Using a 3-pin plug to charge an electric car at home

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Charging your electric vehicle at home is convenient and inexpensive. You can pay 100% more to charge in public than at home, so charging at home is crucial to minimise your running costs – even if it means using a 3-pin plug.

Using a 3-pin plug to charge at home is easy. 3-pin sockets charge at 2kW to 2.3kW max, so it’s the slowest type of charging available. However, as a backup or overnight charging solution, it works fine. How long does it take to charge an electric car with a 3-pin plug? You’ll get 8-miles of range per hour, so adding 60kWh to your battery takes 7.5 hours overnight – ideal if your daily mileage doesn’t exceed 60 or 70 miles.

If you want to charge your electric car with a 3-pin socket with voltage information, you need a smart 3-pin car charger. We recommend the following chargers (all available from Amazon):

3-pin charging cables for electric car

We recommend

EVDANCE EV Charger Type 2 UK 3 Pin

Smart 6A to 13A adjustable charging, plug and play design, safety certified, made with high-quality materials, user-friendly for all EVs, and backed by a two-year quality guarantee for worry-free use.

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And for less than £100, we recommend this charger:

Best charger under £100

EVJUICION 6M EV Charger Cable Type 2 to 3 Pin Plug

Priced at under £140 with a 6m cable and under £150 for an 8m cable, this smart Type 2 to 3-pin EV charger has a a 1-year warranty, a cable bag, and compliance with IEC 62196-2 standards for safety. A great budget pick!

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Note that charging outdoors with a 3-pin plug requires a weatherproof outdoor socket with a 13 amp rating, like this:

We recommend

RICOKEY Weatherproof Outdoor Socket

Fully waterproof outdoor socket with neon indicators, heavy-duty cable, clear locking cover, and 2 year guarantee – perfect for charging your electric vehicle with complete weather protection.

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You can find even more top-rated 3-pin chargers in our best EV charging cables guide.

How long does it take to charge an electric car with a 3-pin plug?

Charging an electric car with a standard 3-pin plug can take a very long time compared to using a dedicated EV charger. A normal household socket provides between 1.8kW to 2.3kW of power. For a Tesla Model 3 with a 50kWh battery, charging from empty would take around 28 hours with a 3-pin plug. For other electric cars with smaller batteries like the Nissan Leaf (40kWh), it would be 10-20 hours.

The slow charging speed is due to the low power output from a household socket. While it is possible to charge an EV overnight with a 3-pin plug, it is not recommended for regular use. Using public rapid chargers or installing a dedicated home charger like the Pod Point Solo 3 or Ohme ePod can reduce charging times to just a few hours. Overall, 3-pin plugs should only be used occasionally as a backup option due to their extremely slow charging speeds.

Here’s everything you need to know about charging your EV with a 3-pin plug:

In this guide

Quick guide to 3-pin charging

Charging with a 3-pin plug at home is easy, and anyone can do it.

When you bought your car, it will have come with a 3-pin charging cable called an EVSE (electric vehicle supply equipment) cable.

Your EVSE cable will have the right connector for your car, either Type 1 or Type 2. So, to charge with a 3-pin plug at home, you only need two things:

EVSE charging cable
3-pin socket (with power)

Things you need to know:

3-pin sockets are not designed to charge electric cars for hours at a time. The danger of overheating is real. You need to monitor heat at the socket. If the socket gets hot, pull the plug.
Your EVSE cable will only be around 4-5m in length, so you will probably need to use an extension cord.
The extension cord has to be heavy-duty, rated for 13A, if you intend to charge overnight. While extensions cords below 13A will work, 13A leads are less likely to overheat at the wire and are considered safer.
Unless you have an outside socket, charging with a 3-pin plug probably means leaving a door or window open. This creates obvious security issues.

Comprehensive guide to 3-pin charging

Our comprehensive guide to charging at home with a 3-pin plug has more advice to help you charge safely.

Can you charge an EV from a 3 pin plug?

