How Long Does It Take to Charge an EV at Home?

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It's the first thing most new EV owners want to know: how long does it take to charge an EV at home? The short version is that it depends almost entirely on your charger. A proper 7kW home charger adds roughly 40 km of range per hour, so most EVs charge fully overnight — while a standard 10A wall socket adds only about 10 km per hour, which often isn't enough to keep up.

Here's the full picture, with a charge-time table you can match to your charger and battery.

👉 See our EV charger installation service →

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The Simple Answer: It's About km Per Hour

The easiest way to think about home charging isn't hours to full — it's range added per hour. A 7kW charger adds around 40 km of range every hour it's plugged in. Since the average Australian drives roughly 35–40 km a day, even a couple of hours replaces a typical day's driving, and an overnight charge refills almost any battery. A 10A wall socket, by contrast, adds only about 10 km per hour — fine as an occasional top-up, but slow going as your everyday solution.

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Approximate times from near-empty to full; real-world charging adds around 10% for losses. *22kW speeds are only reached if your car's onboard charger accepts 22kW AC — many cap at 7–11kW.

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What Determines Your Charge Time

Four things set how long a charge takes:

• Charger power (kW). The single biggest factor — a 7kW charger is roughly three to four times faster than a standard socket.
• Battery size (kWh). A bigger battery holds more energy, so it takes longer to fill (but also goes further).
• Your car's onboard charger. Every EV has an AC charging limit. Many cap at 7.4kW or 11kW, which is why a bigger wall charger doesn't always mean faster charging — more on that in our 7kW vs 22kW guide.
• Starting charge level. You rarely charge from 0% — topping up from, say, 40% to 100% takes far less time than a full charge.

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Why Overnight Charging Is The Norm

For almost everyone, the answer to 'how long does it take?' is simply 'however long you're asleep.' A 7kW charger refills a typical EV overnight with hours to spare, and charging on off-peak power makes those hours the cheapest of the day. That combination — a dedicated charger plus off-peak rates — is what makes home charging so much cheaper and easier than public charging. See the full breakdown in our EV charging cost and time guide.

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The Trickle-Socket Trap

It's tempting to just plug into a normal power point and skip installing a charger. For a low-mileage second car that can work — but for daily driving, ~10 km per hour struggles to keep up, and running high current through a general power point and everyday wiring for many hours isn't ideal. A dedicated 7kW charger on its own circuit is faster, safer and purpose-built for the job. Our guide on what to check before installing an EV charger covers the essentials.

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Do You Need Something Faster Than 7kW?

For the vast majority of homes, 7kW is the sweet spot — full overnight charging without needing three-phase power. Faster 11kW or 22kW charging needs three-phase supply (and a car that can accept it), which is a bigger project. If you're weighing it up, our 7kW vs 22kW comparison and three-phase upgrade page explain when it's worth it.

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How High Demand Electrical Helps

As a Level 2 ASP electrical contractor (Licence No. 397193C), we install dedicated EV chargers on their own properly rated circuit, matched to your car and driving so you get reliable overnight charging — and we handle any switchboard or supply work needed to support it.

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