Tesla Model S EV Charging Cable

Why the AC spec history does not change your cable

The Model S has had three different AC arrangements. Cars before mid 2016 had an 11 kW charger with a 22 kW twin charger option. From 2016 to 2020 the standard was 16.5 kW. The 2021 refresh returned to 11 kW.

All three are three phase figures, and none of them are reachable at a British house, which supplies one phase. Every Model S ever sold here draws 7.4 kW from a home wall box, so the 32A single phase cable is the correct buy whatever the year on the plate.

How long a full charge takes

Those times come from dividing the pack by the delivered power and adding 13 per cent for losses, then rounding to the quarter hour. Tesla does not publish battery capacities, so the kWh figures here are independent estimates and the times are close rather than exact. The columns are an 85 at roughly 80.8 kWh usable and a 100 at about 95. Quoted ranges moved from 502 km NEDC on the early cars to 388 miles WLTP on the Raven and 649 km WLTP on the 2023 car, so compare like with like before reading much into them.

Which length to buy

Tesla puts the port on the left side of the body, behind a flap in the tail light, on every Model S. That is the nearside on a UK car. The Model S is close to five metres long, so a 5 metre lead only works when you reverse in with the charge point on that side.

Work it out from where the car genuinely sits, not where it could sit, and leave slack. For most owners 10 metres is the practical choice, and 15 is worth it for a long drive or a shared bay.

One thing worth knowing if you are buying used

Tesla stopped selling right hand drive Model S in May 2023, so UK cars are roughly 2021 and earlier. That is only relevant to a cable buyer because it makes a boot search more likely to come up empty: leads get separated from these cars over three or four owners, and a replacement is the cheapest part of ownership.

How these cables are built

Made to IEC 62196-2, CE marked, and rated IP55 from -30C to +50C so it lives outdoors all year.

It carries a two year manufacturer's warranty, ships free on next working day delivery, and can go back inside 30 days.

Related: Tesla Model 3 EV Charging Cable, and Tesla charging cables for every other model we cover. For a wall box or public post the lead is the Type 2 to Type 2 charging cable.

Tesla Model S charging cable questions

What charging cable does a Tesla Model S need?

A Type 2 to Type 2 cable, 32A single phase. Whatever onboard charger your car has, a UK single phase home supply caps it at 7.4 kW, and the 32A cable carries exactly that.

My Model S has the twin charger option. Does that help at home?

Not on a British domestic supply. The 22 kW twin charger needs three phases, and a house has one, so the car settles at 7.4 kW. The twin charger only shows up at three phase destination posts.

How long does a Model S take to charge?

From empty at 7.4 kW, about twelve and a quarter hours for an 85 and fourteen and a half for a 100. Nobody charges from empty, so in practice an overnight window adds roughly 180 miles.

Which side is the charge port?

Rear nearside, built into the left tail light. Tesla uses the left of the body on every model and does not mirror it for right hand drive.