Where's the best spot to install an EV charger?

Working with an electrician makes it easy to install an EV charger at home—but that doesn’t mean there’s a one-size-fits-all approach. Everyone’s situation is different, depending on the specific EV you own, your electrical setup, and where you park your car.

If you have a private garage, this is the most obvious place to install your EV charger—but you still need to think carefully about its precise location.

First, think about where the charging port is on your EV. Manufacturers still don’t follow a uniform location for this—some put it on the front and others in the back on either the driver or passenger side. Before you install your EV charger, think about where you like to park your car and in what direction so all the parts line up.

Next, consider your garage’s layout. If you have a two-car garage, you might want to install the charger in a central location so you can charge your EV no matter where you park it. This is particularly a good idea if you plan to charge two EVs at home in the future. But it’s also important that your charger doesn’t obstruct walking paths or eat up storage space. 

Lastly, remember that the further you install your charger from your electrical panel, the higher your installation costs will be.

Many people think that if they don’t have a garage, they can’t charge an EV at home. But EV chargers are designed to be weatherproof, so you can safely charge your EV outside in your driveway year-round. 

If your driveway is close to your home, you can install a charger on the side of your house. If you park your car further away from your home, you can mount your charger on a free-standing post. In this case, it’s a good idea to look for EV charging stations that you can manage remotely with an app.

Without a private garage or driveway, charging your EV at home can start to get tricky—but it’s still possible. 

Admittedly, charging your EV when you rely solely on street parking is a challenge. In most cases, it’s easier to rely on public chargers near you at grocery stores, libraries, and the like. Some towns even offer street parking spots with charging stations. Especially if your EV can support DC Fast Chargers (DCFCs), then public charging may be your best option. 

But when it comes to charging your EV at home via public on-street parking, things get complicated. Some cities, like Portland, allow you to run a Level 1 cable from your house across public sidewalks to reach your EV—but this isn’t allowed in most places.

When in doubt, check with your local government to see what your options are for on-street EV charging.

If you have a deeded parking space in a shared parking lot, you’re likely in the clear to install your own Level 2 charger. But as always, it's a good idea to check with your property manager first—and make sure there’s a clear, hazard-free path to run the wire from your electrical panel to your parking spot. 

If you have an assigned parking spot but you don’t own the land, it may still be possible to install an EV charger, but you’ll have to get permission first from the property owner.

If you park in a shared lot without an assigned space, then you’re probably not allowed to install a private charger. 

Still, it’s worth talking to your property manager. You might be able to negotiate with them to install an EV charger that everyone in the community can share—especially if you and any other EV owners band together.

Basically, figuring out if you can install an EV charger at home depends on whether or not you own the land. 

If the land is yours, you’re usually good to go to install a charger in your garage, driveway, or deeded parking lot—though you’ll still need to file for a permit from your local government

If you don’t own the land where you park your car, look for public charging stations, talk with the property owner about installing an EV charger, or see if you can run a Level 1 charger from your home to your public parking spot.