EV Charging Cables for UK Electric Cars and Plug-in Hybrids

Which EV charging cable do you need?

Three things decide it: the socket on your car, the length of the run from your charge point to where you park, and the current your car can actually take. Get those three right and the cable stops being a decision you have to think about again.

Type 2 to Type 2

The connector on almost every electric car and plug-in hybrid sold in the UK since 2018, and what you want for a home wall box or a public post. Type 2 charging cables are the bulk of what we sell.

Type 1 to Type 2

Older electric cars and early plug-in hybrids use a five pin Type 1 inlet. The wall box end is still Type 2, so the cable bridges the two. Type 1 charging cables cover those.

Type 2 to 3 pin

A granny charger plugs into an ordinary 13A socket and draws about 2.3 kW, so it is slow, but it means you are never stranded without a charge point. Worth keeping in the boot even if you have a wall box. 3 pin granny chargers.

What length of EV charging cable?

Measure the run from your charge point to your car's socket, walking the route rather than guessing in a straight line, then buy the next size up. Five metres is enough when you park nose in beside the box. Ten is the safe answer for most driveways, and fifteen or twenty earns its money where you park on the road, share a drive, or reverse into a bay so the socket ends up at the far end. We stock 5m to 20m.

16A, 32A and three phase

The rating on the cable is a ceiling, not a speed. A 16A cable carries about 3.7 kW, a 32A single phase cable about 7.4 kW, and a three phase cable 11 kW or 22 kW where the supply and the car both support it.

Charging always runs at whatever is slowest of the three: your car's onboard charger, the charge point, and the cable. So a 32A cable on a 7.4 kW home wall box still charges at 7.4 kW, and a 22 kW cable will not make a car that tops out at 7.4 kW go any faster. Buying more amps than your car can use is only worth it if you expect to charge somewhere that can deliver them. Every product page on this site states what that particular car draws at home and how long a full charge takes.

Buying from EV Power

Every cable is CE marked and built to be left outdoors in British weather: Type 2 to Type 2 leads are rated IP55, and the 3 pin granny chargers are sealed to IP67. Orders ship free on next working day UK delivery, each cable carries a two year manufacturer's warranty, and you have 30 days to send it back if it turns out to be the wrong choice.

If you would rather just ask, browse all EV charging cables, pick your make from the list above, or call us on 01744 886305.