to respond
No charger prices directly on the map
No option to remember your filters
Charger information
Tap charger information: 4.5/5
Pros and Cons
Pros
Cons
View charger pricing, connector type, and availability
Price Intel shows detailed pricing information for each charger including charts for visualising complex and/or variable pricing, cost calculator, and often shows which charge card is the cheapest to use
View ratings and comments from other Tap app users
Set an availability alert for any charger
See the charger’s energy source
Pricing reflects your subscription status
Favorite charger locations or chargers for quick access from the home screen
No option to share the charger with others
Charge card comparison is not yet available for all charger networks in the app
Shell Recharge charger information: 2.5/5
Pros and Cons
Pros
Cons
In the Shell Recharge app, users get information on charger location, price, availability, payment options, and connector type
Since pricing is a fixed price per kWh, charger prices are predictable and consistent for every session
Favourite chargers for easy access from the map
Set availability alerts for any charger
See charger street view
No information on the energy source
No option how to share the charger with others
If the operator sets a charger price lower than the fixed price per kWh of Shell Recharge, you will pay more than you need to.
Charging
Tap charge session: 4/5
Pros and Cons
Pros
Cons
Enable auto-stop to end your charge session based on cost, energy, or time
Live updates on your charging session
Get battery insights when your car is connected to the app
In-app support is available if you're experiencing problems starting your session.
Shell Recharge charge session: 3/5
Pros and Cons
Pros
Cons
Easily start your session using the Shell charge card and Shell app
No live in-app tracking of the charging process
Must order an RFID charge card and register it in the app before you can start a charge session - the delivery can take up to 5 days
If you plan to use a Shell and New Motion charger to charge your car at home, it won’t work without a Shell RFID charge card.
Payment methods
Tap payment methods: 5/5
Pros and Cons
Pros
Cons
Pay with iDeal, Visa, Mastercard, AMEX, direct debit, Apple Pay and Google Pay
Easily manage multiple payment methods in the app
Shell Recharge payment methods: 3/5
Pros and Cons
Pros
Cons
Only option to pay with direct debit when you order your charge card
Only offers debit/credit card as a payment method
Connected cars
Tap payment methods: 3/5
Pros and Cons
Pros
Cons
Ability to link your Kia, Hyundai, and Tesla accounts for live battery insights in the app
Not many car brands are on the list yet, but it is possible to manually link any car
Shell Recharge connected cars: 2/5
Pros and Cons
Pros
Cons
Option to connect to almost any car in the app, see progress on power
The app will show updates on the charging process for the connected car, but the updates are not frequent, which makes it very inconvenient.
Customer support and resources
Support
Tap self-service and support: 4/5
Pros and Cons
Pros
Cons
Support is available 24/7 in the app including urgent phone support
Option to turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) when you start a charge session for chargers you’ve never used before for extra security
Sign up and manage your subscriptions in the app.
Must contact customer support to deactivate the charge card.
Shell Recharge self-service and support: 3/5
Pros and Cons
Pros
Cons
Option to call customer service easily or get redirected to chat through the web
Need to wait for the charge card before charging a car
Unique features
Shell Recharge
- Route Planner feature for efficient journey planning with optimal charge stops.
- Screen mirroring capability with CarPlay and Android Auto
- Home charge point management directly through the app
Tap
- Even if you don’t have a charge card, you can start a charge session using the app.
- Easily compare charger availability and costs right from the Tap map.
- The Price Intel feature is the most complete pricing tool on the market, allowing you to compare which charge card offers the best price on Equans, Totalenergies, and Fastned chargers.
- The charging location page includes recommendations for cheaper chargers in the area.
- You can share your comments with the Tap community so that other drivers can find a dependable charger.
- Quickly go to your chosen chargers and examine your charging history from the home page.
- Tap provides a free option for managing your home charger.
Summary
Here’s a summary of the comparison between Shell Recharge and Tap Electric charging apps:
- Both Shell Recharge and Tap offer charging apps for EV drivers, but the Tap app is more user-friendly and has more transparency for drivers with features like Price Intel, Map Intel and live updates during charging sessions.
- Tap’s map functionality is accurate, fast, and easy to use. It also offers detailed pricing information directly on the map which makes it easier to compare charger prices.
- If customer service is important to you, you may get better support from Tap who offers 24/7 in-app support. Reviews from Shell Recharge show that accessing support has been a pain point for their drivers.
- Tap seems to offer more competitive pricing than Shell in most areas with its variable pricing scheme, as shown in our average cost comparison.
- Overall, user ratings are higher for Tap (4.6 stars on average), which highlights its driver-first approach. While Shell Recharge has recent negative reviews due to its app functionality issues.
Resources and expertise:
the methodology behind our data
Our experts have reviewed this data and last updated it on November 20, 2024.
Sources:
- Shell website
- Shell recharge app
- Tap Electric app
- The data comes from live tariff data from public chargers on October 15, 2024, including VAT for the calculator.
Details:
- Shell charge card data was checked on the Shell website on October 15, 2024.
- The Shell Recharge app is evaluated based on the live functions on v.3.3.0 on an iPhone 14 on October 15, 2024, using this methodology.
- Tap Electric app was rated based on the live features on v.1.100.0 iPhone 14 on October 15, 2024, using this methodology.