Best Home EV Chargers for 2025, Tested
This article was updated in January 2025 with new products and information. We plan to update this article regularly as we test additional units.
Okay, so you bought your first electric vehicle. Now what? There are a number of ways in which EV ownership will be different from having a vehicle with an internal-combustion engine, but a big one you need to figure out immediately is charging.
Trust us, you’ll want to be charging at home as much as possible. This has two significant benefits: Charging can be accomplished when the vehicle is otherwise parked, and home charging is substantially cheaper (roughly one-third the cost) of DC fast-charging. On average, EV charging equipment will have an up-front cost of between $400 and $700.
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Key Takeaways:
- The ChargePoint Home Flex EV Charger is our pick for Best Overall thanks to the excellent ChargePoint app, featuring a friendly user interface and nuanced cost tracking—down to the penny.
- The Emporia is our pick for Best Budget Charger because of its affordable price without sacrificing anything in the way of features. It’s also the least expensive way to get load management, which could save you a costly upgrade to your electrical panel.
- Tesla’s Universal Wall Connector is another great option, in part because it comes with a built-in adapter to switch between J1772 and NACS/J3400 plug types.
- If you’re looking to charge two EVs without adding a second circuit, the Grizzl-E Duo is the least expensive option.
When I began this test, I installed a dedicated 240-volt outlet in my garage—just as a new EV owner would need to. I then tested these chargers with Car and Driver‘s long-term Tesla Model 3, Rivian R1T, BMW i4, and Hyundai Ioniq 5—among various other test vehicles—taking notes on each charger’s performance in typical daily use.
This test took months of assessing thanks to the multitude of hours we charged to gather data. Because the EV-charging market is exploding, we plan on updating this article with new products and testing data twice a year.
EV Charging at Home
If you’re an electric-vehicle owner who wants to start charging at home, here’s what you need to know.
EV Charging Levels:
- Level 1: Uses 120-volt AC electricity to charge (i.e., a standard household outlet) with an output of roughly 1 kilowatt. Takes days to charge.
- Level 2: Uses 240-volt AC electricity to charge, with outputs generally between 6 and 19 kilowatts. Can charge an EV with a modest-size battery overnight.
- Level 3/DC Fast-Charger: Uses 400- or 800-volt DC electricity to charge, with output ranging from 50 to 350 kilowatts. Can charge an EV’s battery from 10 to 90 percent in as little as a half-hour. Many public chargers are this type, but they’re illogical for home use due to their high cost.
Output:
This is how much charging power is being sent to your EV, which is measured in kilowatts. (The voltage of the electrical circuit times the amps of current flowing equals the power in watts; 1000 watts equals a kilowatt. For example, a 240-volt outlet drawing 32 amps of current is outputting 7.7 kilowatts of power.)
Connector Types:
A connector is what you need to connect your charging equipment to your EV. For at-home chargers like the products on this list, there are two main types to keep an eye out for: J1772 and Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS or J3400). Thankfully, adapters to switch between connector types are widely available, so limiting your purchase to whatever connection your vehicle features isn’t necessary.
Cost to Install:
Cost really depends on if you have enough spare electrical capacity. If so, you might be able to run a new line for a few hundred dollars. If not, adding capacity to your home’s electrical system can cost a few thousand. More on that below.
Tax Breaks for EV Charging:
The sweeping Inflation Reduction Act reinstated a federal tax credit of 30 percent of your total costs (capped at $1000). Electrical upgrades, wiring, and the charger itself all qualify for this credit—which is set to be in place through 2032.
Things to Consider
Household Circuit Output
Your home’s electrical circuit is rated for a certain amount of maximum amperage. Since EV charging can demand anywhere from 24 to 80 amps, it’s important to see what additional capacity your home has above your current electrical needs, including furnace, air conditioning, oven, clothes dryer, etc. Check the main fuse in your breaker box to see the amperage rating—that’s the maximum your home can handle before blowing that main breaker. If you have 150- or 200-amp service or higher, you may have enough wiggle room to add charging without an upgrade. But you’ll need to measure your house’s peak electrical use and consult an electrician. We recommend using a modest 40- or 50-amp circuit due to its ability to charge most EVs overnight while keeping costs down. You will need a certified electrician to verify your home’s circuit capacity and install any equipment or upgrades necessary. Some EV-charging equipment, such as this Emporia unit, provides load management, which means it constantly monitors your house’s overall output and will automatically lower the draw of the charger if necessary not to exceed your house’s capacity.
