Choosing an electric vehicle based on a long mileage range doesn’t always mean they will charge up quickly
With so many new electric vehicles coming to market, it is important to consider a few different aspects before you decide which vehicle is right you or your business fleet.
How does vehicle charging work?
The charging speed of your electric vehicle is determined by two main elements.
- Output: The maximum charging output from the charging socket
- Input: The maximum charging power that your vehicle can take
Output: Different charging outputs
There are some standard charging outputs that are commonly deployed in the UK.
| Charging point type and power output per socket | Energy supply capacity needed per charge point |
| 3.7kW AC | 16 amps AC single phase |
| 7kW AC | 32 amps AC single phase |
| 11kW AC | 32 amps AC three phase |
| 22kW AC | 63 amps AC three phase |
| 25kW DC | 63 amps AC three phase |
| 50kW DC | 100 amp AC three phase |
| 75kW DC | 150 amp AC three phase |
| 150kW DC | 200 amp AC three phase |
When you are looking to charging your vehicle using a public charging point, you will find an array of different outputs.
It is important to understand that it is your vehicles maximum charging input that will determine the speed in which your vehicle will charge, not the speed of the charging point alone.
For example, if your vehicle can take a maximum of 11kW AC and you plug your vehicle into a 22kW AC charging socket, the vehicle will only take it’s maximum 11kW which will then determine the charging speed.
Input: Your vehicles charging capacity
With being an electric charging point installer, we commonly get asked by customers to install a 22kW charging socket because they believe their vehicle will charge faster than it would using a 7kW charging socket. Unfortunately, this is not always the case.
We have analysed the maximum charging speeds for some of the most common electric vehicles on the market today.
You will be surprised to learn that very few vehicles can charge using a 22kW input.
Kia e-Niro 64 kWh
| Power source | Maximum input |
| AC | 7.2kW |
| DC | 77kW |
Jaguar i-Pace
| Power source | Maximum input |
| AC | 7.4kW |
| DC | 100kW |
VW ID.3 Mid Range
| Power source | Maximum input |
| AC | 11kW |
| DC | 100kW |
Renault Zoe ZE50 R135
| Power source | Maximum input |
| AC | 22kW |
| DC | 46kW |
Tesla Model 3
| Power source | Maximum input |
| AC | 11kW |
| DC | 100kW |
Audi e-tron 55 Quattro
| Power source | Maximum input |
| AC | 11kW |
| DC | 155kW |
BMW i3 120Ah
| Power source | Maximum input |
| AC | 11kW |
| DC | 49kW |
Nissan Leaf
| Power source | Maximum input |
| AC | 3.6kW |
| DC | 46kW |
See how quick each vehicle will charge for 60 minutes using some of the common chargers on the market
We have calculated how miles your vehicle will charge per hour using some of the common AC and DC charging outlets in the UK. We have also included the percentage of the vehicles battery that will be charging during this time:
| Car options | 22kW AC | 25kW DC | 50 KW DC | 75 kW DC |
| Kia e-Niro 64 kWh | 22 miles 9% | 75 miles 32% | 150 miles 64% | 220 miles 94% |
| Jaguar i-Pace | 17 miles 7% | 60 miles 26% | 120 miles 52% | 194 miles 84% |
| VW ID.3 Mid Range | 34 miles 16% | 90 miles 42% | 150 miles 70% | 260 miles Full |
| Renault Zoe ZE50 R135 | 65 miles 33% | 85 miles 44% | 140 miles 72% | 140 miles 72% |
| Tesla Model 3 | 39 miles 20% | 90 miles 46% | 180 miles 92% | 240 miles Full |
| Audi e-tron 55 Quattro | 25 miles 15% | 60 miles 35% | 120 miles 70% | 180 miles Full |
| BMW i3 120 Ah | 34 miles 23% | 85 miles 59% | 160 miles Full | 160 miles Full |
| Nissan Leaf | 21 miles 16% | 88 miles 66% | 140 miles Full | 140 miles Full |
Is your car not on our list?
All of our vehicle data is sourced on the Electric Vehicle Database which provides a thorough breakdown of range mileage and charging options for all full electric vehicles on the market and for those soon to be launched.
If you would like free help and advice on how to best charge your vehicle, please contact us on 0208 004 6487, enquires@electriccarchargersuk.co.uk or simply complete the below enquiry form and we come back to you: