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, based on our calculations. It's also more convenient and usually cheaper (unless you're able to consistently use free charging points) than using public chargers. 

Find out all you need to know, including what type of charger you need, how to speed up charging and how much it costs to install one.

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How to charge an electric car at home

You’ll need off-road parking, such as a driveway or garage, and you need to be able to get power to it. You’ll also want to get a wallbox installed for quicker charging – unless you want to spend more than a day charging your vehicle.

If you can't charge at home, see how to use electric car charging points.

Can you plug an electric car into a regular outlet?

You can, but you won't want to. Charging with a regular 2.4kW three-pin wall socket takes an extremely long time – in excess of 30 hours depending on the car. 

You’ll want to slash those charging times by getting a wallbox charger installed.

You'll also want to avoid running a wire across the street as in the picture, below. While you can buy wire covers, it might still create a trip hazard and some local authorities may take issue.

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Get a wallbox EV charger

Electric vehicle wallboxes (or wall charging units) are available in different forms and powers.

As you can see in the table below, they can drastically reduce charging time compared with a regular three-pin plug.

Untethered or tethered charger?

• Untethered No attached charging lead. 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 (see below).
• Tethered The charging unit has a power lead attached to it. It’s convenient as you can just pull up and plug in, as opposed to retrieving your car’s charging lead from the boot.

Do all electric cars use the same plug?

These are two different kinds of connectors for charging an electric car at home.

You'll likely be using a Type 2 connector. Most vehicles use this type of plug as it was mandated by the EU that all plug-in cars from 2014 must have a Type 2 socket.

There are some cars that have the older, differently shaped Type 1 socket, such as the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. But these are rare. Type 1 to Type 2 converters are available.

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What power wall charger should I buy?

This is perhaps the most crucial bit as there are multiple power options. Your typical choice is up to 7.4kW for a typical UK home.

To save money on the charger, you could choose a lower power rate (such as 3.6kW), although it will take longer to charge your car.

It's possible to have an even faster charger, up to 22kW, but very few cars can actually receive a 22kW charge from an AC source, such as a domestic wall charger.

Even if your car is capable of receiving a rapid charge of 100kW or higher, that’s the DC charging rate, as opposed to the car’s AC 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 7 to 11kW (or less, in PHEVs).

Can you speed up charging?

If your car can receive an AC charge of 11 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 fuse box. Three such fuses indicates you have a three-phase connection.

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.

If you want a higher rate of power, find out if it’s possible to upgrade by speaking to your energy supplier.

Do I need a smart charger?

All smart chargers sold from 30 June 2022 onwards 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.

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How much does it cost to install an electric car charger?

It typically costs between £450 and £1,200 to buy and install a wallbox.

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), but if you do have a three-phase connection, it might be considered good for future-proofing.

Some wallboxes come with the option of a longer cable, which also adds to the cost.

For most, we’d recommend 7kW chargers, which cost around £1,000 to buy and install.

You will earn this back over time with the money you'll save on fuelling your car. Charging at home is the cheapest way to run a car, so find out more about this in how much it costs to charge an electric car.

Is my home’s electricity supply enough for an EV charger?

An 80A fuse connection is sufficient for ‘any typical household looking to install a combination of low carbon technologies’. That’s according to the Electricity Networks Association (ENA) which represents the companies which operate the electricity wires across the UK.

New homes are built with an 80A or 100A fuse. Older properties tend to have less. For example we’ve come across a 60A supply shared between three flats.

To find out your home’s supply, check the main fuse for your house (usually found near your electricity meter). If it isn’t clear (some older fuses are encased in black boxes) ask your energy network operator. You can find your operator using the ENA’s tool.

If your home’s supply is too low, 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 fuse 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 fuse and service cable can take the extra load. If they can’t, your energy network operator will need to upgrade your supply.

Network operators will usually upgrade you to 80A or 100A (single phase) for free, according to the government Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, and it can be done quickly. If you have a three-phase supply then you’ll need to pay to upgrade the cable, fuses and meter. The rules on this changed in April 2023; previously you’d have been charged for other parts of the upgrade too.

Another option is a load limiter device. This would let you charge your EV when other appliances weren’t being used (at night, for example) and make sure that you didn’t exceed your home’s maximum supply. Contact your energy provider or a qualified electrician to find out more about load limiter devices.

What is the EVHS wallbox grant?

The UK government offers a grant toward 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 those who live in flats and those in rental accommodation (flats and single-use properties).

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 £300 further funding on top of the EVHS grant. Direct applications for the scheme closed at the start of 2024, and anyone that's 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. You’ll have to get a quote for a new charging point before you apply for this funding.

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