Unfortunately, there’s no ‘one size fits all’ answer when it comes down to EV charging times. Several factors affect how long it will take to charge your electric car, from battery size to the type of charger, to environmental elements.
And while rapid and ultra-rapid charging stations promote quicker charging sessions, the standard charging speed for home electric vehicle chargers is 7kW. Rarely, you’ll need any more than this, especially at home – unless you are low on charge and need a surge of power urgently.
With 7kW being the most common home EV charging rate, more and more people are asking – how long does it take to charge an electric car with a 7kW charger?
Keep reading to find out.
A 7kW EV charger adds around 25 to 30 miles of range per hour. Which, on average, charges your electric car between 4-8 hours. The 8-hour timeframe is based on an empty to full battery charge, whereas it will be more towards the 4-hour scale for a top-up charge.
However, it’s important to note that these are approximate timings. External factors can affect how fast your EV battery will take to charge, no matter the kW rate.
In significant changes in weather – hot or cold – batteries take the brunt of the changing seasons, resulting in reduced battery performance. Unfortunately, this means that charging will be less efficient in peak summers and chilly winters, taking longer than usual. In fact, the optimal temperature for an EV battery is 21.5 C, meaning your EV charging will be the best in this state.
Don’t worry – there are ways to caveat these seasonal dips. Use specific EV driving tips for summer and winter to maximise EV range and improve battery performance. For example, take advantage of preconditioning, and pre-heat your EV in winter and pre-cool your EV in summer to ensure your battery is at its optimal temperature.
With the logical thinking of the higher the charging rate, the faster charge, you’d think a 22kW would charge faster than 7kW.
However, in some cases, that’s entirely incorrect. Without getting too technical, EVs charge with DC power, and inside every electric vehicle, there’s an onboard charger which converts AC power into DC. And with this onboard charger, there’s a maximum AC charging rate.
For example, the Tesla Model has a maximum AC charging capacity of 11kW, so even if you were to plug in with a 22kW AC charger, your EV wouldn’t charge any faster than 11kW. Moreover, a Nissan Leaf has an onboard charger of 6.6kW, so even if you charged with a 7kW charger, your Nissan Leaf would only charge at 6.6kW.
It doesn’t take a genius to work out that your charging time will be less if you charge from 40% to 80%, compared to an empty battery to a full charge. And so, of course, this is a crucial element when working out charging speeds.
Typically, you should avoid charging to 100% where possible to protect your battery from premature degradation. And while this may seem like it would exacerbate range anxiety, it will actually help prolong your range in the long run. If you want to learn more about taking care of your EV battery, please read our blog.
Top-up charging is a great way to ensure your EV always has enough battery. In fact, overnight charging is a convenient way to charge your EV while simultaneously charging for cheaper (during off-peak hours) and charging more environmentally friendly (more sustainable electricity sources are used during off-peak hours).
If you are a multi-EV household with two chargers on one circuit and are charging simultaneously, the time your EV takes to charge will take a hit. For example, if your home charger is rated 7kW, the rate will be split between the two EVs, meaning they will take each charge between 3kW -3.6kW. So, the slower the charging rate, the longer it will take to charge.
And that’s only if your home EV charger also has the load balancing feature.
With this slower charging speed, you may be thinking do I need two EV chargers at home? Realistically no, but there are pros and cons to each.
Different electric cars have different battery sizes. For example, the 2023 Nissan Leaf has a 40kWh battery size, compared to the Tesla Model 3, which has a 57.5kWh battery.
And simply put, the larger the battery, the longer it will take to charge.
Different EV charging points provide different amounts of charge. For example, a three-pin plug has a charging rate of roughly 2.3kW and can take up to 18 hours for a full charge. Alternatively, if you use a public ultra-rapid or rapid charger rated at 50kW, you can charge up to 80% in as little as ten to fifteen minutes.
While there are different variants of 7kW EV home chargers depending on the manufacturer – for example, 7kW, 7.2kW – the maximum rate on a single-phase power supply is 7.4kW.
