Electric Car Charging At Home Guide - Expert Advice

If you are able to charge an electric car (or plug-in hybrid) at home, you will benefit from the double whammy of having the most convenient and the cheapest way to charge your car.

Charging an electric car at home works out much cheaper than filling up a traditional petrol or diesel car, based on our calculations. It’s definitely more convenient, and almost certainly cheaper (unless you are able to consistently use free charging points), than using public chargers.

Keep reading to find out all you need to know about charging your electric car at home, including what type of charger you need, how to speed up charging and how much it costs to install a charger.

What are my home's requirements?
How much does it cost to charge an electric car?

Owning an electric car, in this day and age, is becoming increasingly easy to justify. Aside from ever-expanding model line-ups, longer ranges, widening infrastructure and impressive performance figures, there are countless benefits – such as environmental brownie points, tax grants, and exemption from certain charges and fees. More to the point, owning an electric car can also serve up exceptionally low running costs.

Make no mistake: choose an electric car wisely and it will potentially be less costly to run than a conventional petrol or diesel car. You’ll also never need to visit a petrol station for refuelling again, either, scrapping yet another motoring-related annoyance in the process. Want to find out just how much you could save
How many kW wall box should I have?

A home wallbox is a separate box which is wired directly to your home’s electricity supply. They’re usually installed by the companies that supply them, or they can be put in by electricians with a specific certification.

The most basic home wall boxes can charge at 3kW, about the same as a regular mains socket. The most common units, though – including the ones supplied free with some electric cars – will charge at 7kW.

This will cut charging times in half and then some compared with a three-pin socket, giving realistic overnight charges for the majority of electric cars on the market.

Electric car charging at home