I've done a fair amount of research on this because I can't charge at home, the only way for me to charge is at my office where there are a few charge points nearby. Destination charging isn't a realistic option for me either, most of my driving is to/from central London to a different location almost every time (most of which don't have any chargers near them).
In short - I agree it is a clusterfuck of providers, speeds, prices, charging structures, subscriptions blah blah blah. But there are options once you do the research.
So, although I haven't got my car yet and these methods are un-tested by me, here are the options I've found:
Polar Plus - 3kW/h - 50kW/h - Tethered CCS / Tethered Type 2 / Tethered CHAdeMO
This is hopefully going to be my preferred method of charging - there's two near my office. Although their website says 40p per kWh, I've physically checked the machine near me and it says £0.22 per KWH when using contactless. You get decent speeds too - 50kw/h using the CCS plug tethered to the unit. If you do the maths, it's actually cheaper to pay on contactless than it is to pay their £8 per month fee if you do 2 charges per month or less. But without paying their subscription you don't get access to all their free points (often in car parks etc).
Ubitricity - 3kW/h - 7kW/h - Bare socket, you need your own Type 2 connector
These are type 2 sockets built into lamp posts on residential streets. They have hundreds across the country. Their speeds aren't great - around 7kW/h. But a potential option if you have them installed in your street - you can just leave it plugged in overnight or as long as you want. You can pay for their excessive £200 'smart cable', seems a pointless waste of money when charging a Tesla, or use the type 2 connector that came with your Model 3. There's no idle fees or overstay fees - you just scan the QR code on the lamp post with their app on your phone and it charges you the amount you use. There aren't dedicated spaces for these points though, they are just in the lamp posts so no guarantee you'll be able to park next to the connector, and no way to tell if the space next to the connector is free until you get there. Their rates are not bad - 19p per kWh if you don't have their cable, or 16p per kWh if you do.
Source London - 7kW/h - 22kW/h - I think Type 2 Tethered cable, possibly Type 2 socket too.
This is the most convenient point for me, however, they charge by the minute you draw the power rather than how much you draw and seems like a total rip-off. I would avoid these, they cost 3.6p to 14.3p per minute depending on the subscription you have with them. if you fully charged a Model 3 on some of the tariffs it would cost over £30
Ecotricity - I think about 50kW/h - 100kW/h - Tethered CCS cable I believe
I haven't heard great things about Ecotricity - apparently there are quite a few reports of their chargers not working with the Model 3. Ecotricity offer higher speed rapid chargers and are found on motorways mostly, but they do have a few other slower speed chargers too. They are pretty expensive - 39p per kW/h, however they do have a cheaper rate if you switch your home energy supplier to them as well. They are a 100% green energy supplier too which is good.
Standard 3-Pin - Around 3kW/h - Bare socket, you need the Tesla 3 pin adapter
There are often free 3-pin plug sockets in supermarkets and car parks - slow but you get free electricity.
Tesla Superchargers - 100-150kw/h - These are all being upgraded (or have been upgraded) to CCS tethered.
Naturally the best choice if there's one near you - they work great, aren't excessively expensive and charge quick. Nearest one to me is in Westfield, which isn't close anyway, so doubt i'll use superchargers unless i'm going out of London.
In terms of adapters, in the UK I don't think we need to use any. The Model 3 has a combo CCS/Type 2 port, so you can use both CCS and Type 2 without an adapter, and pretty much all charge points are one of the two. Polar for example have 3 different connection types on tethered cables. Always use the CCS connector if available, it will be the fastest.
Also check ZapMap for locations and usage on EV points across the UK -
Map of charging points for electric car drivers in UK: Zap-Map
Anyone feel free to add to the above, based on actual real-life experience or let me know if I have anything wrong. I myself am trying to get the most amount of info together so I can charge my Model 3 in the most efficient and cost effective way.
Hope that helps!
