The Best Home EV Chargers, According to Drivers and E-Mobility Experts (2024)

$549

ChargePoint has emerged as the largest third-party provider of public EV charging stations, which should inspire confidence, and might play into why utility companies single out ChargePoint’s consumer-grade model for generous subsidies. This was the case for Vermont-based blogger and Tesla driver Jason Kottke, who opted for the ChargePoint when he realized he would actually make money on the deal, thanks to the rebates his local electricity provider and various government entities offered. The charger’s “smart” features (more on this below) seemed superfluous at first, but he’s grown to rely on them, and has saved even more money in the process.

Though the non-subsidized price of the ChargePoint is a bit higher than that of some of the alternatives, its maximum charging rate is 12 kW (vs. 9.6 kW for the Grizzl-E and 11.5 kW from the Tesla Wall Connector), which is useful for big SUVs with larger batteries that take longer to charge, and for faster charging speeds generally — but that power is squandered on cars that can only accommodate 32 amps or lower, like the Nissan Leaf. The charger is wifi-enabled and comes with a dedicated app offering those aforementioned smart features, like remotely scheduling your charging when electricity rates are lowest (Kottke programmed his to communicate directly with his power company), plus Amazon Alexa integration. It’s also very compact, though the Tesla Wall Connector is narrower.

If your priority is to wring every last drop of efficiency and value out of your charge, and don’t mind a bit of technical wonkery, this is the charger for you. Or, as Kottke sums up his relationship with the ChargePoint and its feature set: “It seems pretty complicated — getting gas is more straightforward. But once you get it all set up and working, it’s easy and much less expensive (my electricity bill for my car is roughly one-third of what my gas costs would be).”

$350

L.A.-based film editor Yaniv Dabach opted for this no-nonsense home charger for his Mustang Mach-E after some exhaustive Reddit scouring. He liked the price, and the fact that it’s manufactured in Canada gave him “peace of mind regarding quality,” (it also explains both the model’s cold-hardiness and its name). Dabach also chose the model because of Grizzl-E’s reputation for responsive customer service, based again on message board chatter. For drivers in especially frigid climates, Grizzl-E recommends upgrading to the optional, thicker charging cable, for an extra $20. And as for those features that the Grizzl-E lacks, most (if not all) EV manufacturers offer their own apps that enable drivers to schedule and track charging, though not to the degree of granularity that the ChargePoint offers.

Erica Bowman (no relation), a self-described Luddite who works in regulatory affairs for a SoCal power company, charges her plug-in Volvo XC90 with a Grizzl-E and truly relishes its lack of bells and whistles. She specifically looked for a model that would charge when connected and wouldn’t reset and need to be reprogrammed if the broadband went out like some chargers with smart features. For her, “it’s all about stability and reliability,” and over her five months of use, the Grizzl-E hasn’t let her down.

$450

Tesla driver and film producer Brendan Doyle draws a lot of comfort from sticking to “official” manufacturer accessories, despite the premium one sometimes pays for them, hence his choice of Tesla’s Wall Connector. “Just like I’m not going to plug my MacBook into a random charger with some wonky adapter,” he says, “I want the system that is delivering the power to the car to be 100 percent speaking to the car.” He prioritizes that peace of mind from an ecosystem or customer support standpoint, even with the added expense over the Grizzl-E, and the lack of the ChargePoint’s more robust feature set (like how fellow Tesla driver Kottke can override his ChargePoint setting that limits charging to off-peak times, which he can’t do from the Tesla app).

The Wall Connector is also almost as fast as the ChargePoint and has a lot of the same smart features like basic scheduling, facilitated by its Wi-Fi connectivity. Another minor yet satisfying benefit of keeping it in the family, per Doyle: “I love the way the charging port automatically opens upon prompt from the charger cable.” The charger is also sleek in a very on-brand way, and you can customize its faceplate to match your Tesla for a mere $75 extra.

$1,670

If you’re looking to charge your EV at Porsche-like speeds, consider Porsche’s own home charger. It supports charging rates up to a whopping 19.2 kW, which is almost twice as fast as the ChargePoint’s max. The Wi-Fi-enabled charger also sports a five-inch touch screen (unlike any of the others on our list), so you can track charging progress and relative efficiency without having to pull up the My Porsche app on your phone. And speaking of the app, it delivers all the smart features of the ChargePoint, enabling you to schedule and delay charging and take advantage of variable, “time of use” electricity rates. And of course there’s the iconic Porsche design — it will undoubtedly look cool in your garage.

All things considered, the decision was a no-brainer for private-equity executive and Taycan driver Alan Kerr, despite the unit’s slightly shocking price tag.Even though his car is often parked long enough to be perfectly adequately served by a slower charger, he is reassured by its potential in a pinch. He and his wife are “not the most patient people in the world,” as he put it. And like with Doyle (and his Tesla charger), brand loyalty was also clearly a factor.

There are a few caveats, however. Most EVs can’t accept rates that high, and even Taycan drivers would need to spring for the optional, 19.2 kW onboard charger. And again, if your EV can handle the charger’s extra might (say, if you drive a Rivian, Lucid, or Ford F-150 Lightning), your home might require a pricey electrical panel upgrade. This is also a hardwired-only option, so once it’s installed, it has to stay put unless you once again enlist the services of an electrician. And the My Porsche app isn’t compatible with non-Porsche EVs (which makes sense), so you won’t be able to track your charging progress remotely there — you’ll just have to use your car’s own app, which is guaranteed to be less full-featured.