Charging times vary due to things like the temperature, the EV itself, and the type of charger, but we can provide reasonable estimates.

EV ownership differs from traditional combustion car ownership. The obvious distinction is that EVs run on electricity rather than gasoline. With combustion engines, there is only one way to refuel. You find a public station—one of nearly 200,000 in the U.S. You insert your credit card, insert the nozzle, and you’re back on the road in a few minutes. Charging an EV can get more complicated.

 

There are several types of EV chargers that can be located at home or in public. Each charging method requires significantly more time and advanced planning than filling a car with gas. And some methods can be dramatically quicker than others.

 

Why is a “full charge” for an EV 80%?

However you charge your EV, a “full charge” is seldom a full charge. Manufacturers may provide a handy top-line range estimate on a 100 percent battery charge; the Kia EV9 Long Range RWD can go up to 304 miles. But most EV owners will seldom, if ever, use that full battery. Typically, charging to 80 percent is the most common.

 

Why 80%? There are two main reasons manufacturers recommend it. One is battery longevity. Filling the battery to 100% can strain the electrodes and reduce its life. The other is speed. EV battery charging rates slow dramatically beyond 80 percent. In most situations, adding the extra range beyond that won’t be worth the time required to do so.

 

Level 1 Charging (40-50 hours)

An electric car is a large battery-powered device. As with your smartphone or laptop, you can plug an EV into a standard 120V outlet to charge its lithium-ion battery. Many EV manufacturers provide a free cable with the vehicle to do this. 120V outlets are easily accessible. But most EV owners won’t pursue this option.

 

The main drawback with Level 1 charging is how slow it is. Car batteries are way bigger than smartphone batteries and take far longer to charge with a household outlet. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, a typical Level 1 charging cord delivers 2-5 miles of range per hour. At that rate, it takes more than a day to charge a 250-mile EV fully. Level 1 charging is also one of the least efficient options; you’ll have to use more power to charge the battery than you would otherwise to overcome higher energy losses.

 

Level 1 charging can work well for plug-in hybrids, which have much smaller batteries. A Jeep Wrangler 4xe with its 22 miles of EV range can charge fully on a Level 1 outlet overnight without requiring its owner to add expensive infrastructure.

 

Level 2 Charging (4-10 hours)

Most home EV chargers and many public EV chargers are Level 2 chargers. Level 2 chargers are dramatically quicker than Level 1; U.S. D.O.T estimates 10-20 miles of range added per hour for a typical Level 2 EV charger. Optimal setups can deliver even more range per hour. A 48-amp Wall Connector can add up to 44 miles of range per hour to a Tesla Model Y.

 

The Level 2 charger’s added speed reduces charging time from days to hours; the EPA estimates a 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 5 can perform a 100 percent battery charge overnight in 8.5 hours. A typical charge of 80 percent takes even less time. A Level 2 charger allows owners to charge their EVs “fully” overnight.

 

Installing a Level 2 home charger can be expensive. The best Level 2 EV chargers typically cost hundreds of dollars, and the total cost may run into the thousands with installation. However, most single-family homeowners with EVs should find the convenience and long-term savings of a Level 2 charger worth the expenditure.

 

Level 3 DC Fast-Charging (20 minutes to 1 hour)

The fastest way to charge an EV is with a DC fast charger. EVs like the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the Kia EV6 can charge from 10-80% in just 18 minutes on a 350 kW fast charger. GM claims its Ultium trucks can add up to 100 miles of range in 10 minutes.

 

Real-world Level 3 charging speeds are likely to be slower than that. Most fast chargers are not 350 kW. Tesla Superchargers top out at 250 kW. Many DC “fast chargers” are 100 kW or 50 kW. And many factors, such as other cars charging simultaneously, can reduce charging speeds. However, a Level 3 charge should still be much quicker than a Level 2 and get most EVs back on the road with significant range in less than an hour.

 

Level 3 chargers are typically too expensive and powerful to install in residential homes. The most common Level 3 charger use case for most owners will be occasional top-ups on longer drives (though you can make it work without them). The speed comes with a price tag. Level 3 chargers can be the most expensive way to charge, potentially approaching or exceeding the cost of filling up a comparable vehicle with gas during peak hours.