What Charger Speed Do I Need

For most UK homes, a 7kW charger is all you need. It adds 25–30 miles of range per hour and fully charges most EVs overnight. Higher speeds are rarely worth the added cost for typical residential use.

How much range do you need to restore each day?

The UK average daily car journey is around 20 miles. A 7kW charger restores 20 miles of range in under an hour. Even a 40-mile commute requires only about 1.5 hours of charging at 7kW. For most drivers the question is not how fast the charger is — it is whether you can plug in consistently each evening.

When 3.7kW might be sufficient

If you drive 30 miles a day or less and park at home overnight, a 3.7kW charger restores that range in around 2 hours. Some installers recommend 7kW for future-proofing, but if budget is a concern, 3.7kW works for low-mileage drivers.

When you might want more than 7kW

If you regularly drive 150+ miles a day, have a large-battery vehicle (100kWh+), or run two EVs from one charger, a faster unit makes sense — but this requires checking whether your home has sufficient supply capacity.

What we would not recommend

Paying for a 22kW charger on a single-phase supply because a salesperson suggested it. It is physically impossible — a single-phase supply maxes out well below 22kW, and most UK homes share that supply across all circuits. The charger you want needs to fit within what your supply can actually deliver.