In one embodiment, a device obtains sensor data indicative of three dimensional (3-D) orientations of primary and secondary wireless power transfer (WPT) charging coils. The secondary coil is mounted to a vehicle and the primary coil provides charge to the secondary coil during charging. The device detects misalignment between the primary and secondary WPT coils based on the sensor data. The device determines a coil alignment correction to offset the detected misalignment. The device sends control commands to one or more actuators to implement the coil alignment correction by moving one or more of the coils, either directly (e.g., via directly-coupled actuators) or indirectly (e.g., via the suspension of a vehicle).