40 amp picks
The best 40-amp EV chargers
The tier most households should actually buy: fast enough to be irrelevant overnight, and cheap enough to wire that your panel probably says yes.
By Sawyer V. · Published September 10, 2026
How this page is funded: we earn a commission if you buy through our Amazon links, at no extra cost to you. It does not change what we recommend, and we say plainly when the honest answer is to buy nothing. Full disclosure.
If we had to pick one amperage for the largest number of households, it would be this one. Not because 48 amps is bad, but because 40 amps is where the charging speed stops mattering and the installation is still straightforward.
40-amp picks
Ranked for a first home charger. Every row jumps to the full write-up below.
| # | Product | Best for | Max output | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grizzl-E ClassicHarsh weather and no app. J1772, 24 ft cable. | Harsh weather and no app | 40 A9.6 kW | Check price on Amazon#ad how we are funded |
| 2 | Autel MaxiCharger AC HomeLong reach outdoors. J1772, 25 ft cable. | Long reach outdoors | 50 A12 kW | Check price on Amazon#ad how we are funded |
| 3 | J+ Booster 2The best portable overall. J1772, 25 ft cable. | The best portable overall | 40 A9.6 kW | Check price on Amazon#ad how we are funded |
The case, in numbers
A normal night at 40 amps
40 A x 240 V = 9.6 kW
You drove 45 miles today: 45 / 3.5 = about 12.9 kWh to replace
12.9 / 9.6 = about 1 hour 21 minutes
You are plugged in for ten hours.
The charger is idle for most of the night. Adding eight more amps makes it idle slightly earlier. That is the whole of what the upgrade buys unless one of the exceptions applies -- see 32A vs 40A vs 48A.
Where the money is saved
| 40 A charger | 48 A charger | |
|---|---|---|
| Circuit required | 50 A | 60 A |
| Typical copper conductor | 6 AWG | 6 AWG |
| Panel headroom needed | 50 A | 60 A |
| Plug-in possible? | Yes | No -- hardwired only |
| Range added per hour | about 34 mi | about 40 mi |
The saving is not usually in the wire -- it is in whether your panel says yes at all. Ten amps of headroom is frequently the difference between adding a breaker and adding a subpanel, and a subpanel runs $500 to $1,500 on published figures.
The 40-amp chargers in detail
A wall unit with no app, a wall unit with the longest cable, and a portable that matches both on output.
1. Harsh weather and no app
Grizzl-E Classic
United Chargers · J1772 · 40 A / 9.6 kW · 24 ft cable
A cast-aluminum box with no app, no account and no firmware to update. If you want a charger that behaves like an appliance, this is the one.
What is good
- Cast aluminum NEMA 4 / IP67 enclosure, built for outdoor mounting
- No app, no account, no network dependency
- Amperage is set with physical switches, not software
- Protections for over-current, over-voltage, ground fault and over-temperature
What is not
- 40 A ceiling, slower than the 48 A units if your panel can take more
- No scheduling, so off-peak charging has to be set in the car
- The cold-flexible 24 ft cable is only on the Extreme Edition
| Maximum output | 40 A / 9.6 kW at 240 V |
|---|---|
| Adjustable | 16, 24, 32 or 40 A |
| Connector | SAE J1772 |
| Cable | 24 ft on the Extreme Edition |
| Enclosure | Cast aluminum, NEMA 4 / IP67 |
| Certification | UL certified |
| Warranty | 3 years |
Skip this if: Skip it if you want scheduled charging or energy tracking in an app. The Classic deliberately has neither.
Specifications above are the manufacturer’s published figures. Source: United Chargers, InsideEVs. We have not tested this unit — see how we pick.
2. Long reach outdoors
Autel MaxiCharger AC Home
Autel Energy · J1772 · 50 A / 12 kW · 25 ft cable
The 25 ft cable is the longest in this group, and the NEMA 4 case plus a cold-flexible cord make it the easiest unit to live with on an exposed outside wall.
What is good
- 25 ft cable, the longest of the wall units here
- Sold in NEMA 14-50, NEMA 6-50 and hardwired versions
- NEMA Type 4 enclosure rated for rain, snow, hail and sleet
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, so it still works if the Wi-Fi drops
What is not
- The 50 A version is hardwired only
- The app has more features than a first-time owner needs
| Maximum output | 50 A / 12 kW hardwired; 40 A / 9.6 kW plug-in |
|---|---|
| Connector | SAE J1772 |
| Cable | 25 ft |
| Enclosure | NEMA Type 4 |
| Certification | Tested to UL standards by CSA |
| Warranty | 3 years |
Skip this if: Skip it if your parking spot is right next to the panel. You are paying for cable you will coil up and never use.
Specifications above are the manufacturer’s published figures. Source: Autel Energy. We have not tested this unit — see how we pick.
3. The best portable overall
J+ Booster 2
J+ Americas · J1772 · 40 A / 9.6 kW · 25 ft cable
A 40 A portable in a military-grade aluminum body, ETL certified to UL standards and IP67 rated, weighing 2.2 lb without cables. The portable that behaves like a wall unit.
What is good
- 40 A, matching many wall-mounted units
- Eight amperage settings from 6 A to 40 A, so it fits almost any outlet
- Adapters for a wide range of outlets, including NEMA TT-30 for campgrounds
- IP67 and drive-over resistant, which portables usually are not
- 2.2 lb without cables, so it genuinely travels
What is not
- Costs more than most portables, and more than some wall units
- Every extra outlet adapter is a separate purchase
- Still a portable, so it is not rated for permanent outdoor mounting
| Maximum output | 40 A / 9.6 kW at 240 V |
|---|---|
| Adjustable | 6, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 32 or 40 A |
| Power range | 1.4 kW to 9.6 kW |
| Connector | SAE J1772 |
| Cable | 21 ft or 25 ft, depending on version |
| Adapters included | NEMA 14-50 and 5-15 |
| Further adapters available | 5-20, 6-15, 6-20, 6-50, TT-30 |
| Weight | 2.2 lb without cables; 7 lb with cables and adapters |
| Body | Military-grade aluminum, drive-over resistant to 6,600 lb wheel loads |
| Rating | IP67 waterproof and dustproof |
| Certification | ETL certified to UL standards |
Skip this if: Skip it if you only ever charge in one place. A hardwired wall unit is cheaper for a fixed installation.
Specifications above are the manufacturer’s published figures. Source: J+ Americas. We have not tested this unit — see how we pick.
FAQ
Questions people actually ask
Is a 40 amp EV charger enough?
What circuit does a 40 amp EV charger need?
Should I get 40 amps or 48 amps?
Can a 40 amp charger be plugged in rather than hardwired?
Sources
Where these numbers come from
- Grizzl-E Classic product specifications — United Chargers
- MaxiCharger AC Elite Home 40A specifications — Autel Energy
- NEC Article 625: EV charging equipment — WireRefContinuous-load rule behind every circuit figure on this page.
Read next
Related reading
- 32 A vs 40 A vs 48 A: how many amps do you actually need?What each amperage tier delivers in miles per hour, and the circuit each one requires.
- The best 48-amp EV chargersThe fastest home tier: 48-amp picks, the 60-amp circuit they need, and who should skip it.
- The best plug-in EV chargersPlug-in chargers for a NEMA 14-50: portable, swappable, and capped at 40 amps.
- How many amps do you actually need?Three checks that determine your charger amperage, and why the smallest one wins.