Your guide to charging an EV at home.

Write down weekly kilometres, the car’s consumption and how long it is parked where it can charge. Include less typical trips separately. The fastest charger is not automatically the most useful one.

Replacing one day’s driving is a different job from replenishing a near-empty battery after a long trip. On an ordinary day you usually need to put back the energy you used, rather than charge from empty to full. Plan for the normal routine first, then check how you would handle the occasional demanding day.

A worked example

Here is the illustrative household from our charger buying guide. The driver travels 35 km a day, and the car uses 18 kWh per 100 km at the battery.

Those are simplified calculations, not promised charging times. Actual power and losses vary, and the charging setup must be suitable. Check whether your car’s consumption figure is measured at the battery or at the wall before adding a separate allowance for losses.

For this driver, parked at home overnight, a safe slower setup could cover the daily top-up. For someone who arrives home late after a long drive and leaves early, faster charging may be much more valuable.

Our EV charging calculator can compare one charging session or your weekly driving at two rates. Replace the example rates with your own offer. The examples are not a live ActewAGL tariff.

Ask a licensed electrician to assess the proposed outlet or dedicated circuit, switchboard, supply, parking arrangement and installation permissions. The charger, car and supply all influence the actual charging power.

Australian Government guidance puts charging from a standard power point at up to 2.4 kW, and a particular portable cable or vehicle setting may use less. Dedicated home AC chargers commonly sit in the 7 to 22 kW range, with the vehicle’s own AC limit helping determine the actual rate.

A three-phase charger does not ensure the car will charge at its advertised maximum. Check the vehicle’s AC charging limit and the installation requirements before ordering equipment. Use the equipment as directed by its manufacturer.

An available socket is a reason to investigate charging, not proof that the installation suits regular, prolonged use. Plug the cable directly into a suitable power point rather than an extension lead or power board, and make sure it reaches the car safely without creating a trip hazard.

What to ask the electrician

• Is the existing outlet and circuit suitable for regular charging, or do I need a dedicated circuit?
• Does the switchboard or supply need work, and what would that add to the price?
• What charging power will my car actually receive from this setup?
• Where will the charger and cable run, and which permissions are needed?
• Which features, extra metering or communications are included, and who handles warranty and support?

Ask for an installed quote covering the charger, cable route, circuit protection, labour and any switchboard or supply changes, and compare the same scope across quotes. If you are also planning electric hot water, heating or cooking, ask the electrician to assess the planned loads together.

Compare available plans using the same household usage, not just the EV rate. Include supply charges, other usage rates, export credits and any eligibility or time conditions. Confirm whether the timetable uses AEST or local daylight-saving time.

Evoenergy’s tariff times stay on Australian Eastern Standard Time, or AEST, during daylight saving. A period starting at midnight AEST therefore begins at 1 am on the local daylight-saving clock. Check how your car or charger scheduler handles that difference.

Will the charging fit in the window?

Go back to the worked example. A two-hour cheap window at 2 kW supplies only 4 kWh of the 7 kWh needed from the wall, so the remaining 3 kWh needs another period. A faster charger may fit the top-up into the window, but compare its installed cost with the benefit you would actually gain.

At an illustrative 35 cents per kWh, that 7 kWh costs about $2.45. At an illustrative 12 cents, it costs about 84 cents. That compares the charging alone. It is not the saving from changing plans, which also depends on the daily charge and everything else the household uses.

Set the schedule in the car or charger and check the first sessions. If a cheap window is shorter than the charging task, price the remaining energy at the rate that will actually apply. A plan benefit is only useful when your household can use it.

Our EV plan and the NSW free period

Offer details checked 13 October 2026: our evEnergy Saver plan (opens in a new tab) offers 12 cents per kWh from midnight to 6 am AEST for eligible ACT residential EV owners with a smart meter. Its free grid-electricity periods are noon to 2 pm AEST on Saturdays and Sundays. Controlled load is excluded; terms and fair use apply.

Those weekend periods are two separate two-hour windows. A car drawing 7 kW for two hours can take about 14 kWh from the charger, before charging losses.

Offer details checked 13 October 2026: eligible NSW customers can opt into the Solar Sharer Offer, with the first 24 kWh free between 11 am and 2 pm local time each day. A smart meter is required. Embedded networks are excluded, and other charges continue.

A solar-aware charger may help match charging to spare generation, but the car needs to be available during those hours. Compare the export credit you give up and the grid electricity needed when solar is insufficient.

Generation and surplus are different. If the roof produces 3 kW while the home is already using 2 kW, the spare power is 1 kW. A car drawing 2 kW would use that surplus and import another 1 kW. A simple timer follows the clock even on a cloudy day; a properly configured solar-aware controller can respond to the actual surplus. Ask what extra metering or communications solar-surplus charging needs with your equipment.

For a larger session, here is what 40 kWh drawn by the charger would cost from three sources, using example values from our cheapest-time guide rather than a live tariff:

The solar figure is lost export income, rather than a new electricity charge, and it assumes the whole 40 kWh comes from surplus that would otherwise have been exported. If some comes from the grid, price that portion separately. If the car spends sunny weekdays in a workplace car park, it may miss the surplus and need another charging period.

If you also have a home battery, decide which job gets priority. Avoid crediting the same solar electricity with both charging the car and supplying the house later. Stored electricity has a cost and another possible use: energy sent to the car is no longer available for the home later. Ask how the charger and battery interact, and which supported settings control whether the battery supplies the car.

Some cars can also supply appliances or a home, but that needs different equipment and approvals. Read Could the car in your driveway power your home? before relying on it.

For a rented home or shared building, agree permissions, metering and who pays before installing. Begin with the parking space, lease and building rules. A permanent charger may need both the owner’s agreement and approval for common property, and a shared installation needs a plan for metering, payment and future users. Keep those decisions ahead of the installer booking.

If home charging is not practical, compare the public charging options you can reliably use, including access, prices and session fees. When you compare electricity plans, keep planned home charging separate from public charging.

Help with the cost

In the ACT, the Sustainable Household Scheme lists EV charging among its eligible products, and standard borrowing is at 3% interest. In NSW, Home Energy Saver loans cover eligible electric vehicle chargers for eligible owners and landlords. Product, supplier and finance rules apply. Borrowing changes how you pay for the work; it is not itself a saving. Read the ACT scheme guide or NSW energy rebates for the conditions.

Read the charger buying guide, then ask for an itemised installation quote. If comparing our EV plan, check the current offer and conditions (opens in a new tab) for your address.