Yes, you can charge from a 3-pin plug. A 3-pin plug will give you up to 8-miles of range per hour and could be all you need.

3-pin plug charging speeds

A 3-pin plug charges at 2.3kW, adding up to 8 miles of range per hour, or 4 miles in half an hour. For example, charging the 42.2kWh BMW i3 from 0-100% with a 3-pin plug would take 18 hours 35 minutes. You can calculate the charge time by taking the battery capacity and dividing it by the kW speed.

How long does it take to charge an electric car with a 3-pin plug?

A 3-pin plug add 8-miles of range per hour so topping up by 150 kWh takes 18 hours. If you have a 200 kWh battery, you’re looking at 25 hours. However, most people use 3-pin plugs as a back up to public charging, or they do such low mileage that a 3-pin plug just works.

What you need to charge at a 3-pin socket

You need a Type 2 to UK 3 Pin EVSE charging cable. You can buy one online for around £150.00. The EVSE cable is more than just a cable, it also regulates the charge and has an indicator for the charge status. There’s a good chance your car came with one.

An EV charging 3 pin plug is a standard socket – nothing special. Just make sure it is in good condition before charging, and select a low amperage on your EV charging cable if you are unsure about the plug socket.

3-pin sockets for EV charging

While ordinary 3-pin sockets will charge your electric car, you can get robust 3-pin sockets with that are more suited to the job such as the FNRIDS charger and Vorsprung charger listed above – these are better than regular cables.

Using an extension cable

Sometimes, you might have to use an extension cable to charge your electric car with a 3-pin socket. If so, only use a 13A heavy-duty extension cable.

slx outdoor extension lead for ev charging

We recommend

SLx Outdoor Extension Lead 20m

Weatherproof 20m power cable reel with 2 way splashproof socket, thermal cut-out protection, and tangle free fully retractable design for using appliances outdoors safely. From trusted British brand SLx, it provides power for professionals, DIYers, and households.

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While you can charge an electric car with an extension cord, extension cords were never designed to be used for the duration it takes to charge an electric car. We recommend using them only for boosts now and again.

Downsides to 3-pin charging

3-pin charging is extremely slow. You’ll get up to 8 miles of range per hour and charging overnight won’t get you to 100% – 3-pin plugs take at least 18 hours for batteries over 42kWh (which most batteries are).

Another downside is safety. 3-pin sockets are not designed to deliver 2.3kW of power for 18 or so hours. For example, a fridge only takes around 400 watts. The danger of fire from overheating is real. You should use 3-pin plugs carefully!

Safety standards for low-voltage EV cables

In addition to sockets overheating, another safety concern is cheap EVSE cables and Type 2 to 13A adapters sold online. Like dodgy smartphone chargers, dodgy EV cables increase the risk of electric shock and fire.

13A/3-pin EV charging cables have the following standards:

CE marking
IEC 61851 (Electric vehicle conductive charging system)
IEC 61557 (Electrical safety in low voltage distribution systems)
IEC 62196 (Plugs, socket-outlets, vehicle connectors and vehicle inlets)

Avoid plugs and connectors without all relevant marks.

Scenarios where 3-pin charging is all you need

3-pin charging is all you need if the slow charge speeds work for your lifestyle. You will get 4 miles of range every half hour, and an overnight charge (10 hours) will top up a 42.2kWh battery to around 60% from 10%.

The fact is that 3-pin charging, while slow, is fine if you have time to leave your electric vehicle plugged in. However, if you have a driveway, a 7kW home charger will unlock significantly faster charge speeds.

So, if you have a driveway and can leave your car plugged in overnight, 3-pin charging could be all you need. After all, there are free supermarket chargers to top up and you can use ultra rapid chargers on longer journeys.

How much will charging your electric car at home increase your electricity bill? It depends on how often you charge at home, but on average, your electricity bill will increase 5-10% per month.

When to get a more powerful EV home charger

3-pin charging adds 8 miles of range per hour, which isn’t enough to drive on a motorway at 65mph for more miles 5 miles.

