How Long Does It Take to Charge an EV at Home?

One of the first questions new EV drivers ask is how long it takes to charge at home. The honest answer is that it depends on three things: the size of your car's battery, the power of your charger, and the most your car can take from an AC charger. Here is how to work it out in plain terms.

The simple sum

Charging time is roughly the amount of energy you need, in kilowatt hours (kWh), divided by the charging power in kilowatts (kW). So if you need to add 35 kWh and your charger delivers 7 kW, that is about 5 hours. In practice it takes a little longer, because some energy is lost as heat and charging slows as the battery gets close to full.

Typical home charging speeds

• Three pin plug: about 2.3 kW. Fine for an emergency top up, but slow, and not designed for many hours of charging every night.
• Standard home charger: about 7 kW on a normal single phase supply, which suits most London homes.
• Three phase charger: up to about 22 kW, but only if the property has a three phase supply and the car can accept that much on AC. Most homes do not have three phase.

Your car sets a limit too

Every car has a maximum AC charging rate. If your car can only take 7 kW, a bigger charger will not make it faster. Check your car's handbook or the maker's website before choosing a charger.

Most drivers do not charge from empty

Day to day, most people plug in overnight and top up the miles they used that day. A typical commute uses only a small part of the battery, so a 7 kW charger refills it well before the morning, and often within the cheaper night time hours on an EV tariff. The smart charger rules let you schedule charging for those hours.

Is your home ready?

A 7 kW charger needs its own circuit and a consumer unit that can take it. Our guide on whether you need a new consumer unit for an EV charger explains what we check.

Energy North Ltd installs home chargers across North, East and West London with City & Guilds certified electricians. See our EV charger installation page to book a survey.