How To Charge Electric Cars At Home, Work & In Public | 2024

*Updated in August 2024.

To charge an electric car or plug-in hybrid electric car, you will need to plug it into a EV charging point either at home, at work, at the roadside, or at a public service station. How long it takes to charge your EV can vary. It can take anything from 20 minutes to 24+ hours depending on the power output of the charging point you use, and the type of EV battery you have.

You’d be easily forgiven for finding the world of electric charging complex. There’s a lot to get your head around. In fact, the RAC have specifically criticised the ‘lack of standardisation of connectors’ and ‘bewildering array of types of charge points, connectors and tariffs’… if only it was as easy as ‘pull up, plug in, drive off’.

However, understanding the charging options available to you is a vital step to take, before purchasing or leasing your first electric vehicle – and even more so if you are electrifying your entire business fleet, or wanting to offer employees EV charging options. We’ve broken down the essential facts about EV charging, such as how long it will take, what it will cost, the types of EV connectors and where you can charge, to help you get to grips with the basics of electric charging.

How does an EV charger work?

Charging an EV is a straightforward action. Using an EV connector, you plug your vehicle into an EV charge point, and power up. The efficiency of the charge and the amount of power you can obtain will depend on the ability of your electric vehicle to accept high-powered charging, as well as the speed of the charge point you use.

So, what’s an EV connector? To charge, EVs have to be connected to a charge point via a cable. This cable has a ‘connector’ at either end, one to plug into the car inlet, and one to plug into the charger unit outlet. These EV chargers are referred to as ‘untethered’ and they can often be found on lamposts and other places for public use. While they’re small and inconspicuous, they require you to carry your charging cable around with your car. ‘Tethered’ EV chargers have one end permanently connected to the charger, and these are commonly found across public and private charging networks. 

EV connectors are perhaps the most confusing part of electric charging – because there is no universal connector type… 

The most common EV connector types are:

1. UK 3-pin – AC – S13A / 2.3-3kW (Granny chargers)
2. Type 1 – AC – 3-7kW
3. Type 2 – AC – 3-43kW
4. Commando – AC – 3-22kW
5. European Combined Charging System (CCS) – DC – 50kW
6. Japanese JEVS (CHAdeMO) – DC – 50kW
7. Tesla Supercharger (Type 2) – DC – 50-120kW

The connector type accepted by the vehicle inlet varies from model to model, and when it comes to the charging unit outlet, it varies depending on the power rating.

When you’re deciding which electric vehicle to buy, to ensure you get the most efficient charge, you should pair your car’s connector type with the type of charging station you will be using most regularly. We will come onto the types of EV charging stations available later on.

In the majority of cases though, you should always be able to charge your car while out and about, as most EVs come with 2 extra cables that enable you to charge via different charge point connectors – the charge may just be less efficient. But be aware of your model’s limitations!

The connectors required on some of the most popular EVs:

Vauxhall Corsa-e: these vehicles use the CCS charging standard, which consists of a combined AC and DC inlet port. For public slow and fast AC points, it can be charged with a Type 2 connector, and for rapid DC charging, a CCS connector.

Nissan LEAF: It accepts two connector types – Type 2 for slow and fast AC charging and CHAdeMO for rapid DC charging.

BMW i3: this model also has a combined AC and DC inlet port. Part of the inlet is for a Type 2 connector for slow and fast charging and the other is for a CSS connector, for rapid charging.

Tesla Model 3: The Model 3 uses a Type 2 inlet when charging at home or public slow and fast AC points, while a CCS inlet is used for rapid DC charging from a CCS connector.

Can I charge an electric car at home?

Yes. The majority of drivers choose to charge their EVs overnight at home as it’s by far the most convenient way to charge their EV. They then use public charging points for quick top-ups on long trips or when out an about.

You can technically use a 3-pin domestic plug as mentioned above, but it’s not advised you do. Using this method to charge your EV at home can take over 24 hours for high capacity batteries, and it may not be advisable to plug into your home electricity for that long.