Charge Rate
The charge rate is expressed in kilowatts of power—volts times amps equals watts, 1000 watts equals a kilowatt—which can be used to estimate charge time. If you’re charging at 6 kilowatts and your EV has a 60.0-kWh battery, the charge time from empty to full will be roughly 10 hours. (It will actually be slightly longer due to losses during charging and the slowing of the charge rate as the battery nears 100 percent.) The charge rate is affected by three factors and will be limited to the lowest of these: the output of the household circuit, the charging equipment, and the vehicle’s onboard charger.
Wi-Fi Connectivity
If you wish to keep track of your EV’s electrical use and cost, you’ll want a home-charging unit with Wi-Fi connectivity. This allows you to monitor charging, receive alerts, and control the unit via an app.
Variants
Most of these EV chargers offer different variants to suit your needs. These variants (hard-wired or plug, different output capabilities, different connector types, and varying cord lengths) are typically offered at slightly different prices. Make sure you look at all the various options from any manufacturer.
Outdoor Rating
If you’d like your EV charger to be mounted outside, it’s perfectly doable. Each charging unit we tested has an outdoor-grade rating according to the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) or Ingress Protection (IP) standards. There’s additional information on deciphering these ratings in our FAQs section below.
The Best Home EV Chargers
Best Overall
ChargePoint Home Flex Electric Vehicle Charger
| Output Capability | 16/24/32/40/48/50 amps (3.8/5.8/7.7/9.6/11.5/12.0 kW) |
|---|---|
| Cord Length | 23 ft |
| Cord Management | Built-in |
| Outdoor Rating | Yes (NEMA 3R) |
ChargePoint is one of the largest providers of public charging, with thousands of units nationwide. Its Home Flex unit tested here integrates into the same app used to connect to the company’s public units. You can add your vehicle in the app, which tailors the percentage of the battery replenished and number of EPA miles added to your specific vehicle.
We found the app to be very user-friendly, with the best displays for charge-rate graphs, and it also shows the total charge time and total energy output during each charge. Furthermore, it offers the ability to schedule charging times to take advantage of variable-cost electricity during off-peak hours (most EVs also allow this to be configured in their settings menu).
The ChargePoint app has the most nuanced cost tracking, allowing us to select from among dozens of possible rate plans from our local utility to pinpoint the actual cost of charging down to the penny, even when on a variable rate.
We also appreciate the simplicity of the built-in notch for wrapping the cord around at the top of the unit and that the plug latches onto its dock in the center; many other units require mounting a second cord-management device.
Best EV Charger on a Budget
Emporia EV Charger
| Output Capability | 6–48 amps (1.4–11.5 kW) |
|---|---|
| Cord Length | 24 ft |
| Cord Management | Included wall mount |
| Outdoor Rating | Yes (NEMA 4) |
Emporia offers a vast library of electricity-monitoring devices, from typical smart outlets to a system that tracks every circuit in your home’s fuse panel. This entire electricity-tracking universe is integrated into Emporia’s app, including the ability to link your EV to the app through the Smartcar API. But if you’re just using the EV-charging equipment, navigating around all of these unused areas makes the app seem overly complex.
Otherwise, this is an impressive Wi-Fi–connected entry at a price hundreds of dollars less than the ChargePoint. The 11.5-kW-output capability is at the high end of this roundup. And short of a couple of features, such as using a specific vehicle to estimate the miles or battery percentage gained, the Emporia has just about everything, including detailed electricity pricing using your actual utility plan like the ChargePoint.
Here the charging rate is adapting to my home’s electric dryer switching on and off to keep the total usage below my set threshold.
The Emporia is now available with either a J1772 plug or a NACS/J3400 connector, and this time around, we tested Emporia’s load-management functionality, which is a $200 extra that pairs with the EV-charging unit. (There’s no difference in the charging hardware itself, so you can add the load-management functionality after purchase. In fact, buying the Vue home-energy monitor separately costs less, so we’d recommend doing that instead.) You install the induction sensors and Wi-Fi–connected unit in your home’s electrical panel—you can also pair more sensors to monitor electrical usage for individual circuits—and the system will adjust the output of the EV charger to keep your house’s total electrical draw below the maximum threshold that you specify. This meets electrical code and can potentially avoid an expensive upgrade to your household panel. Although, in our experience, it takes a little time for the output adjustment to take place, so we wouldn’t suggest running right up to the ragged edge where you might risk blowing the main breaker.
