Power point, wall charger or fast charger?

Your charging options compared

For a typical EV using 16 kWh per 100 km, allowing for about 10% energy lost while charging. Real speeds depend on the car's own charging limit, the weather and how full the battery is. Home price is NSW's 2026–27 default rate; see charging costs in every state.

Normal power point (10 amp)

Every EV comes with, or can be bought with, a portable charging cable that plugs into an ordinary socket. It's slow, but if the car sits in your garage or driveway overnight, 10–12 hours adds 120–150 km. That's more than most people drive in a day.

• Good for: anyone driving up to about 100 km a day, plug-in hybrids, and as a free starting point before deciding on a wall charger.
• Not so good for: big daily distances, two EVs sharing one socket, or catching up after a long trip.
• Tip: use a socket on its own circuit if you can. If the socket or plug gets hot, stop and get an electrician to check it.

What about extension leads?

Car makers and electricians advise against charging through a household extension lead. An EV draws the full 10 amps for many hours, and thin or coiled leads, loose connections and power boards can overheat and start a fire.

• Plug the car's charging cable straight into the wall socket wherever possible.
• Never use power boards, double adaptors or a chain of leads.
• If you truly have no other option for a short time, use a single heavy-duty, outdoor-rated 10 amp lead of the right length, fully unrolled, with the joint kept off the ground and out of the rain. Check the car maker's manual first, as some don't allow it at all.
• The proper fix is cheap: an electrician can usually add a weatherproof outdoor power point near where you park for a few hundred dollars.

Home wall charger

A wall charger is a box fixed to your garage or carport wall and wired to its own circuit. A single-phase 7 kW unit, the most common, adds about 40 km an hour and fills most EVs overnight from nearly empty. Expect about $1,000–3,000 installed, more if your switchboard needs upgrading. Homes with three-phase power can use an 11 kW charger, although many cars can only accept about 7 kW on AC anyway.

• Good for: long daily drives, two-EV households, charging only in a short off-peak or free solar window, and the convenience of a tethered cable.
• Extras: "smart" chargers can follow your solar output, schedule cheap-rate charging and track costs.
• Our cost-to-own figures include a wall charger for every EV. If a normal power point suits you, take about $2,000 off. See home charger costs.

Public chargers

Public AC chargers at shopping centres, councils and hotels run at about 7–22 kW. Some are free; others charge 30–45c per kWh. They're handy while you shop or stay overnight.

DC fast chargers from networks like Chargefox, Evie, NRMA, Tesla and BP Pulse run at 50–350 kW and usually cost 59–79c per kWh. At 70c that's about $11.20 per 100 km, against about $5.42 at home in NSW. Most cars charge fastest from about 10% to 80%, then slow right down, so it's usually quicker to stop twice for a short top-up than to wait for 100%.

• Good for: road trips, and people who can't charge at home.
• Downsides: cost, finding a working charger, queues at busy times, and needing an app or RFID card for each network.

Does the charger affect battery life?

A little. Slow AC charging at home, from a power point or wall charger, is the gentlest. DC fast charging creates more heat, and using it every day, especially in hot weather, can wear a battery slightly faster over many years. Occasional fast charging for trips makes very little difference, and modern cars manage battery temperature carefully. For most owners, charging at home and fast charging on trips is the best balance. More in how long EV batteries last.

Which should you choose?

• Drive under about 100 km a day and park off-street: start with a normal power point. Add a wall charger later if you need it.
• Drive further, share an EV, or want to charge in short cheap windows: a 7 kW wall charger.
• No off-street parking: rely on public chargers, but compare the cost with a hybrid, which may work out cheaper.
• Plug-in hybrid: a normal power point is all you need.

Common questions

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How we work it out

Weekly cost is the car's claimed energy use (kWh per 100 km) × your distance × your electricity price. "Per week" figures on this site assume 250 km a week with 90% of charging at home. Petrol comparisons use the fuel use and price you choose. Prices are list prices at October 2026 and change often; check with the dealer.

• Electricity: 2026–27 default or regulated flat rates from the AER Default Market Offer (NSW, SE QLD, SA), Victorian Default Offer, Aurora Energy (TAS), Jacana Energy (NT), Synergy (WA) and ActewAGL (ACT).
• Public charging: Sydney survey of Chargefox, Evie, NRMA, Tesla and BP Pulse prices, July 2026.
• Car specs and prices: manufacturer figures as published by CarExpert, AEVA EV fact sheets, Drive and EV Central's car guide. Some prices are the publisher's estimates; check with a dealer.
• Servicing: published capped-price schedules (BYD Sealion 7, BYD Seal, Geely EX5, Jaecoo J5 EV, Kia EV5, Zeekr 7X). Tesla has no fixed service schedule and CarExpert's EV servicing comparison. Where a model's pricing isn't published yet we use the brand's nearest model and mark it as an estimate.
• Tyres: we assume an EV set lasts 35,000 km (RACV says 20,000–40,000 km; independent wear tests of mainstream EV tyres show about 37,000–49,000 km). Replacement set prices (mid-range brands, fitted) from Gridly's 2026 EV tyre cost guide.
• Petrol and diesel: ACCC average retail unleaded and diesel prices in each capital city, 21 October 2026 (ACCC weekly fuel price monitoring).
• Plug-in hybrids: prices, battery sizes and claimed electric range from CarExpert, Cars24, Zecar and The Beep. Real-world electric range is taken as 80% of the claim; plug-ins charged at home each night are assumed to do up to 85% of driving on electricity. Petrol use with a flat battery is our estimate from reviews where makers don't publish one.
• Diesel utes and SUVs: claimed combined fuel use and prices from CarExpert, 4X4 Australia and CarSauce. The HiLux automatic, Prado and Mazda CX-60 D50e are 48-volt mild-hybrid diesels; their small battery assists the engine but can't drive the car on its own.
• Petrol mild hybrids (Suzuki Swift Hybrid, Mazda CX-60 G40e): claimed fuel use and prices from CarExpert.
• Hybrids: claimed fuel use, prices and capped-price servicing as published by CarExpert and CarsGuide. Petrol and hybrid tyres usually last 40,000–60,000 km (RACV); we use 50,000 km.
• Home chargers: typically $1,000–$3,000 installed, about $2,000 typical (What's the Damage, October 2026).
• Novated lease rules: PwC summary of the May 2026 FBT changes.