How long does it take to charge an EV?

So, you wanna know how long it takes to charge an EV? Well, it depends on a few things:

• How low your battery is when you plug it in
• How fast your EV pulls/the size of your battery
• Where you’re charging

And that’s not all, you can find out more in 5 reasons your EV isn’t charging as fast as you expected.

A good equation for working out your charging time is:

But don’t fret. Though this might sound a little confusing, it’s pretty simple once you’ve got the hang of it. So, let’s get started in explaining how fast your EV’ll charge, depending on where you’re charging it.

• How long does it take to charge an electric car with a 3-pin plug?
• How long does it take to charge an electric at home?
• How long does it take to charge an electric car in public?

If you’re charging via a 3-pin plug, your EV usually pulls at 1-2 kW/h and can add between five and 11 miles an hour.

Some EVs will come with what can be known as a ‘Granny cable’ - a term we don’t tend to use. This charging cable has a 3-pin plug that you plug into your household mains plugs, just as you would a kettle.

3-pin plugs aren’t always recommended, but if you’re charging directly from a 3-pin plug in a dry and safe space, and the cable or plug doesn’t feel hot to touch when charging, it’s most likely safe to charge your EV for an extended length of time.

So, to charge from 20-80% it could take between 15 and 20 hours.

Depending on your EVs battery size, it can take a while to charge your battery at home. If you have the most common type of home charger, they usually provide around 7 kW This chargers a little quicker and you get 20-40 miles for every hour the car is on charge.

However, this can be done easily overnight, which makes it a lot more affordable, especially if you have a specific EV tariff. Remember that your car chargers while you aren’t using it.

So, to charge from 20-80% it could take between eight and 12 hours.

Charging your EV in public can take anywhere from 15/20 minutes to over a few hours - it all depends on the type of charger you’re using.

There are two different types of public chargers:

• Slow/AC chargers (7kw/h - 22 kw/h) - these are the ‘long-stay’ public charging points, that’ll take a few hours to charge your EV. You’ll often find these in Supermarkets (great for topping up), in Lampposts, or in long-stay car parks.
• Fast/DC or rapid chargers (50kw/h-350kw/h) - you’ll often find these at pubs, retail parks, or service stations. Some of these can add as much as 100 miles in just eight minutes.

So, to charge from 20-80% on public charging it could take anywhere from 20 minutes to eight hours. So, make sure to check the speed of your charger.

And there you have it - there’s our quick guide to how long it takes to charge an EV.

To find your nearest charger, slow or fast, check the Electroverse map. And if you want to know how much it costs to charge at all these different chargers, take a look at our guide on how much it costs to charge an EV.