Which home EV charger is best for you?

Answer a few quick questions about your solar, your driving and your car. We’ll show you the best charger for your home, roughly what it costs to buy and install and how long it takes to charge.

EV charger calculator

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Your solar
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The panel size on your solar quote or invoice. Set to 0 if you don't have solar.
Your driving
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The advertised range for your car, or what the dash shows at 100%.
Your home
Power supply to your home
Not sure? Most homes are single-phase. Three-phase homes usually have a wider main switch with three linked levers.
Change power prices (optional)
c/kWh
c/kWh
c/kWh
c/kWh
kW
Fridge, pool pump, air con and so on while the sun is up.

Your EV charger results

Answer the questions on the left and your results — including the best charger for you — will appear here.

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The best home EV charger is the one that matches your solar system, how far you drive and when the car is parked at home. For drivers covering more than about 50 km a day, or running two EVs, that is usually a 7 kW single-phase charger with a solar charging mode. Lighter drivers who are often home in daylight can run mostly on solar with the cable that came with the car.

How much does it cost to charge an EV at home?

Most electric cars use 14 to 20 kWh to drive 100 km. Allowing about 10% for charging losses, a typical 40 km day needs around 7 to 8 kWh from your wall. What you pay depends on where that power comes from.

Where the power comes fromTypical priceCost per 100 km
Your own solarabout 5c/kWhabout $0.95
Off-peak or EV tariff15 to 25c/kWh$2.80 to $4.70
Standard grid price30 to 35c/kWh$5.60 to $6.50
Public fast charger60 to 80c/kWh$10.20 to $13.60

Based on a mid-size EV using 17 kWh per 100 km. The cost of solar charging is the feed-in credit you give up by using the power instead of exporting it, which is why charging from your own panels is the cheapest way to run an electric car by a wide margin.

Home EV charger options compared

There are four ways to charge at home. They differ in speed, price and how well they follow your solar output.

OptionPowerRange per hour20% to 80% (75 kWh battery)Price to buy and installFollows your solar
Wall socket with portable cable1.8 to 2.3 kW10 to 12 km21 to 27 hours$0 to $500With a timer
15 amp socket with portable cable3.4 kWabout 18 kmabout 15 hours$650 to $1,200With a timer
7 kW single-phase charger7 kWabout 37 kmabout 7 hours$1,400 to $2,300Yes, from about 1.4 kW
11 kW three-phase charger11 kWabout 59 kmabout 4.5 hours$1,900 to $2,800Yes, from about 4.1 kW

Wall socket with a portable cable

Many EVs come with a portable charging cable that plugs into a standard 10 amp power point. Depending on the cable it draws 8 to 10 amps (1.8 to 2.3 kW) and adds 10 to 12 km of range an hour, which covers a 40 km day in about four hours. Paired with a 9am to 3pm timer, it runs almost entirely on solar for drivers who are home during the day. If your car didn’t come with one, a quality portable cable costs around $300 to $500.

15 amp socket

A 15 amp portable charger lifts charging to about 3.4 kW. The 15 amp plug has a wider earth pin, so it needs a 15 amp outlet on its own circuit. Allow around $350 to $600 for the charger and $300 to $600 for an electrician to fit the outlet.

7 kW single-phase charger

A 7 kW wall charger is the most popular home EV charger in Australia for good reason. It refills a full day of driving overnight, adds around 37 km of range an hour and, with a solar mode, adjusts its charging speed up and down to match your spare solar.

11 kW three-phase charger

An 11 kW charger needs three-phase power at the switchboard and a car that accepts 11 kW AC charging. It is the fastest home option, adding close to 60 km of range an hour.

Why a 7 kW EV charger suits most homes with solar

A 6.6 kW solar system produces about 4 to 5 kW in the middle of a sunny day. After the house takes its share, that typically leaves 3 to 4 kW spare for the car.

A solar-aware charger uses a small current sensor (a CT clamp) at your switchboard to measure how much power you are exporting, then sends that power to the car instead. A single-phase charger can slow down to about 1.4 kW, so it keeps charging through light cloud and in the morning and afternoon when output is lower. On days the car is away or the sky is grey, the same charger refills a day’s driving in a couple of hours on an off-peak rate overnight.

