Volkswagen Passat GTE and eHybrid EV Charging Cable

The older Passat GTE plugs in at the front, in the middle

This is worth getting right because it changes which length you need. On the 2015 to 2019 and 2019 to 2023 Passat GTE the charging flap is in the centre of the nose, not on either wing. A central front port is the friendliest arrangement there is: nothing mirrors, nothing depends on which side your charge point is, and parking nose-in puts the socket as close to the wall box as the car can manage.

Those cars carry 9.9 kWh and 13 kWh gross respectively, about 10.6 kWh usable on the later one, and up to about 37 miles of electric range. Both charge at 3.7 kW single phase and neither has any DC capability whatsoever.

So the older cars are 16A cars

A heavier lead makes no difference, because nothing downstream of the onboard charger sets the pace. Volkswagen's own published times make the point: three and a half hours from a 3.7 kW wall box on the 2019 car, five from a household socket. A 32A cable cannot improve on either.

Nothing on this car takes DC. There is no rapid socket to fall back on, so the Type 2 lead is not an accessory you might use, it is the only route electricity ever takes into the battery. Buy a used one without a cable in the boot and it is a petrol car until you do.

The 2024 eHybrid, and a figure nobody publishes

The 2024 Passat eHybrid is a different machine: 19.7 kWh usable from a 25.7 kWh pack, somewhere between 62 and 84 miles of electric range depending on which of Volkswagen's own three published figures you take, DC charging for the first time at 40 to 50 kW, and an AC charger quoted at up to 11 kW.

What Volkswagen never publishes is what that charger does on a single phase. Its figures are twelve hours on a 2.3 kW household socket and two and a half on an 11 kW wallbox, with nothing in between, and the technical data tables have the same gap. The identical hardware in the Skoda Kodiaq iV is reported at about 4 kW on one phase, and a 2021 Volkswagen technical briefing on this driveline said AC charging was not being raised above the old 3.6 kW. We think 16A is very likely enough, but we will not state a figure Volkswagen does not publish. Ask a dealer before paying the difference.

How long a full charge takes

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. Columns are the 2015 to 2019 GTE, the 2019 to 2023 GTE and the 2024 eHybrid. Only the last can use the 11 kW row, and only across three phases.

Which length for a Passat

Central nose port on the GTE, so nose in and 5 metres is plenty even on a 4.77 metre estate. Reverse in and the cable runs the length of the car, so 10 metres. On the 2024 eHybrid the port is at the front but the side is read from left hand drive data and we have not confirmed it for a UK car, so check yours. The measurement that counts is the one taken with the car in its usual spot, plus a margin for the slack the lead needs.

How these cables are built

It is a CE marked IEC 62196-2 cable, IP55 against the weather, rated to work between -30C and +50C.

The three pin unit is IEC 62752 compliant, CE marked, IP67 against water and rated -30C to +60C. Two year manufacturer's warranty, free next working day UK delivery and 30 days to send it back.

Also from Volkswagen: Volkswagen ID.3 EV Charging Cable. The full range of Volkswagen charging cables is on one page.

Volkswagen Passat GTE charging cable questions

Which cable does a Passat GTE need?

A 16A Type 2 to Type 2 lead for any 2015 to 2023 GTE: those cars draw 3.7 kW single phase and a 32A cable would finish at the same time.

Where is the charging flap on a Passat GTE?

In the centre of the nose on the 2015 to 2023 cars, not on a wing. That makes nose-in parking the best case and removes any left or right question.

Can a Passat GTE rapid charge?

Only the 2024 eHybrid, which added CCS at 40 to 50 kW. On the 2015 to 2023 GTE there is no DC socket at all, so the Type 2 cable is the only way to charge it.

Will a 32A cable help my 2024 eHybrid?

We cannot tell you honestly. Volkswagen publishes a household socket time and an 11 kW three phase time and nothing in between, and the same hardware in Skoda's cars manages only about 4 kW on one phase. Ask a dealer for the single phase rate before paying extra.