Electric car charging at home

If you're able to charge an electric car (or plug-in hybrid) at home, you'll benefit from having the most convenient and cheapest way to charge your vehicle.

Charging at home works out much cheaper than filling up a traditional petrol or diesel car. It's also more convenient and usually much cheaper than using public chargers. 

Read on to find out everything you need to know, including what type of charger you need, how much it costs to install one and how to speed up charging.

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How to charge an electric car at home

To charge at home, you ideally need off-road parking, such as a driveway or garage. Avoid running a cable across the street as in the picture below. While you can buy cable covers, it might still create a trip hazard and some local authorities may take issue.

To benefit from faster and more convenient charging, you'll need to buy an EV charger (also referred to as an EV wallbox or home charger).

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Watch: How to charge an EV at home

Our video provides a quick explainer on charging an EV at home and what to look out for.

What’s the best home EV charger for me?

When choosing an EV home charger, it’s important to consider the following (click the links to skip to the relevant section):

• Cost: varies depending on the charger’s specification and features
• Power: this determines how fast your car will charge
• Connector type: most EVs use Type 2 connectors for home charging, but there are exceptions
• Tethered or untethered: whether the charger has a cable permanently attached to it
• Suitability: whether your home’s electric supply can cope with an EV charger.

How much does an EV charger cost?

Government grants for EV chargers have all but disappeared, meaning it now typically costs between £450 and £1,200 to buy and install a home EV charger. The difference in cost is largely down to the amount of power it can supply.

The cheapest tend to be 3.6kW chargers, while 22kW chargers are the most expensive. 22kW chargers will likely be in excess of most people’s needs (and power supply at home) and require your home to have a three-phase connection – we explain more about this below. Some wallboxes also come with the option of a longer cable, which adds to the cost.

For most, 7kW chargers are a good choice and cost around £800 to buy and install. 

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What power of EV charger should I buy?

There are multiple power options and it can make a big difference to how fast your EV charges.

For a typical UK home, the maximum EV charger power is 7.4kW.

To save money, you could choose a lower power rate (such as 3.6kW), but bear in mind it will take longer to charge your car.

It's also possible to have an even faster home charger of up to 22kW, but very few cars can actually use them at this speed. Even if your car is advertised as being capable of receiving a rapid charge of 100kW or higher, bear in mind that’s the DC (public) charging rate, as opposed to the car’s AC (home) charging rate.

We explain the differences in our guide to using electric car charging points, but it’s likely your car will have a maximum AC charging rate of 7kW to 11kW (or less, for plug-in hybrids).

Can't charge at home? Find out how to use public electric car charging points

Can you charge an electric car with a regular mains socket?

Charging with a regular 2.4kW three-pin wall socket is possible, but it takes a long time (at least 30 hours depending on the car). If you do decide to charge via a three-pin socket, we recommend asking a qualified electrician to check that the cable and socket are suitable for charging an EV.

EV charger speeds compared

How long it takes to charge your car, whether on a public or home charger, depends on the size of its battery.

Below, we've shown how long it would take to charge a Tesla Model Y using a three-pin plug and two types of home charger. 

Can you speed up charging?

If your car can receive an AC charge of 11kW or 22kW, it's possible to speed up charging times. The only problem is that you need a three-phase connection, which your home is unlikely to have.

Electricity is supplied through either a single-phase or a three-phase supply.

• A single-phase network, simply put, has one live wire.
• A three-phase network has three live wires. You could connect to all three for a faster power supply.

The good news is that the majority of the UK is served by a three-phase network.

The bad news is that most UK dwellings are attached to only one of those three live wires. So, in fact, most homes have a single-phase connection, despite it being a three-phase network.

How to check if you have a three-phase connection

According to UK Power Networks (the organisation that maintains electricity networks across much of south east England), the way to check the connection is to look at your consumer unit: three circuit breakers indicate you have a three-phase connection (watch our video to see what they look like).

As the three-phase network is widespread across the UK, it does open up the possibility of upgrading your single-phase connection to a three-phase. Your energy supplier will be able to advise you whether this is possible.

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What EV charger connector do I need?

These are two types of connector for charging an electric car at home: Type 1 and Type 2. You can also buy Type 1 to Type 2 converters.

Type 1 connector

There are a few cars that have the older Type 1 socket (such as the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV).

Type 2 connector

 The EU mandated that all plug-in cars from 2014 must have a Type 2 socket, so this is the most common type in the UK.

Untethered or tethered EV charger?

Depending on the type of charger, you might be able to choose between tethered and untethered.

• Tethered: the charging unit has a power cable attached to it (as pictured below). It’s convenient as you can simply pull up and plug in, as opposed to retrieving your car’s charging lead from the boot, but the cable adds extra bulk.

• Untethered: no attached charging lead. It's more hassle every time you want to plug in, but allows you to swap out the lead, such as from Type 1 to Type 2.

Will my home’s electricity supply cope with an EV charger?

If your home’s power supply doesn't have enough capacity, it can be problematic if you want to install an EV charger. At worst, if you try to use too much power you could blow the main circuit breaker in your house.

The installer of your EV charger should assess the maximum load of your property. If charging an EV would exceed it, then they should check with your energy network operator if your circuit breaker and service cable can take the extra load. If they can’t, your energy network operator will need to upgrade your supply.

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Do I need a smart charger?

All new chargers need to be 'smart'. This means they can be set to charge your car when there is less demand on the grid or when more renewable electricity is available.

Depending on the model, you may be able to access your smart charge point remotely, and they will usually work via an app on your phone.

What is the EVHS wallbox grant?

The UK government offers a grant towards buying and installing a wallbox at home through the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS), which covers 75% of the cost (capped to a maximum of £350).

However, the EVHS is no longer open to homeowners (including people with mortgages) who live in single-unit properties such as bungalows and detached, semi-detached or terraced housing – essentially removing the grant from most homeowners. 

It remains open to people who live in flats and those in rental accommodation (flats and single-use properties), but will close completely on 31 March 2025.

Additionally, in order to get the wallbox grant, the wall charging unit has to be installed by a supplier approved by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV). It will be able to claim for the grant on your behalf. You also have to meet these conditions:

• You're not permitted to claim for a grant if you've previously claimed against the scheme (or its predecessor, the Domestic Recharge Scheme) 
• The grant is only for retrofit (existing) properties; it can't be used for new-builds or properties that aren't occupied.
• As of 1 July 2019, the wallbox charger must have smart functionality. All models can be found on this list on the Gov.uk website.

A list of full criteria can be found on OZEV’s website.

EV grants in Scotland

If you live in Scotland, the Energy Saving Trust will provide up to £400 of further funding on top of the EVHS grant. Direct applications for the scheme closed at the start of 2024, but anyone interested in applying for the scheme in 2025 can register their interest, subject to further funding becoming available (find out more from the Energy Saving Trust's website).

At the moment, two routes are available for applicants. People who live in rural and island areas of Scotland can apply for funding if they own, lease or use an electric vehicle for work purposes, or have recently received a loan for a used EV through the Scottish Government. You’ll have to get a quote for a new charging point before you apply for this funding.

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