You should get a more powerful home charger if you need more range in a shorter space of time. A 7.4kW charger adds 30 miles of range per hour, while a 3.6kW commando socket adds around 18 miles of range per hour.

Best EV chargers up to 7.4kW

We review EV chargers, so we have a few recommendations:

Hypervolt Home 3 Pro – a fantastic tethered wall charger with voice control and solar integration to charge your car with solar panels
Ohme Home Pro – in my opinion, the best tethered home charger with an in-built display and control panel.
Easee One – a handsome and smart EV charger with excellent hardware.

If you want even faster charge speeds, then you need an 11kW EV charger which requires a 3-phase supply.

Is a 3-pin charger enough for an electric car?

This depends on your lifestyle. 3-pin chargers add around 8 miles of range per hour, so a 10-hour overnight charge will give you around 80 miles of range on top of anything that’s already in your battery. This will probably give you 25% to 50% of your total range, the rest of which you’ll probably get from a supermarket like Aldi or public rapid chargers.

For some people, charging overnight is the most convenient way to charge an electric car and getting 70-90 miles of range by the time you wake up might be enough.

Overall, charging with a 3-pin plug is slow, but if you only want to trickle charge at home, it’s a cheap, easy way to do it. If you want to charge even faster, get a 7kW single-phase charger – our EV charger reviews are a great place to start.

Do you charge your electric car with a 3-pin plug? Be sure to share your tips in the comments below. Happy charging!