Example: a 6.6 kW system in Brisbane, a mid-size EV, 40 km a day and the car home half the week. A portable cable on a 9am to 3pm timer runs about 90% of that driving on solar for roughly $200 a year. A 7 kW solar-aware charger lifts that to almost all of it for about $140 a year. The same driving on standard grid power costs around $875 a year. At 80 km a day the 7 kW charger pulls well ahead, because a wall socket can no longer refill a missed day overnight.

When is a three-phase 11 kW charger worth it?

A three-phase charger has a higher minimum charging speed, about 4.1 kW, because it draws at least 6 amps on each of the three phases. Most home solar systems have less spare power than that for much of the day, so in solar mode an 11 kW charger tends to pause or draw some power from the grid. An 11 kW charger makes sense when:

  • your home already has three-phase power, so there is no supply upgrade to pay for
  • you have a large solar system, around 10 kW or more
  • you run two EVs or drive long distances most days
  • your car accepts 11 kW AC charging. Many EVs have a 7 kW onboard charger and charge at about 7 kW on any home charger

How to charge your electric car at home with solar

  • Plug in when the sun is up. The hours between about 9am and 3pm produce most of your solar output.
  • Set a daily limit of around 80%. It leaves room to soak up solar the next day and is gentle on the battery.
  • Use solar mode with a CT clamp. The charger then uses only what you would otherwise export.
  • Top up overnight on off-peak. An EV or time-of-use plan keeps cloudy weeks cheap.
  • Add panels before a home battery. Charging the car straight from the panels avoids the losses of storing power in a battery first, so more panels usually gets you further per dollar.

Are portable EV chargers any good?

Yes, for many drivers. If you drive under about 40 km a day and the car is home in daylight a few days a week, a portable charger on a timer captures most of your spare solar for little or no installation cost. Plug it straight into the wall socket and follow the car and cable maker’s instructions, which typically rule out extension leads. Move up to a wall charger when you drive further, have two EVs or want the car refilled overnight after a long day.

How much does EV charger installation cost?

Supply and installation of a 7 kW home EV charger typically costs $1,400 to $2,300 in South East Queensland for a standard job. The main things that move the price are:

  • the distance from your switchboard to where you park
  • whether the switchboard has room for a new circuit or needs an upgrade
  • adding the CT clamp for solar charging
  • three-phase work, which costs more again

In Australia, a home EV charger must be installed by a licensed electrician. Your installer sets up a dedicated circuit with the protection and isolation your local rules require, and in Queensland issues an electrical safety certificate when the job is done.

Frequently asked questions

Are home EV chargers AC or DC? + -

Home chargers supply AC power. The charger built into your car converts it to DC for the battery. DC fast chargers are the large public units at service stations and shopping centres.

Are all EV chargers the same plug? + -

Most new EVs sold in Australia use a Type 2 plug for AC charging and a CCS2 plug for DC fast charging. Any Type 2 home charger works with these cars. Some older imports use different plugs.

How much will it cost to charge an electric car each year? + -

At 15,000 km a year in a mid-size EV, you need about 2,800 kWh from the wall. That is roughly $140 a year if it all came from solar, about $900 on standard grid power and around $1,650 at public fast chargers. Most homes with solar land in between.

Do I need a wall charger if I have solar? + -

Not always. Drivers covering under about 40 km a day who are often home in daylight can run mostly on solar with a portable cable and a timer. Use the calculator above to check your own setup.

How much does it cost to install an EV charger at home in Australia? + -

For a standard job in South East Queensland, typically $1,400 to $2,300 for a 7 kW single-phase charger supplied and installed, and $1,900 to $2,800 for an 11 kW three-phase charger on a home that already has three-phase power. Switchboard upgrades and long cable runs add to this.

Can I install my own EV charger in Australia? + -

No. A wall-mounted EV charger connects to your switchboard and must be installed by a licensed electrician.

Are home EV chargers tax deductible? + -

If the car is used for business, the charger and charging costs may be deductible in part. Ask your accountant how it applies to you.

Figures are estimates for comparison and use typical Queensland prices. Your electricity plan, solar output and installation quote will vary.