That depends on the municipality. There is no Flemish or federal rule on paying for parking while you charge: each municipality decides this itself in its mobility policy.
However, the Highway Code does state the following: if you park in a space reserved for electric vehicles, you must actually be charging. This applies to both fully electric cars and hybrids.
Some examples from our blog (source: GVA.be). These rules may have changed in the meantime:
Antwerp: paid, with a maximum parking duration.
Ghent: free.
Hasselt: free, but you pay a rotation fee if your car stays parked after it is fully charged.
Leuven: paid, with a rotation fee.
Mechelen: paid, with a maximum parking duration.
Brussels: currently free while charging, but with a rotation fee if you stay parked after your car is fully charged. parking.brussels can issue fines for this.
Rules of thumb:
Always check the signs and additional signs at the charging station.
If it says 'paid' or 'ticket', you have to pay.
If you see the parking disc symbol, display your blue parking disc.
If it says 'taxi' or 'shared cars', the space is reserved for those vehicles.
Because each municipality has its own rules, it is best to always check the local rules and signs.
Read the full article on our blog: EV parking at a public charging station: pay or not?
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