Best EV Home Chargers of 2022: The ultimate buying guide

An EV home charger is also best described as a home charging station for your electric vehicle. With an EV home charger, you charge your own electric vehicle at your own convenience in your garage or driveway without having to constantly search for public charging stations. In addition, charging via your own EV home charger is also cheaper. However, there are a few things to consider, because the charging system must fit your car and your individual needs.

Compared to charging at a conventional 110V socket, EV home chargers also offer other advantages. Above all, charging your e-car is much faster and safer with an EV home charger. Furthermore, EV home chargers also offer their own electricity meter and some degree of monitoring via an app (for selected models) alongside other security features so that unauthorized persons cannot steal electricity from you.

Before buying an EV home charger, you should be aware of a few matters. On the one hand, you must meet certain legal requirements, and on the other hand, you should have the adequate space to install it in your home. It is also of utmost importance that the installation should be carried out by a professional, regardless of the charging power it carries. We have already talked about these and more points in detail in a dedicated article:

In addition to these aspects, there are important differences between the individual EV home chargers. You should definitely understand terms such as charging power, bidirectionality, or compliant electricity meters before deciding on a particular EV home charger.

• Charging power: When it comes to charging power, you usually see several options. Take 7.7 kW or 10 kW for instance. EV home chargers with a 10 kW charge about 25% faster than an 7.7 kW model. You must make sure though, that the power system in your home can provide sufficient energy to install a 10 kW EV wall charger.
• Bidirectionality: If you have already searched for EV home chargers, you will certainly have come across the term bidirectional. Bidirectional EV home chargers can not only charge the battery in the electric vehicle, but the energy can also flow back to your home. This allows you to use the battery in your electric vehicle as a buffer storage for your photovoltaic system, for instance. The important thing is that both the EV home charger and the electric vehicle support the function. The technology is currently not yet widespread, especially in the case of affordable EV home chargers. The models in this best list do not yet support it.
• Electricity Meter: Another important function of EV home chargers are the built-in electricity meters. An electric meter is not only useful for tracking your own power consumption, but also suitable for billing your employer in case you have a company car (heh heh!). The cheapest EV home chargers in our comparison do not offer electricity meters. 

Not every EV home charger is suitable for every electric vehicle. Major car brands Tesla, BMW, Mercedes, and VW usually recommend their own EV home chargers when buying a vehicle from them. However, these are usually much more expensive than the EV wall chargers in this comparison—unless you buy them as a package together with the vehicle, which often includes installation.

Does your vehicle not come with an EV home charger that includes installation? If so, make sure that your vehicle has the right connection. Almost all electric vehicles in the US use the Type 1 plug, just like how all the models in our comparison use. This would mean imported models from overseas might result in issues here. Apart from the right plug, you should also make sure that the EV home charger and the vehicle are compatible in terms of charging power. If your electric vehicle only accepts 3.6 kW, a 10 kW EV home charger is overkill and possibly unnecessarily expensive.

The Federal Government offers a tax credit for selected EV charger hardware and EV charger installation costs, where it covers up to 30% of the costs with a maximum $1,000 credit for residents and $30,000 federal tax credit for commercial installations. Of course, the amount differs from one company to another, so do check out with the local authorities to find out the latest details.

The JuiceBox 40 is the current all-rounder that seems to do everything right. This smart charger comes with its very own app and supports Wi-Fi connectivity, which you can then use to schedule it to charge your ride at off-peak times to save more money. Equipped with a fairly lengthy cable at 25-feet, you will also heave a sigh of relief knowing that there is additional flexibility when it comes to the choice of the mounting location.

Being able to charge up to 40 amps, you can get moving quickly. The installation process is also not too complicated to boot. Too bad there is no electricity cost tracking with the Juicebox 40.

This Lectron 32 model definitely offers plenty of bang for your hard-earned buck. You can choose from the 16A or 40A model to suit your household outlet while making sure that it is in line with your vehicle’s charge rate without spending unnecessarily on charging capability. You will have to make do without a wall mount though, since it will have to be placed on a simple hose reel or hook that is mounted to the wall in order to remain organized and neat.

There is no Wi-Fi capability here, but the rather tiny LCD screen that displays voltage, amperage, charge time, energy (kWh), and temperature is enough for the basic user. It does allow you to monitor how much juice you have consumed though.

ChargePoint is a household name with thousands of units installed all over the US. The Home Flex unit is integrated into the same app that is used to connect to the company’s public units, making for a seamless transition. You can add your vehicle via the app, using it to tailor the percentage of the battery replenished as well as number of EPA miles that have been added to your specific vehicle. 

You can also view the charge-rate graphs, charge time, and total energy output for each charge session. Want to take advantage of off-peak hour charges? Not a problem at all, as you can set the charging times to suit your timetable. Yes, the ChargePoint Home Flex is the most expensive model in our comparison, but you might get that money back in no time.

Want something that is simple and simply works? The Blink HQ 150 fits the bill perfectly without requiring you to break the bank. This is one solid, value-priced charger that is a snap to install, letting you get up and running in a jiffy. The included hook works well for the rather short 18-foot cable, so if you have a large garage, you might want to be more careful during the installation process lest you find yourself coming up short. What makes the Blink HQ 150 special? It can resume charging automatically after a power outage, now how about that? 

That’s it! These are the best EV home chargers as of August 2022, and also a short guide to what you should pay special attention to before making a purchase. Are you currently looking for an EV home charger? Which aspects are particularly important to you? Let us know in the comments!