All charger types · All EV models

EV Charge Time Calculator

Find out how long it takes to charge your EV on any charger, and how much charge you need daily.

Charge Time Calculator

How long to charge from one percentage to another?

Your EV

sets the onboard charger limit & battery size
kWh

Charger

Charge window

From 20%To 80%
£ per kWh

Estimated charge time

6 hr 55 min

estimate · pick your EV
050100

Energy added

45.0 kWh

Estimated cost

£14.32

Charging at 7.4 kW AC · wall-to-battery ≈88% efficient. Based on a 75 kWh pack — select your EV for exact figures.

Daily Charging Needs

How long do you need to plug in each day for your typical driving?

Pick your EV above and it'll carry over here.

Daily distance

Enter your daily distance to see how long you'll need to plug in.

AC vs DC charging

AC (home/destination) chargers go through your car's onboard converter, which limits speed. DC fast chargers bypass this and charge the battery directly at much higher rates.

Charging losses

Not all electricity from the wall reaches the battery. AC charging is typically 85–90% efficient; DC fast charging 92–95%. Costs above include these losses.

Why 80% is the sweet spot

Most EV makers recommend charging to 80% daily. Above 80%, the charge rate slows significantly to protect the battery — the last 20% takes almost as long as 0–80%.

Figures are based on owner-reported specs and publicly available data — not official EV figures.

How long EV charging really takes

Charge time comes down to two numbers: how much energy you need to add, and how fast the charger can deliver it. The energy is simply the gap between your current and target charge as a share of your battery's usable capacity — going from 20% to 80% on a 70kWh pack means adding roughly 42kWh, whether that's a Volkswagen ID.4, a Hyundai Ioniq 5 or anything else with a similar battery size. Divide that energy by the charger's power and you get an approximate time — the same 42kWh that takes around 6 hours on a 7kW home charger takes well under half an hour on a 150kW+ rapid charger. The calculator above does this for your exact model and charger, including the way DC charging slows down as the battery fills.

AC charging is limited by your car, not the wall

This is the detail that trips most people up. On AC charging — your home charger and most public Type 2 points — the speed is capped by your car's onboard charger, which converts AC power to DC for the battery. A Nissan Leaf typically tops out around 6.6kW, most Hyundai and Kia EVs around 10.5–11kW, a Tesla Model 3 or Model Y around 11kW, and a Renault Zoe or Mercedes EQS can take up to 22kW on three-phase power. Plugging any of these into a faster public charger doesn't help — a Leaf on a 22kW charger still only draws about 6.6kW. DC rapid chargers bypass the onboard charger entirely and feed the battery directly, which is why their numbers are in a different league.

Why DC fast charging slows down past 80%

On a rapid charger the battery doesn't hold its peak power for the whole session — it tapers down as it fills, to protect the cells. That taper varies a lot by platform: an 800-volt Hyundai or Kia E-GMP model (Ioniq 5, EV6, EV9) can go from 10% to 80% in as little as 18 minutes on a powerful enough charger, a Tesla on a V3/V4 Supercharger typically takes 25–30 minutes for the same window, and a 400-volt Volkswagen ID or Nissan Ariya usually takes closer to 30–40 minutes. In every case the last 20% takes disproportionately long, which is why charge times are quoted 10–80% and why, on a road trip, shorter and more frequent stops usually beat waiting for 100%.

EV charging speed FAQs

How long does it take to fully charge an EV overnight?
Almost every EV made in the last few years will fully charge overnight on a 7kW home charger — even a large battery like a Kia EV9's 99kWh pack takes under 10 hours from empty, and most daily top-ups (20% to 80%) take well under 4 hours. A basic 3-pin socket is far slower, adding roughly 8–13 miles of range per hour, so it only really suits small daily top-ups rather than a full charge from low.
Why isn't my EV charging at the public charger's rated speed?
On AC chargers, your speed is capped by your car's onboard charger, not the charge point. A 22kW public AC charger will only deliver as much power as your car can accept — often 7–11kW — so plugging a Nissan Leaf into a 22kW charger still charges at the Leaf's own onboard limit, not 22kW. On DC rapid chargers, the cap can also come from the charger itself (a 50kW unit won't go faster than 50kW, whatever your car supports) or from the battery tapering its own charge rate as it fills.
Does cold weather affect EV charging speed?
Yes, particularly on DC rapid chargers. A cold battery has higher internal resistance and charges more slowly until it warms up — this affects every brand, from a Tesla to a Hyundai to a BMW. Many EVs precondition the battery automatically when you navigate to a fast charger in their built-in sat nav, which largely avoids the slowdown; without that, the first several minutes of a cold-weather rapid charge can be noticeably slower than the figures quoted here.
Is it bad to charge to 100% every day if I only use DC fast chargers?
It's not the charger speed that matters here so much as the habit — sitting at a very high state of charge for long periods is what adds the most stress to most lithium-ion chemistries. If you're relying on rapid charging daily, aim to charge to around 80% rather than 100% where your journey allows, and see the battery management guide for chemistry-specific advice (LFP packs are more tolerant of regular 100% charges than NMC/NCA).

Related tools

Cost Calculator

Work out your cost per mile and per full charge at home or in public.

Route Planner

Plan a road trip with charging stops matched to your car's real range.

Battery Management Guide

Charging limits and habits that protect long-term battery health.