My wife and I usually fly down to the south of Spain, but this year we decided to have an adventure and take our EV on the ferry from Portsmouth to Bilbao. Although it is also possible to go from Portsmouth to Santander, this would have added an extra hour of driving to the journey.
Our EV is a Kia Niro EV3 (MY23) with a 64.8kWh battery pack, and a maximum DC charging speed of 80kW.
To see how simple (or otherwise) the journey would be, I used ABRP (A Better Road Planner) to get some suggestions for charging stops, and also to find out how long it would take from Bilbao to our hotel in the south. It was immediately obvious that we would need to stay in one hotel on the way down, and (because of the Brittany Ferries sailing times) two hotels on the way back up to Bilbao. Some newer EVs have a much faster charging speed, but in reality the Niro is in the Goldilocks zone where the time to charge more or less matches the time required for a rest break. The charge speed is not so slow that you have wait around for the car to finish charging, or too fast so that you have to move it to avoid overstay charges. We also adhered to the EV mantra of ABC (Always Be Charging). All rest stops were planned at charging locations, so we simply plugged in as we went for either coffee, lunch, or a tea break.
Using the data from ABRP I then used Booking.com to search for a suitable hotel to stay at on the way down. The hotel we chose was the Moya Hotel at Honrubia, which is themed after Don Quixote. On the way back to Bilbao we stayed at the Sercotel AB Arganda (Arganda del Rey), and the IBIS hotel in Barakaldo. Going on a road trip with any vehicle (not just an EV) takes considerably more planning than just getting on a plane at the airport and taking the transfer bus to your hotel.
Here’s a list of stuff you need to consider:
- Passport (obviously)
- Credit card
- Travel money card - We used the one from Asda.
- Euros - It’s always worth having some cash.
- GHIC (Global Health Insurance Card) - This is a free card for UK residents that grants access to medically necessary, state-provided healthcare when visiting the EU and a few other European countries. It ensures you receive treatment on the same terms and costs as a local resident.
- Mains adapters.
- Travel kettle - Can also be plugged into the V2L socket in the car if necessary.
- Driving license
- Travel insurance
- Accommodation details (for Spanish border form if asked)
- Vehicle registration certificate (V5C)
- Valid MOT certificate
- Proof of vehicle tax
- Motor insurance (covers Spain or includes Green Card)
- European breakdown cover (optional but recommended)
- 2x warning triangles
- 1x reflective jacket per passenger (inside car)
- Spare wheel or tyre repair kit 19. Headlamp deflectors (for right-hand drive cars) - The Kia Niro EV doesn’t need these as the headlights are symmetrical.
- UK identifier on rear (unless plate already shows “UK” + Union Jack). There is no need to cover the green stripe on your number plate.
- First aid kit (recommended)
- European Accident Statement Form (recommended)
Brittany Ferries
The Ferries depart from Portsmouth to Bilbao on Thursdays and Sundays. The return trips depart from Bilbao to Portsmouth on Tuesdays and Saturdays. We left the UK on Thursday 28th May, and returned from Bilbao on Saturday 13th June. One important tip is to take a photo of the deck number and colour of the stairway where your car is located, as it’s easy to forget where you parked. You would think logically that if you arrive early at the port this would place you at the front of the queue, based on the idea of first-on first-off, but it doesn’t seem to work like that. The only way to guarantee getting off early is to purchase a 2-berth cabin with priority boarding / disembarkation. We didn’t do that, but booked a 4-berth cabin with a window. I certainly wouldn’t recommend selecting reserved seats. There is also the option to purchase a food pass which can give you up to 15% extra. We purchased the medium food pass for both the outbound and inbound trips.
Other Stuff
One advantage of going by car is the amount of extra luggage you can take, and not having restrictions on any liquids.
Remember to change the units in the navigation system from miles to km. For the Kia I needed to change the units in the app separately to the navigation system.
Stay tuned for Part 2…
