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Charging times

How long does it take to charge an EV at home?

The honest answer depends on three numbers you can look up in ten minutes. And empty-to-full is the wrong question anyway.

By Sawyer V. · Published September 8, 2026

An electric car dashboard showing state of charge

Everyone asks how long it takes to charge from empty to full. It is the wrong question, because you will almost never do it -- in the same way you rarely run a gas tank to zero.

The question that matters is: can I replace what I drove today, tonight? That is a much smaller number, and the answer is almost always yes with hours to spare.

The formula

Charging time

Energy to replace (kWh) = miles driven / your car's mi/kWh

Charging power (kW) = amps x volts / 1000, capped by your car's onboard charger

Hours = energy / power

A worked example

A normal Tuesday

You drove 42 miles. At 3.5 mi/kWh that is 12 kWh.

Your charger is 40 A on 240 V: 9.6 kW.

12 / 9.6 = 1.25 hours -- about 1 hour 15 minutes.

You are plugged in for 11 hours.

That is the reality of home charging, and it is why we keep arguing against overbuying amperage. Try your own numbers in the charging speed calculator.

The empty-to-full numbers, since you asked

Hours from empty to full by battery size and charger
Battery32 A (7.7 kW)40 A (9.6 kW)48 A (11.5 kW)
50 kWh6.5 h5.2 h4.3 h
65 kWh8.4 h6.8 h5.7 h
75 kWh9.7 h7.8 h6.5 h
100 kWh13.0 h10.4 h8.7 h
131 kWh17.0 h13.6 h11.4 h
Simple division of battery capacity by charging power. Real charging is a few percent slower -- some energy becomes heat, and most cars taper near 100%. Treat these as the floor.

Three things that make it slower than the table

  1. Your car's onboard charger. If it accepts 7.7 kW, the 48 A column does not apply to you -- read the 32 A column instead. Check the manual.
  2. Tapering. Most cars slow charging near full to protect the battery. The last 10% takes disproportionately long, which is one reason many manufacturers suggest a daily limit below 100%.
  3. Cold. A cold battery accepts power more slowly, and some energy goes to warming it. Cold weather charging.

FAQ

Questions people actually ask

How long does it take to charge an EV at home?
For a typical day's driving, one to two hours on a Level 2 charger. Empty to full on a 75 kWh battery is roughly 6.5 hours at 48 amps and about 9.7 hours at 32 amps.
How do I work out my own charging time?
Divide the energy you need to replace by your charging power. Energy is miles driven divided by your car's mi/kWh; power is amps times volts divided by 1,000, capped by the car's onboard charger.
Why does my EV charge slower than the calculated time?
Some energy becomes heat in the cable and onboard charger, most cars taper near 100%, and cold weather slows the battery's acceptance rate.
Should I charge to 100% every night?
Most manufacturers suggest a daily limit below full, reserving 100% for long trips. Follow your own car's manual -- it is the authority for your battery.

Sources

Where these numbers come from

  1. NEC Article 625: EV charging equipment — WireRefReference for Level 2 power levels used in the table.

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