London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 15, 2026

Queues stretching for hours show what it's like to own a Tesla at Christmas

Queues stretching for hours show what it's like to own a Tesla at Christmas

Tesla owners were having a truly British Christmas this year by queuing for hours to charge their electric cars.


Several snaking queues have been spotted up and down the UK over the last few days.

Nearly two dozen cars were logjammed at a charging point in a Waitrose parking lot in the Hertfordshire village of South Mims on Christmas Day.

One TikTok user said the Tesla owners were waiting around one hour to charge their cars at the station.

They said: ‘Here they all are queueing up, waiting for an hour or whatever it is for their charging. They’re everywhere.’

A Facebook user filmed countless Tesla vehicles clogging the Tebay Southbound supercharger in Cumbria by the M6 Junction yesterday.

‘All our electric Tesla friends queueing up to charge up at Tebay Services on the post Xmas trip south,’ they said, adding that it was a ‘struggle to park as very busy’.



One driver said they had been waiting for two and a half hours


Members of a Tesla driver’s Facebook group reported waiting nearly three hours to charge their cars in Tebay.

‘Been here over an hour. Still 15 in front of me in the queue for a charge,’ one user said, ‘easily another two hours to wait – minimum.’

On Twitter, a Tesla car owner who braved the queue said: ‘Really upsetting to have whole family wait for two hours to charge car.’

In Westmorland, north-west England, an electric vehicle driver said the scene at a motorway charging station was ‘bedlam’ yesterday.

‘Two-hour 30-minute wait for a charge,’ he said. ‘Worst journey as (a) Tesla driver. Q now 40 deep!’

A Manchester-based user shared a photo of a dizzying queue of Teslas yesterday.

‘UK services this week have been insanely busy for Tesla charging,’ they said.

‘Currently car 15 in a queue of over 20 … but you can always rely on the British public to make an orderly queue.’

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Spain in Ecstasy: "We Feel Unbeatable, We Taught the Whole World a Lesson"
Spain and UK Dismantle Gibraltar Border Following Landmark Schengen Integration Treaty
Church of England Rejects Plan to Rewild Thirty Percent of Land by 2030
UK Parliament Examines Future of Gaelic Broadcasting in Scotland
Thames Water Faces Criticism Over Four Million Pounds in Bonus Payments
South East Water Crisis Puts UK Water Regulation Under Renewed Scrutiny
UK Report Highlights Racial Inequality in Homelessness Support Services
UK Government Defends Proposed Social Media Curfew for Teenagers Despite Criticism
Reform UK Gains Recognition as Major Political Party in New Polling
Labour Party Faces Internal Divisions Over Gaza Policy and Asylum Reform
Experts Warn UK Housing and Transport Infrastructure Is Unprepared for Rising Extreme Heat
UK Human Rights Committee Begins Review of Immigration and Asylum Bill
UK Parliament Launches Inquiry Into Declining High Streets Across England
Bank of England Governor Warns of Growing AI Risks to Global Financial Security
UK Public Finance Institutions Mobilize Fifty Billion Pounds to Support Growth and Jobs
UK Parliament Opens Inquiry Into Long-Term Strategy Toward Russia
UK-India Trade Agreement Takes Effect With Zero-Duty Access for Nearly All Indian Exports
Forget Tinder: The Surprising Platform Where People Find Love
UK Government Faces Growing Debate Over Local Control of Immigration Enforcement
UK Biodiversity Forum Highlights Business Need to Protect Natural Environment
UK Parliament to Consider Workplace Temperature Limits Amid Climate Concerns
UK Parliament Considers Independent Immigration Appeals Authority Proposal
BBC Charter Renewal Scrutiny Intensifies as Parliament Reviews Broadcaster’s Future
Parliament Reviews Future of UK Maternity and Neonatal Care Services
UK-India Trade Accelerator Launched to Help Smaller Firms Expand Into Indian Market
UK Business Leaders Meet in Edinburgh to Address Economic Risks From Biodiversity Loss
UK Parliament Prepares for Sir Keir Starmer’s Final Prime Minister’s Questions Before Leadership Transition
Green Party-Led Lewisham Council Moves Against Cooperation With Home Office Immigration Raids
UK Government Faces Parliamentary Pressure Over Capita Contracts in Shared Services Programme
UK Economy Expected to See Modest Growth as OECD Highlights Fiscal and Global Risks
Public Accounts Committee Warns UK Government’s Four Point Three Billion Pound Shared Services Plan Risks Failure
EU and UK Sign Agreement Removing Gibraltar Border Controls After Years of Post-Brexit Uncertainty
OECD Warns UK Must Maintain Fiscal Discipline as Andy Burnham Prepares to Become Prime Minister
UK-India Free Trade Agreement Enters Into Force as Businesses Seek New Growth Opportunities
Harvard Astrophysicist to Lead U.S. Scientific Advisory on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena
On the Island That Did Not Yield to Trump, There Is No Electricity, and 10 Million Live in Darkness
Emergency Sirens Activated Across Bahrain as Interior Ministry Issues Shelter Directives
Key Trends to Watch
United Nations Expert Calls for Full Implementation of Supreme Court Ruling on Legal Definition of Sex
Industry Coalition Urges Labour Lawmakers to Back Continued North Sea Oil and Gas Production
Parliamentary Committee Calls for Tougher Restrictions on Unhealthy Food Advertising
Government Expands Awaab's Law to Cover Heat and Additional Housing Hazards
Energy Regulator Opens Independent Investigation Into National Grid Operator
United Kingdom and European Union Sign Landmark Gibraltar Border Agreement
Chancellor Unveils Financial Services Reform and Artificial Intelligence Strategy at Mansion House
Counterterrorism Police Take Over Investigation Into Killing of Former Minister Ann Widdecombe
Beer Industry Warns UK Rules Could Limit Growth of Alcohol-Free Market
Home Office Faces Legal Challenges Over Asylum Seeker Accommodation Closures
UK Heatwaves Linked to More Than Two Thousand Seven Hundred Deaths as Climate Debate Intensifies
Home Secretary Faces Pressure Over Political Security After Ann Widdecombe Murder Investigation
×