Can you charge an electric car on the street from a window?

In a country where many buildings have no garage and the charging network, although expanding, still does not meet every need, some people are looking for inventive ways to charge an electric car on the street from their home.

One of the most obvious options is to run an electric cable from a window or balcony to a car parked on the road. But is this lawful? To clarify the matter, we contacted the PSP.

In its reply to Razão Automóvel, the PSP’s Traffic and Road Safety Division was unequivocal: a cable crossing an area used by vehicles, pedestrians or garage access points may amount to an administrative offence and result in a fine.

The issue is not charging, but the cable

Naturally, the Highway Code does not contain a provision specifically covering electric car charging cables. As the PSP explained, the issue lies in how such cables are positioned in public space.

Article 3 of the Highway Code states that no one may carry out acts that obstruct or hinder traffic, or compromise the safety, visibility or convenience of road users, with particular regard for vulnerable users. Breaching this rule carries a fine of between €60 and €300.

Therefore, a cable laid across a pavement, carriageway or garage entrance which restricts movement may constitute an offence. Someone does not need to trip over it for there to be an issue: simply creating an obstruction to movement may be enough.

Securing the cable, raising it to a particular height or trying to ensure that nobody trips over it does not necessarily solve the problem either.

According to the PSP, the relevant consideration is whether its placement obstructs or hinders traffic, or compromises the safety, visibility or convenience of people using the road. A cable that forces a pedestrian to step off or around the pavement, for instance, may be enough to create such a problem.

The Municipal Council may also have a say

The Highway Code is not the only consideration. The PSP says that breaches of municipal regulations may also apply, particularly those concerning the use of public space without authorisation from the local council.

In other words, even where a particular situation does not amount to an offence under the Highway Code, using public space may raise separate issues depending on the rules in force in each municipality.

There are also cases in which the building’s condominium association may come into the picture. On this point, the PSP refers to Decree-Law No. 93/2025 of 14 August, which also governs the installation of charging points in existing buildings.

Article 23 provides that, where the installation of a charging point or electrical socket is carried out through, or involves, common parts of the building, it must be notified to the condominium management in advance.

The management may object only in the circumstances laid down by law, including where there is a proven risk to people or property, or where the installation hinders movement along shared access routes.

That same legislation makes clear, however, that charging through a domestic socket is not itself the issue. In places not accessible to the public, charging via this type of socket is permitted, provided the applicable technical and safety requirements are met.

So, can I charge my car from the window or not?

The situation is rather reminiscent of a well-known Gato Fedorento sketch: “It is forbidden. But you can do it. Except it is forbidden.” In this instance, though, the answer is slightly more complex: the Highway Code contains no simple rule stating that charging a car using a cable from home is prohibited.

What may be prohibited is the way the cable reaches the vehicle. If it crosses the pavement, carriageway or another public area and creates an obstacle to movement or a risk to other users, it may result in an administrative offence.

So, before turning a window into an extension of the socket, it is worth remembering that once the cable reaches the street, it is no longer merely a charging matter. It also becomes an issue of safety and the use of public space.