The Universal Wall Connector is Tesla’s latest home-charging offering, which has a built-in adapter to switch seamlessly between J1772 and NACS plug types. The unit itself is significantly thicker than the standard Wall Connector with the Tesla plug, but there’s a reason for that: the adapter. At first, it appears to be a simple contraption that slides onto the end of a typical Tesla connector, but it’s actually electronically locked into place so the adapter can’t go missing. Nifty.
Power output remains the same from the standard Wall Connector, which peaks at 11.5 kilowatts, is available only in a hardwire configuration, and has the ability to power share with other Wall Connectors.
In other big news, the unit integrates into the Tesla mobile app to allow monitoring of energy use, which is mandatory if you want to track efficiency like we do with all of our test cars. Once the charging unit is installed, it must be commissioned via a separate Tesla One app, but thankfully, any DIYer can create an account to set up the maximum output for the circuit the unit is connected to, and users can also specify certain Teslas to allow to charge at the unit while blocking others. Unfortunately, that functionality doesn’t carry over to non-Tesla vehicles.
The slimness of the Wall Connector’s 24-foot-long cable continues to impress us as it matches the output capacity of units with thicker cables. This makes the cord easier to maneuver and leaves a smaller gap when the garage door is closed on it when charging a vehicle in the driveway.
Pricewise, the Universal is more expensive at $550 versus $400 for the standard Wall Connector, which is more than what you’d pay for a standalone adapter. But for a mixed-EV household or to future-proof your home-charging setup, this is a great solution.
Going from a single EV in the household to two or more requires a rethink on your charging setup. Grizzl-E offers this Duo unit as an easy solution. It plugs into a single outlet—there are variants for NEMA 6-50 or 14-50 plug types—and has two 24-foot cables with two J1772 connectors to charge two vehicles simultaneously. With one EV plugged in, that side gets all the available juice, up to the unit’s or the car’s maximum. If you then plug in a second EV, the output immediately splits to half for each cable.
This is totally fine. EVs are designed to be able to charge safely in rain, snow, or ice.
As with other single-plug Grizzl-E home chargers, the enclosure is made of beefy aluminum, and its thick cables resist winding around the included wall mounts more than most. However, this is the least expensive dual-plug charging unit we could find. Other two-vehicle options involve buying two separate charging units wired to two dedicated circuits—which would be far more expensive—or setting up some kind of power-sharing arrangement, where the two units share the output of a single circuit (both the Tesla and Emporia units support this). Another way to do this is to use the Lectron Socket Splitter (see review below).
What the Grizzl-E Duo doesn’t offer is a Wi-Fi–connected version to allow users to track their electrical use and cost in a detailed manner or schedule charging via an app. But for a seamless way to charge two EVs simultaneously, the Duo is a great option.
Other Home EV Chargers We Tested
Wallbox Pulsar Plus
| Output Capability: | 6–48 amps (1.4–11.5 kW) |
|---|---|
| Cord Length: | 25 ft |
| Cord Management: | Included wall mount |
| Outdoor Rating: | Yes (NEMA 4) |
The Wallbox unit itself is lighter and smaller than most—it’s roughly an eight-by-eight-inch square—so it doesn’t take up much wall real estate. Adjusting the output temporarily can be done via the app, but adjusting the hard upper limit requires unscrewing and opening the case and twisting a tiny dial on the circuit board, so make sure you grab your reading glasses first.
The app has a clean look, is easy to use, and has the usual features, such as the ability to schedule charge times based on variable electricity rates or any other preference. However, the pricing function lacks the ability to track a variable rate like the ChargePoint and Emporia will do. Like Emporia, Wallbox offers a load-sharing function, but it requires buying the company’s very pricey $449 power meter. The Emporia offers that advanced functionality for less than half the cost.
Overall, we found the Wallbox to work well, but it doesn’t offer any above-and-beyond features to justify a price that’s higher than that of our top-rated models.
Lectron NEMA Socket Splitter
| Output Capability: | Up to 40 amps (9.6 kW) |
|---|---|
| Outdoor Rating: | No (IP22) |
While technically not EV-charging equipment like the others, this Lectron Socket Splitter is another option for charging two EVs from a single circuit. Think of it sort of like a power strip for 240-volt outlets, where it plugs into your high-voltage outlet and then two individual EV chargers (or household appliances or other equipment) plug into it. The unit prioritizes the left outlet, but once that side stops charging, the unit will start charging the vehicle connected to the other side. It doesn’t ever split the power 50-50 like the Grizzl-E Duo unit does. It works well enough, as long as you make sure there’s sufficient time to charge both vehicles—because if the left side never stops charging, the unit will never switch over to the other side. Also, after only a handful of uses, our left outlet started wobbling in place after a trim piece broke inside the unit, although it was still fully functional.
