RV Park EV Charging Etiquette

The Golden Rule

Every EV owner who charges at a campground without incident makes it easier for the next one. Every EV owner who trips a breaker, hogs an outlet, or plugs in without asking makes it harder. The parks that prohibit EV charging did not start that way. Most of them got there after a bad experience.

We track EV charging policies at over a thousand campgrounds. The "not allowed" list grows when people are careless. The "allowed" list grows when people are good guests.

Ask First, Every Single Time

This is rule number one. Call ahead or ask at check-in. "Do you allow EV charging at the campsite?" is all you need to say. Most parks will say yes. Some will explain their fee structure. A few will say no. In every case, you have the information you need to plan.

Do not assume that because the outlet is there, you are welcome to use it. Do not assume that because the last campground was fine with it, this one will be too. Policies vary wildly from park to park, and they change. A park that allowed EV charging last summer might have added a prohibition this season after an electrical incident.

If the park says yes, ask about any rules or restrictions. Some parks have specific outlets they prefer you use. Some ask you to charge during off-peak hours. Some want you to register at the office first. Follow whatever process they have.

Bring Your Own Gear

RV parks provide the outlet. That is it. You need to bring everything else: your portable EVSE, your adapters, and any extension cord you might need. Showing up and asking to borrow equipment from the camp host is not a good look.

More importantly, your equipment should be in good condition. Frayed cords, cracked adapters, and damaged plugs are a fire risk. Inspect your gear before every trip. If something looks worn, replace it. The cost of a new adapter is trivial compared to the cost of being the person who started an electrical fire at a campground.

For a full breakdown of what to pack, see our adapter guide.

The 50-Amp Question

Here is the tension that most EV owners do not think about: that 50-amp outlet at the campsite was installed for an RV, not for your car. RV owners use that outlet to run their air conditioning, refrigerator, microwave, and every other appliance in their home on wheels. When an EV pulls 32 to 40 amps from the same outlet, it can compete with those systems.

In practice, most modern campgrounds have the electrical capacity to handle both. The 50-amp circuit is rated for 50 amps, and your EV plus an RV on the same pedestal is unlikely to exceed that. But older parks, parks with deferred maintenance, or parks in extreme heat where every RV is running AC at full blast can hit their limits.

If you do not need the fastest possible charge, reduce your amp rate on the 50-amp outlet instead of maxing it out. Charging at 16 or 24 amps instead of 40 puts half the strain on the infrastructure. We do not recommend using TT-30 (30-amp) outlets with an adapter due to the auto-reset overload risk (see our outlet guide), but lowering your draw on the 50-amp outlet achieves the same goal of being kind to shared resources.

Extension Cords: The Rules

Sometimes the power pedestal is on the opposite side of the campsite from where your car is parked. An extension cord solves this, but only if you do it right.

• Use a cord rated for the amps you are drawing. A standard household extension cord rated for 15 amps will overheat and potentially catch fire on a 30-amp or 50-amp circuit. You need a heavy-gauge cord specifically rated for the load.
• Keep it as short as possible. Every foot of extension cord adds resistance and drops voltage. A 50-foot run on a thin cord can reduce your charging speed noticeably and create heat.
• Never run a cord across a walkway, road, or path where someone could trip on it or a car could drive over it. Route it along the edge of your site.
• Do not leave it coiled while in use. A coiled extension cord under load generates heat. Lay it out straight.
• Some parks explicitly prohibit extension cords for EV charging. Ask during check-in if you think you will need one.

Be Mindful of Your Power Draw

Most EVSEs let you adjust the amperage. If you are at a park where electricity is included in the site fee, it is tempting to crank it to the maximum and charge as fast as possible. Resist that urge in a few situations.

If the breaker trips, you are drawing too much. Reduce your amps by 20% and try again. If it trips a second time, reduce further or switch to the 30-amp outlet. Do not keep resetting the breaker and trying the same settings. That is how you make the camp host's day worse and get EV charging banned at the park.

If you are on a shared pedestal (some sites have pedestals that serve two sites), coordinate with your neighbor. An RV running full AC plus your EV at 40 amps can trip the main breaker for both sites. Nobody wants to be that person.

If the park charges for electricity by the kWh, you are paying for what you use regardless. But if electricity is included in the flat nightly rate, remember that someone is absorbing that cost. Charging your EV is probably fine. Running your car's cabin heater all night while also charging is pushing it.

Be a Good Neighbor

The EV charging setup at your campsite is not a public charger. You do not need to move your car when it is done charging. You do not need to obsess over charging etiquette the way you would at a Supercharger stall. You are parked for the night. Plug in and go to sleep.

That said, a few common-sense courtesies go a long way.

• Keep your charging cable tidy. Do not let it sprawl across the road or into a neighboring site. A tripping hazard is a liability issue for the park.
• Keep the noise down. Your EV is silent, but slamming your trunk at 11 PM to check on the charger is not. Most EVSE apps let you monitor charging from your phone.
• If another camper asks about your setup, be friendly and helpful. Every EV owner at a campground is an ambassador for the next one. A two-minute conversation about how charging works can change someone's mind about whether to allow it at their park, their business, or their HOA.
• If the park does not normally allow EV charging and they made an exception for you, send them a thank-you email after your stay. Small gestures build goodwill, and goodwill is what gets policies changed.

Leave It Better Than You Found It

Before you pull out, check the outlet and the pedestal. Make sure the outlet cover is closed. Make sure you did not leave an adapter plugged in. Make sure the area around the pedestal is clean.

If you notice something wrong with the electrical at your site, like a loose outlet, a scorch mark, or a tripped breaker that will not reset, report it to the camp host. They need to know, and telling them shows that you care about the park's infrastructure, not just your battery level.

The parks that are best for EV owners are the ones where EV owners have been good guests. That is not a slogan; it is literally how these policies get made. Park managers talk to each other, read the same forums, and notice the same trends. Be the trend they want to see.