How many amps should an EV charger have?

Most people do most of their EV charging at home, mostly on Level 2 chargers, which are fast enough to completely refill most EVs overnight, if not faster. But some Level 2 chargers are faster than others, and it’s a function of how many amps (or kilowatts) they’re designed for.

The best-selling Level 2 EV chargers tend to charge at 40 amps, if they’re plugged into an outlet, or 48 amps if they’re hardwired. Those are good choices for most people. 

Depending on your car, your home’s electrical system, your budget, and your charging needs, a slower Level 2 charger could be just fine—or you might need something even faster. Here’s how to pick.

The average vehicle travels about 40 miles per day, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. A 40-amp or 48-amp charger can replenish that range in less than 2 hours, usually.

Even if you roll home at the end of the day with a mostly empty battery, you’ll still be able to recharge almost any EV overnight with a 40- or 48-amp charger. Most manufacturers recommend filling the battery to just 80% for most day-to-day driving, so you’ll get to that setting even quicker.

So if you can get into the habit of plugging in your EV every night, you'll almost never need to worry about whether your EV has enough juice for the daily drive.

Level 2 charge times, 5% to 80% capacity, for best-selling EVs

You can install a slower EV charger if you’d like to. But if you’re hiring an electrician to install a new circuit anyway, you should still have them run the wiring for a faster 40 or 48 amp system anyway. The work is just as easy for the contractor, and then it’ll be future-proofed if you ever decide to upgrade.

In fact, if your electrician isn’t installing wiring and breaker for a 40-amp or 48-amp circuit, they should have a good explanation for why.

Even if you don’t think you’ll need as much speed as a 40- or 48-amp Level charger can offer, or your current EV doesn’t support those speeds, it’s still wise to install a circuit that could support a faster EV charger in the future. This means getting the proper wiring gauge installed, as well as an appropriately large circuit breaker.

While 40-amp and 48-amp EV chargers are the norm these days, plenty of slower Level 2 (240-volt, two-pole) models are available, typically at 32 amps, 24 amps, or 16 amps. There are a handful of good reasons why you might pick one:

Savings: If you’re trying to spend as little as possible on a Level 2 charger, then a 24- or even 16-amp charger might save you about $100-200 compared to a basic 40- or 48-amp charger. Those slow models also tend to be less convenient and potentially less durable, but they do cost less.

Safety: You might actually need to buy a slower charger as a matter of electrical safety, especially if you plan to use an existing outlet for a Level 2 charger. Most electric dryer outlets, for example, can only support a 24-amp EV charger because the wire that connects the outlet to the breaker box is too thin for a faster charger. It’ll overheat if you try to run 32 or 40 amps through it. If you’re in doubt about how much power an old circuit can handle, ask an electrician. Most EV chargers give you the option to turn the speed down from 40 or 32 amps to a lower setting, but it’s probably safer to buy a slower model.

Strained supply: It’s possible that your home doesn’t have enough power to run a typical EV charger at the same time as other major electrical appliances. There are plenty of workarounds for this problem, but the least-expensive option is to just live with a slower charger that doesn’t demand too much of your home’s electric service.

Old EV: This one is a bit of a stretch. But some old EVs and plug-in hybrids will only accept a Level 2 charge at 16 amps. Even some modern entry-level Tesla models top out at 32 amps. So if your car can’t take a speedy recharge, you could save yourself a little cash and buy a slower, less-expensive charger. That said, your next EV will probably charge faster and you might wish that your charger would keep up. It’s also perfectly safe to plug a faster charger into a slower EV—the car regulates the charging speed.

Most hardwired Level 2 chargers top out at 48 amps. That’s fast enough to completely refill most EVs in about 6 hours, and even the beefiest battery packs in less than 12. 

At-home chargers that charge your car even faster are becoming more common. Several big brands now sell Level 2 chargers that can safely pump out 80 amps.

If 48 amps is good, maybe 80 amps is better? It’s not always that simple. Here’s what you should ask yourself before you rush into installing one:

Can your home’s electrical system handle it without other major upgrades? In some old, un-upgraded homes, an 80-amp EV charger would suck up all of the power available to the entire house. Even in a home with the modern standard of 200 amps of electrical service, an 80 amp EV charger still might put a strain on things if you need to run multiple heat pumps / ACs and other major electric appliances all at once. 

Can your EV even charge that fast? While modern EVs can recharge most of the way in 30 minutes or less when they’re connected to a Level 3 commercial fast charger, their at-home charging speeds still generally top out at 48 amps. So if you’ve just taken home a Tesla Model Y, Hyundai Ioniq 5, or almost any other sedans or crossover, it will not accept an 80 amp charge anyway. The exceptions are big trucks and SUVs like the Ford F-150 Lighting or Rivian R1S, as well as certain luxury-tier sedans like the Lucid Air.

How often will you need to charge that fast at home? Most people park their cars at home for long enough every night that a “regular” Level 2 charger at 40 or 48 amps is more than fast enough to fully replenish the battery. On road trips and other rare occasions when that's not quick enough, Level 3 fast charging is widely available and expanding quickly. Some people might benefit from faster at-home charging; if you need to fully recharge two large EVs most nights, then an 80 amp circuit might make sense. But this is the exception to the norm. Many people who opted to install an 80 amp charger admit that they essentially never need that much speed.

At EnergySage, we're your trusted partner on the journey to electrify your home. Imagine a future where your home (and car) is powered by clean, renewable energy, where your car charges effortlessly in your driveway, and where your heating and cooling systems are not only efficient but also environmentally friendly. With EnergySage, this future is within reach. 

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