After five straight years at the top, Tesla’s Supercharger network has lost its crown in the latest J.D. Power U.S. Electric Vehicle Experience (EVX) Public Charging Study. Unfortunately Tesla didn’t even come in second, instead falling all the way to fourth place for the first time since the study began six years ago.
According to J.D. Power, IONNA took placed first among DC fast-charging networks with a score of 807 out of 1,000. IONNA has only been around since 2024, founded through a joint venture by eight global automakers – BMW, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, and Toyota.
In second place was the Mercedes-Benz Charging Network, following closely behind at 797, while Rivian Adventure Network placed third with 755.
As for Tesla, the company ended up in fourth place with 701 points, down slightly from its score of 709 last year, but still well above the segment average of 666.
Public fast charging continues to improve
Despite Tesla losing the crown, the study shows the U.S. public charging experience is improving. Overall satisfaction with DC fast charging increased 12 points year-over-year to 666, with all 10 categories measured by J.D. Power seeing positive gains.
Charger availability saw the biggest jump, increasing 27 points, while satisfaction with location safety and charging costs each improved by 18 points.
Reliability also improved, with just 12% of respondents reported arriving at a public charger and being unable to charge, down from 14% in 2025 and 19% in 2024. That is the lowest failure rate recorded since the study began.
Level 2 charging moves in the opposite direction
While DC fast charging saw positive improvements, satisfaction with public Level 2 charging dropped 12 points to 595. Among the biggest pain points was unsurprisingly payment and ease of charging.
Location also made a major difference. DC fast chargers at hotels received the highest satisfaction score at 692, followed by gas stations and convenience stores at 689 and restaurants at 688. Dealership chargers ranked lowest at just 570.
The 2026 study surveyed 6,594 battery-electric and plug-in hybrid owners between January and June. You can read the full results at J.D. Power.
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