Do all EV chargers fit all cars?

Electric vehicle drivers in the UK can easily power up at charging points across the country. But it’s worth keeping in mind that not all EV chargers fit all electric cars.

Home EV charging couldn’t be simpler: just use the cable supplied with your electric car. The same goes for on-street or workplace charging points. Plus, many electric cars are compatible with the rapid EV chargers at forecourts and motorway service stations.

There are now more than 1 million zero-emission battery electric cars on the road – and numbers are growing.

And the UK’s EV public charging network is growing just as fast. ChargeUK analysis shows there are now more than 930,000 public, home and workplace chargers, there’s now almost one for every electric car in the country. So there are many different charging options for EV drivers.

This quick guide will help you to understand which electric vehicle chargers fit your electric car. First, we’ll explain the two main types of EV charger (AC and DC). Then we’ll look at the different types of ports, plugs and cables that you’ll need to know about.

Types of electric car chargers

There are two main types of electric vehicle chargers: AC (alternating current) and DC (direct current). Most electric cars can use both.

Not all electric vehicle chargers are the same. In fact, most EV drivers use a mix of charging types as it all depends on how quickly you would like to charge and whether you are charging at home or elsewhere.

AC chargers

AC chargers are the most common type in the UK, found in homes, on-street and at car parks. They send AC power from the national grid to an electric vehicle’s onboard charger, where it’s converted into DC power.

This charging rate is limited by the capability of the onboard charger. That’s why AC chargers are often called ‘slow chargers’ – though there are two categories:

• Slow AC chargers (deliver up to 7kW of power) – single phase
• Fast AC chargers (deliver 8kW to 49kW of power) – three phase

DC chargers

DC chargers achieve fast speeds by delivering a DC charge directly to the electric vehicle’s s battery. Again, they’re separated into two categories:

• Rapid chargers (deliver 50kW to 149kW of power)
• Ultra-rapid chargers (deliver 150kW plus)

Read our Electric Vehicle Charging Speeds article for more information.

Level 1, 2 and 3 power

AC and DC chargers are sometimes described in terms of the level of power they can deliver:

Level 1: basic charging (AC)

This form of charging delivers up to 3kW and describes slow charging from a domestic 3-pin plug.

Level 2: slow to fast charging (AC)

Level 2 delivers 7kw to 22kW of power, and describes slow and fast charging from a home, on-street or workplace charger.

Level 3: rapid charging (DC)

Describes all of the most powerful charging delivered 50kW upwards.

Are EV chargers universal?

Electric vehicle chargers are not universal, due to the different types of ports, plugs and cables used in different electric cars and different regions around the world.

EV ports

A charging port is the socket in an electric car that you plug the charging cable into. Charging ports vary in type, depending on which part of the world you’re in.

In the UK, however, they’re fairly standardised. Most electric cars here are designed to accept a type 2 plug for AC charging; and a CCS plug for DC charging (see diagram below).  

*UK and EU flags denote which connector is standard in this region

EV plug types

Charging cables have an EV connector at one end that plugs into the electric car’s charging port. There are two types of plugs for AC charging, and two main types of plug for DC charging.

*UK and EU flags denote which EV plug is standard in this region.

AC charger plugs

The two types of plug you can use with an AC charger are:

• Type 1 – typically used in the US and Asia
• Type 2 – typically used in the UK and Europe

Most electric cars in the UK come with a cable that has a type 2 connector. This is the plug you use to charge your car at an ‘untethered’ home, on-street or workplace AC charger (i.e. one without its own cable).

You can also get a type 2-to-3-pin plug cable that lets you charge your electric car from a domestic power socket.

DC charger plugs

Most DC chargers in the UK have two cables attached to the unit: one with a CCS plug, and one with a CHAdeMO plug.

CCS stands for ‘combined charging standard’. A CCS plug combines a 7-pin, type 2 AC connector with two larger pins for DC charging. If your electric car has a charging port that accepts a CCS plug, you can charge it with any AC or DC charger in the UK and Europe.

The CHAdeMO plug was developed by the Japanese CHAdeMO Association. It has 10 pins: two for DC power, seven signal pins and one reserve. It’s more commonly found in Asia.

Tesla Supercharger plugs

There’s a third type of connector for DC charging, found on Tesla Superchargers in motorway service stations. The V1 and V2 versions of the Tesla Supercharger can only be used by Tesla drivers. But the later V3 and V4 can be used by any electric vehicle with a CCS port.

An overview of EV charging levels and types

The difference between level and type is the power and the connector. Level refers to the power, with level 1 being a domestic AC power output, level 2 being 7-22kW AC power output, and level 3 is DC power output. The ‘type’ refers to the connector. Type 1 being a standard connector in North America and Asia, while type 2 is a standard in UK and Europe.

The diagram below shows the difference between CCS, CHAdeMO and Tesla. It shows the difference between type 1 and type 2 EV chargers and the levels associated with the speed of the charge.

* UK and EU flags denotes the industry standard in this region.

EV charging cables

You’ll need your own cable to use an untethered home, on-street or workplace charger. This is because an untethered EV charger doesn’t have a cable permanently attached to the unit.

The rapid and ultra-rapid DC chargers at service stations are all tethered; you have to use the cable that’s attached to the unit.

There are some tethered home and public on-street chargers, but they’re not that common in the UK.

Untethered cables for AC charging

AC ‘Type 2 to 3-pin plug’ cable – 3Kw

This cable has a type 2 connector at one end to plug into your electric car’s charging port. And it has a 3-pin plug at the other end, which simply plugs into a domestic power socket.

The cable looks very similar to those on domestic appliances and is usually 5 to 8 meters long. You can buy a 30-meter cable, which helps when you can’t park right next to your house.

AC charger cable – 7Kw - 22Kw

This is the cable usually supplied with the electric car. It’s thicker and heavier than the 3-pin plug cable, as it delivers more power. It’s usually 5 to 10 meters long, but again, you can buy longer ones.

You’ll use this cable when charging your electric car at an untethered home AC charger, or at an on-street or workplace charger.

If you have a tethered home charger, you’ll use the cable permanently attached to the unit; you won’t need a separate cable.  

Tethered cables for DC charging

The cables on a DC charger are always tethered to the unit. They’re thick and heavy, as they deliver extremely high levels of power at rapid speed. Some DC chargers have special features to help users lift and guide the cable into place.

How to find your nearest public charging point

Now you know your chargers, ports, plugs and cables, you’re ready to charge up and get on the road.

You can find your nearest public, electric car charging stations with the Zapmap app. This lets you check what type of charging points and connectors are available at each station. It can help you plan when and where to charge your EV on longer journeys, to give you that extra peace of mind. Other providers like Octopus Electroverse, Bonnet and Plugsurfing provide similar information.

Charge-point operators (CPOs) – that’s the companies that install and maintain public EV chargers – often have apps with useful information about their own charger networks too.