Type 1 to Type 2 Charging Cable, 5m and 10m

One connector at each end of a changeover

Britain moved to Type 2 charge points around 2014 and never looked back, which left a generation of good cars stranded on the older Type 1 inlet. This cable is the bridge: five pins at the car, seven pins at the post, and nothing else to think about.

It is the cable for a first generation Leaf, an Outlander PHEV, an Ampera, a Soul EV or an i3 with the Type 1 inlet. Count the pins if you are unsure, since the two connectors are obviously different once you know what you are looking at.

Why 16A is usually enough on these cars

This is the one place where we steer people away from the bigger cable. The limit on a Type 1 car is almost always its own onboard charger, and on these models that is commonly 3.3 kW, sometimes 6.6 kW. A 16A cable carries 3.7 kW, which covers a 3.3 kW car completely.

Take the 32A version if the car is a 6.6 kW model, or if you expect to keep the cable for a newer car later. It will not make a 3.3 kW car charge any faster, because nothing will.

Hours are worked from battery size against power drawn, plus a 13 per cent allowance for what is lost as heat, rounded to fifteen minutes. Pack sizes here are the ones Type 1 cars actually carry.

Length, and where these cars keep the inlet

Type 1 cars usually have the inlet at the nose, under a flap in the grille or the front wing, which changes the length calculation compared with a modern car. Nose in to the wall box and five metres is generous. Reverse in, and the cable has to run the length of the car, where ten metres is the comfortable choice.

How it is built

IEC 62196-2 construction, CE marked, IP55 sealed and tested from -30C through to +50C. Two year manufacturer's warranty. Delivery is free and next working day, and returns are open for 30 days.

See also: Type 1 charging cables by make, Type 1 to Type 2 adapter, Type 1 to 3 pin cable and 10m cable.

Type 1 to Type 2 cable questions

Which cars have a Type 1 inlet?

Cars sold up to about 2015, mainly: the first generation Nissan Leaf, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, Vauxhall Ampera, Kia Soul EV, Peugeot iOn and early BMW i3s. The inlet has five pins. Type 2, which replaced it, has seven.

Should I buy 16A or 32A for a Type 1 car?

Sixteen amps suits most of them. A 3.3 kW onboard charger cannot use more than the 3.7 kW a 16A cable carries, so the 32A version buys nothing. Choose 32A only for a 6.6 kW car, or if you want the cable to outlive the car.

Can I use this at a public charge point?

At any Type 2 AC post with a socket, yes, which is most on street and destination charging. Tethered posts have their lead fixed, so a Type 1 car needs an adapter there instead. Rapid CHAdeMO charging uses the unit's own cable.

Is a Type 1 cable the same as a granny charger?

No. This one plugs into a charge point. A granny charger plugs into an ordinary 13A household socket and has a control box built in. We sell a Type 1 version of that separately, and plenty of owners keep both.