EV owners who want to know how to charge their car effectively at home, are best suited to buying an EV wall box charger alongside their new vehicle, which can speed up the process considerably. These will need to be installed by a registered, qualified electrician, but the UK government’s Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) offers grants of up to £350 per household to be used against the cost of purchase and/or installation.

How long does it take to charge an electric car at home and on the go?

How long it takes to charge an electric car can be as little as 20 minutes via a public rapid charger (charging within the suggested safe range of 20%-80%), or as much as 24+ hours for some models if you were to use a domestic plug at home.

Your personal charge time will depend entirely on the size of your EV battery and the speed of the charge point you use as well as the capacity of the vehicle to accept the charge speed.

For instance, there is no point in charging on a 300 kWh Ultra Rapid charger in a car which accepts a maximum of 50 kWh, as is the case for most vehicles other than a Tesla which were available before 2018.

As a guide, a 7kW home EV charger should charge a 60kWh EV battery, like those found in Tesla Model 3s, in around 8 hours from empty to full. Using the same EV charger on the 40kWh battery found in a Nissan LEAF would take around 5.5-6 hours, while an 82 kWh battery found in a VW ID.5 would take 12.

Example charge times of Popular UK EVs:

Nissan LEAF: the LEAF has a 40kWh battery. Using a domestic socket, fully charging the battery will take 21 hours. If you were to get a 7kW home charging unit installed or use a fast public EV charger, it would take 7.5 hours to charge.
If you used a 50kW public rapid charger, you can charge from 20-80% in 60 minutes. With the Nissan LEAF, a full charge will take you up to 168 miles.

Vauxhall Corsa-e:the electric remake of the hugely popular model, uses a 50kWh battery. Using a domestic socket, charging the battery to 80% will take 19.5 hours, while a 7.4kW home charger could reach 80% charge in 6 hours. Finally, using a rapid 100kW charging station can get you to 80% charge in just 30 minutes. Charging to 80% will take you an estimated 168 miles.

Tesla Model S: with its 75kWh battery, a domestic socket would take 30-40 hours to charge fully. A 7kW home EV charger would achieve full charge in around 11 hours, and a 22kW charger would take 5-6 hours. Using a rapid 150kW charger would achieve full charge in just 30 minutes and give a range of around 240 miles..

How much does it cost to charge an electric car at home?

Unfortunately, understanding how much it costs to charge an electric car at home is not simple either as it depends on your battery size and electricity tariff. On average, a family-sized electric car costs just 3.7 pence per mile to charge at home, while the cost of an equivalent petrol car costs 14.2 pence per mile.

Many EV owners will charge their car at home overnight as this offers the cheapest solution, especially if they get a reduced off-peak rate. They can then top-up using public chargers as and when they need. So the majority of the cost will depend on an individual’s electricity tariff and it will show up on their domestic electric bill.

However, where it gets even more complicated is if you have renewables such as solar at home. Some smart home EV chargers can be set to take their energy from your solar panels or wind turbines rather than the grid. Although there is a large cost associated with installing the renewables and the charger, this can make charging your EV effectively free.

At Mer EV, all of our public charge points are powered using 100% renewable energy.

How much does it cost to charge an electric car at a public charging station?

On average you can expect to spend £1.50 per hour of charge when using a fast public charger, and £6 for a 30-minute charge with a rapid charger. The cost of public charging points varies, and some charge point hosts, such as shopping centres or supermarkets, offer free charging while you visit them.

Some charge points will charge based on the time spent charging, and some based on the electricity used. Rapid charge points are naturally more expensive, as you can cram in more power in a short amount of time. As a result, many charge based on time spent, with a surcharge on the amount of electricity used.

How to charge an EV at a public charging station?

How to charge an EV at a public charging station can vary depending on the provider. In some cases, you’ll be able to just pull, plug in and tap your card to start the charge. The EV charger provider may take a set amount upfront, and then refund you/charge more when you finish the session.

Other public charge points may offer better rates for members, in which case you may need to log in with an app or tap a membership card to start the charging process.

The costs of charging your EV

Car Magazine offers a handy way to calculate a rough estimate of what you can expect to spend when charging at home or in public: Size of battery (kWh) x Electricity cost of your supplier (pence per kilowatt hour) = Cost to charge an electric car from empty to full.