Carl says:
April 27, 2022 at 7:31 pm
I’ve been charging my MG5 using the granny charger for nearly a year now. I don’t need to charge faster as I charge from the solar PV, speeds above 10A would require drawing power from the grid which I try to avoid. However I’m quite happy to plug the car in if PV generation is above 1kW if necessary. No problems with overheating plugs however I feel it’s not the ideal solution long term. In your charger reviews you rarely mention the ability to reduce the charging rate, I feel there must be more people like me who would find a section on simple chargers that would suit our usage useful. A further point is in my situation fitting a CT clamp would be awkward as the meter is about 20 metres away.
Find your website most informative, many thanks.
- Alan Deeley says:
  June 17, 2022 at 1:28 pm
  Thanks Carl. Your situation is the same as ours in that we have solar panels which generate up to 3.5kWh and the EV charges at 2.3kWh so in effect charging is free. We haven’t noticed any overheating at the plug. I agree with you that there should be smarter chargers that allow charging at a lower rate to maximise the benefits of Domestic solar installations.
Graham Hacker says:
May 21, 2022 at 6:30 am
Thank you for a very interesting insight. I have an ID3 and for the past 15 months have charged it on a 3 pin plug, no problem. Most journeys are local so I normally recharge the battery when it has 100 miles left (recharging to 200 miles). I have today had 16 solar panels installed (no battery) and will now, on a “day at home,” charge he ID3. This feels better than installing a 7KW charger which of course would take more power than the solar is able to generate. Just my thoughts! 🙂
Richard says:
July 15, 2022 at 11:03 am
I too would be interested to know if I can reduce the charge rate of my granny charger. The car is home all day and we have just had solar installed which is great when the sun is shining but will pull some from the grid if it isn’t. Charging at 1.5kwh would be ideal or only charging when solar is generating enough power.
Leon says:
August 20, 2022 at 4:47 pm
I have an MG ZS. I’ve been charging it from the 3 pin plug for 5 months now. Plug is in the garage, so no extension cord needed. It’s perfect. I charge it when there’s about 30-40 miles left – roughly twice a week. I charge it for 12-14 hours at night. Full capacity is 177 miles. I try time it to charge to 95% or so (apparently less battery degradation). Installing a dedicated EV charger will be a waste of money for me.
Richard Jones says:
October 18, 2022 at 10:50 pm
Forgive me I am new and a bit overawed by all this EV charger talk.
I was led to believe by the dealer when I bought my Nissan Leaf that I didn’t need a dedicated home charger as I drive around 25 miles a week and a longer journey sometimes never!.
I have been charging my leaf up more or less every 10 days to 80% full as I was told never to overcharge and have been doing this for over a year with no problem. The extension lead is in the garage and the lead goes under the garage door into the front of the car so no water problems.
I read last week somewhere that using an extension lead and 3 pin plug charge lead not only leads to a fire risk but also can damage the car electrical system.
So now I’m worried!
Who is telling the truth and who do I believe?
I live in a old house so after what I read have decided to have a new consumer unit fitted ready for a dedicated EV charger?..this needed doing either way but do I need a dedicated charger or just a decent circuit to use rather than an extension lead?
Sorry for the ramble!
Richard
- Alfred Maxwell says:
  October 19, 2022 at 7:01 pm
  The danger comes from overuse of the socket at the maximum power rate.
Ray says:
December 23, 2022 at 12:50 am
I too have solar panels and 8kW of battery storage. In the Winter (reduced sun) the batteries get charged up from the grid between midnight & 7am when I have cheaper grid electricity charges.
Do any of the mains 3pin chargers have a timer fitted so that I could restrict car battery charging to my cheap rate night time hours?
Ray
- Brian Smith says:
  April 5, 2023 at 2:33 pm
  Most of the 3 pin chargers are pretty basic but there maybe one out there that can do it. But most, if not all, EVs can schedule charge times directly and you can even do it from the cars smart phone app.
Charlie says:
June 9, 2023 at 1:36 pm
I have had a Hyundai Kona for 4 years and have charged that at home using an external 3-pin socket. I also have Solar and in the summer can reduce the charge so that it doesn’t pull from the grid.
I’ve just got a new KIA EV6 and it hasn’t come with a 3pin charger. Can I use the one from the KOna? are they universal? Thanks
David Carter says:
July 26, 2023 at 4:48 pm
I have a dedicated circuit breaker in my consumer unit for the ‘granny charger’ so that I am fairly sure that I cannot overload the socket ring main by using the washing machine, dishwasher and tumble drier at the same time as the 13amp 3 pin 2.3 kwh EV charger. I hope that I am right with this assumption ?
- Jakk Ogden says:
  August 2, 2023 at 8:10 am
  Hi David, that depends on the total load of the system when using the granny charger. Remember that the granny charger will draw power for hours. You should be fine with the load but without seeing the configuration it’s impossible to say. Have you had any issues so far?
Aidan says:
September 4, 2023 at 8:09 pm
I’ve just brought a 2020 Mk7.5 Golf GTE Advance. I use a granny charger and set the cars charge rate to 10 amps. Takes approx 2 1/2 to 3 hours to give me 24 miles (the cars max). Wife uses it for work on a round trip of 18 miles on pure electric power. We couldn’t have a wall charger as the garage is not attached to the house and would involve around £2k of trench work plus wall charger costs.
This arrangement is perfect for us as we use my 50mpg merc for long journeys.
Martin C says:
December 9, 2023 at 4:33 pm
My wife and I have a mobility EV car parked outside ,but we are in a first floor flat and the property is not our own. due to the landlord,we cannot have a dedicated power socket on the wall. As such I am wondering about having it charged via a 3 pin plug from our bedroom window down to the car. We have been using a fast charger located some distance away (4 -5 miles Approx) Can anyone suggest a safe way to charge . We will need about a 10mtr cable from the plug socket. Reading all this about heated sockets is a bit worrying ,but I dont intend to have it on every night. The vehicle is a 100KW Ultimate with 50 KWH .210 miles when full. Normally fill it to 80-85% unless we go on a long run.
- Jakk Ogden says:
  December 11, 2023 at 4:30 pm
  Hi Martin, heated sockets are only typical when drawing over 10A for a few hours. If you get a 3-pin charging cable with a variable current like the 10m Vorsprung charging cable you can step it down to 6A or 8A.