How We Tested EV Chargers
When putting together this story, I went down the same path a new EV owner would, starting with installing a dedicated 240-volt outlet in my garage. We have charging at the Car and Driver office, but I needed a proper setup at home to support all of the EVs we review these days.
I was able to add a 40-amp circuit to the existing electric service in my house without a pricey upgrade to run additional capacity, so that’s why I landed on a 40-amp outlet versus a 50-amp setup.
To be able to switch easily among the units, we ordered the NEMA 14-50 plug-in variant of each charging device. (Note: Tesla doesn’t sell a version of its Wall Connector with a plug, so to keep our test comparable, I wired one in myself to connect to our NEMA 14-50 outlet.)
In the first round of testing, I used each unit to charge our long-term Tesla Model 3 numerous times over a period of months. I then compared the electricity output from the wall to what the Model 3 reported made it into its battery pack using the third-party (and very cool) TeslaFi software.
Since then, I’ve tested many other units along with the favorites from before using our long-term Rivian R1T, BMW i4, and Hyundai Ioniq 5, verifying the energy delivered to the vehicle with an inline electrical meter. Despite varying cord lengths and thicknesses, there was no measurable difference in performance or efficiency (which averaged roughly 5 to 8 percent charging losses).
We built this inline meter to verify how much energy is delivered to the vehicle.
FAQs
Previous Models Tested
JuiceBox 40
A few years back, the JuiceBox was one of our top picks. But in the fall of 2024, JuiceBox’s parent company, Enel X, announced it was exiting the U.S. market and would no longer support the app. Existing units will continue to be able to charge a vehicle, but the smart functionality will likely be lost over time. We wouldn’t recommend buying one of these units unless you find an exceptional deal.
Electrify America HomeStation
You might know Electrify America as one of the primary DC fast-charging networks in the U.S., but the company also launched a home-charging unit a couple of years ago. We evaluated the HomeStation in our last round of testing, and it wasn’t a positive experience. The unit worked exactly once before losing connectivity with the app, and it took entirely too long to get customer support to fix the issue, although they eventually offered to provide a replacement unit. The unit itself is also very large and bulky, and although styled by design firm Italdesign, we don’t find it nearly as sleek as some of the others, such as the Tesla Wall Connector.
Why Trust Us
I am an automotive engineer turned writer with more than 20 years of experience testing and reviewing cars. With the advent of the modern EV, I’ve thrown myself into learning everything I can about motors, batteries, and charging. This roundup of home EV-charging units isn’t simply a distinct test that happened over days or weeks after which I moved on to something else. It’s an ongoing way of life for me as I’m constantly driving and reviewing new EVs and continually evaluating the charging side of the equation while the vehicles are plugged in overnight, and I’m always looking for the best new units to evaluate.
Car and Driver has been testing cars since 1956, and we continue to measure the maximum acceleration, braking, and cornering performance of many hundreds of vehicles every year. In addition, we measure everything from cargo capacity to how much a vehicle’s pillars block outward visibility to real-world fuel economy at 75 mph. When you read one of our reviews, you’re getting the value of decades of hands-on automotive experience and knowledge.
More recently, we’ve added new tests to measure the burgeoning class of electric vehicles. Those include a range test at a steady 75-mph highway speed and a fast-charging test from 10 percent to 90 percent state of charge. You can read more about our extensive vehicle testing here. We know and love cars and live and breathe them all day, every day.
Hearst Autos combines the talent, resources, and expertise of three of the largest, most influential automotive publications in the world. The Gear Team has tested a wide variety of automotive products, parts, accessories, and gear such as garage heaters, dash cams, and electric scooters. We get our hands on each and every product we test. Most are purchased; some are supplied by manufacturers.
Hearst Autos doesn’t need to game algorithms for traffic or promote lousy products to earn a buck. Instead, we’re more concerned with our legacy, our reputation, and the trust that our readers have in Autoweek, Car and Driver, and Road & Track to deliver honest opinions and expert evaluations.
Visit our Tested & Trusted page to see the very best in automotive gear. Read more about our product testing and evaluation process here.
Dave VanderWerp has spent more than 20 years in the automotive industry, in varied roles from engineering to product consulting, and now leading Car and Driver‘s vehicle-testing efforts. Dave got his very lucky start at C/D by happening to submit an unsolicited resume at just the right time to land a part-time road warrior job when he was a student at the University of Michigan, where he immediately became enthralled with the world of automotive journalism.
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