Having an at-home charging point for your electric vehicle means you can charge when you want and optimise your charging routine for your vehicle. It’s estimated that 80% of car charging for electric vehicles takes place at home – one of the huge advantages of investing in an e-vehicle is being able to avoid crowded petrol stations. We are all familiar with the electric car charging points that have begun to pop up at motorway service stations and supermarket car parks. While petrol and diesel cars must refuel at the pump, it is possible for electric car owners to do all their powering up from the comfort of their own home – saving money on paying for parking near a public point, and overnight charging for the most convenience.

There are two options when it comes to charging your electric car at home – using a typical domestic three-pin electric socket, or using a purpose-made car charging point. While using a domestic socket is ok for occasional use (for example in an emergency, or if you’re staying somewhere else overnight), it shouldn’t be used as a long-term or permanent charging solution. The best way to charge at home is using a dedicated electric car charger – it’s faster, safer, and smarter. That way, you use a dedicated power supply and don’t have to worry about potential emergency trips to the fuse box. Domestic pin plug points will only be able to carry a current of up to 3kW, so charging times can be slow. For example, at this speed it could take over 12 hours to charge up an electric car such as a Nissan Leaf. By contrast, dedicated electric car charging points will usually have at least a 3.6kW current, and will be able to charge up your vehicle much more quickly and efficiently. Of course, you may choose to go for a more powerful charger (depending on your budget, vehicle type or preference). A 7kW charger can perform up to three times faster than a house plug socket, while 22kW chargers are even faster (though these require a 3-phase power supply).