Below is a table of our available home electric vehicle chargers and their exact charging rate; however, it’s important to note that slight variations will make next to no difference in charging.
| Home EV charger | Charging rate/power output (single-phase) |
| Ohme ePod | 7.4kW |
| Ohme Home Pro | 7.4kW |
| Hive Mini Pro 3 | 7.2kW |
| Easee One | 7.4kW |
| evec | 7.4kW |
| VCHRGD Seven | 7.4kW |
A 7kW EV charger is more than enough for your electric vehicle charging. In fact, most houses in the UK have single-phase electricity supplies, with 7kW being the maximum charging rate you can have installed on your property without upgrading to a three-phase electricity supply.
7kW public charging points are also often found in supermarkets, near restaurants and other public locations, so they are constantly used by EV drivers outside of the home.
And while you can have a 22kW home EV charger, certain logistics must be considered. For example, you’d have to upgrade your electricity supply, which is costly and time-consuming.
View our market-leading range of 7kW electric vehicle chargers now. We offer nationwide EV charger installation while providing free, unbiased advice, quick installation and first-class customer service. Contact us today at 03333 44 96 99 to discuss your EV charging needs, or fill in the contact form below.
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This type of electric charger has it's own cable to charge your car.
This type of electric charger requires a seperate cable to charge your car.
Spread over a 60 month period.
Tenants and homeowners are eligible for finance.
You decide the amount of months.
Minimum of £1000.
We will contact you to process the credit application. Approval is subject to application, financial circumstances and borrowing history. 13.9% APR representative. T&Cs apply.
Your order is not confirmed until your application has been approved.
We lay SWA cable laid at 600mm deep, with a protective cable warning tape laid 150mm above the cable. These are laid on a sand or sifted sand soil bed then backfilled.
We position overhead cables at a minimum height of 3.5m and are run along a catenary wire. The cable run should not be accessible to vehicles.
Standard Installation
Our instant price is fixed if it falls within our standard installation package plus any additions that you have selected (extra cabling for example). This package covers the majority of homes in the UK. Before we undertake your installation we will carry out a digital survey to check that nothing has been missed. After reviewing the survey results some additional work may be required in order to complete your installation safely and to the required standards. If this is the case, we will contact you well before the installation date and advise the cost of any required work. You can then continue with your installation, or alternatively we will refund you in full if you do not want to proceed.
Included in our standard installation is :
• Fitting of a single phase charge point to a brick or plaster wall or other suitable permanent structure
• Up to 10 metres of cable, run and neatly clipped to the wall between the electricity supply meter / distribution board and the charge point.
• Routing of the cable through a drilled hole in a wall up to 500mm (20 inches) thick if this is needed.
• The fitting and testing of electrical connections and protections required for the charge point.
• An additional three way consumer unit, if required
• Installation of a Type A RCBO in an RCBO enclosure
• Up to 3 metres of plastic trunking to conceal interior wiring.
• An O-pen earth protection device if the charge point requires it. (This is NOT an earth rod)
• Up to 4 hours of labour from your installer to complete the work.
• Electrical testing of the whole installation.
• Handover and setup of the charge point and any app that may be needed.
Not included in our standard installation (additional work) :
• Where the installation requires additional cabling over and above the amount you have told us about.
• Upgrade/replacement of the main incoming supply fuse where the local DNO (eg Northern Powergrid) would need to attend site.
• If the charge point is to be mounted on a post/pedestal rather than an existing wall and where you have not selected a post as an extra cost option in your order.
• Installation of a charge point to a three phase supply.
• Where gas and water mains bonding (earthing) is not in place at your property. If this is not in place, additional work would be required before installation of the charge point.
• Any groundwork that has not been selected during the order process.
A Surge Protection Device is not included in our standard installation.
What else you need to know :
• On the day of installation, please ensure that the area around your consumer unit (fuse box), incoming electricity supply meter and proposed charge point location (including where the cable is expected to be run) is clear and free of obstructions.
• We will need your WiFi password as part of the installation process in order to connect your charge point to the internet. Please have this available for the installer. Details will not be kept.
• The charge point must be on your own designated off road parking.
• The charger will be fixed in line with current guidelines at a height where it cannot be hit by a vehicle.
• Our installers are not able to enter loft spaces; lift floorboards or flooring; take apart any furniture of work above a height of 2m. If you anticipate that any of this may be required, then please contact us and we can discuss in more detail and provide you with a quotation.
• Should there be extreme weather conditions our installers may not be able to continue with you installation if it is not safe to do so (for example flooding). They will always do their best to complete the work where they can.
If you have any questions then please contact our customer service team who will be happy to help. Please also read our terms and conditions.