The average domestic electricity rate is about 14p per kWh. And the average cost of using rapid chargers is 40p per kWh.

Examples of charging costs at home with 3 of the most popular EVs:

How much does it cost to charge the Nissan LEAF?

With the Nissan LEAF, which has a 40 kWh battery and 168 mile range, you’d be expecting to pay roughly £9.60 for a full charge at home (40 kWh x 0.24p = £9.60) – that’s 5p per mile.

Charging your Nissan LEAF to 100% with a rapid charger, will likely cost around £30 – 17p per mile.

How much does it cost to charge the BMW i3?

With the BMW i3, which has a 33 kWh battery and 146 mile range, you’d expect to pay roughly £7.92 for a full charge (33 kWh x 0.24p = £7.92)  – that’s 5.4p per mile.

Charging your BMW i3 to 100% with a rapid charger, will likely cost around £25 – 17p per mile.

How much does it cost to charge the Tesla Model 3?

With the Tesla Model 3, which has a 60 kWh battery and 250 mile range, you’d expect to pay roughly £14.40 for a full charge (60 kWh x 0.24p = £14.40)  – that’s 6p per mile.

Charging your Tesla Model 3 to 100% with a rapid charger, will likely cost around £45 – 18p per mile.

However, with Tesla, you have Supercharger stations open to you, estimated to cost around 67p per kWh for an 80% charge.

EV charging station installation costs – domestic & business

Domestic wallbox chargers

One last cost-consideration is the initial outlay for a home EV charge point installation.

Chargers don’t come cheap, but the government’s EV Homecharge Scheme currently provides funding of up to 75% towards the cost of installing (smart) charge points at domestic properties.

It’s important to note that the government’s grant is only available for smart wallbox chargers. Smart functionality allows you to control your charger remotely via an app – you can view your spend, and choose when your car charges to take advantage of cheaper tariffs.

And EV drivers may soon be seeing much larger gains from their wallbox charger thanks to the introduction of Vehicle-To-Grid technology (V2G).

Although still in trial mode, V2G has the potential to be game-changing – enabling consumers to control when their vehicle charges and take advantage of the lowest energy rates, power their house with unused energy from their vehicle, and even sell excess energy back to the grid. According to Which?’s calculations, it could cover the majority of the running costs for an electric car.

Business charge point installation

If you’re looking to electrify your fleet, or offer workplace charging, you will most definitely need to consider the costs of charging units. The cost of EV chargers will vary depending on the charge speed you want, ranging from hundreds to thousands. But government discounts are available to businesses, enabling you to get a £350 discount on each socket, for up to a total of 40 sockets.

To qualify for the grant, businesses need to use a supplier (such as Mer) approved by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) – formerly OLEZ.

Installing EV chargers at your business location can bring a lot of advantages with it, enabling you to quickly see the return on your investment. Read more about the benefits of EV charging stations for businesses in our recent blog.

EV charger speeds – the 3 types you need to know about

There are 3 main types of chargers used to power EVs in the UK, and they are most commonly referred to as ‘Slow’ ‘Fast’ and ‘Rapid/Ultra Rapid’. The clue is in the name as to what to expect – each one offers a different power output and therefore a different EV charging speed…

• Slow chargers charge up to 3.6 kW, can take between 6-12 hrs for a full charge and are most commonly used at home.
• Fast chargers charge between 7-22 kW in 3-5 hrs and are the most common type of charger found at public charging points, although some home chargers output 7kW.
• Rapid chargers charge at 43-300 kW, allowing you to reach 80% charge in 20-40 minutes, and are usually found at motorway service stations and other on-route locations, as well as retail parks and restaurants.

As mentioned earlier, each charger type has its specific connector requirements. It’s important to understand where your model of EV can be charged. For example, some EVs and plug-in hybrids cannot use rapid chargers.

Slow EV chargers:

These units are the cheapest and least hassle to install, but they also take the longest to charge and provide the lowest range per hour. As a result, they are typically the choice for homeowners charging their vehicles at home.

What you need to know: