How long does it take to charge an electric car? UK times by charger, and miles added overnight

Charging an electric car takes anything from about 20 minutes to more than a day. A 60 kWh battery charged from empty to full needs about 9 hours on a 7 kW home charger and about 29 hours on a 3-pin plug. On a 150 kW rapid charger, going from 10 to 80 % usually takes 25 to 35 minutes.

In real life you rarely start from empty, so the useful question is different: how many miles do you get back while you sleep, and does that cover your week? This guide gives you the formula, a table by charger and by battery, the miles added per hour, what fits into a 5 or 6 hour EV tariff window, and the answer for company car drivers who charge at home.

The short version

• Formula: hours = kWh you need ÷ (charging power the car accepts in kW × 0.9).
• 3-pin plug (2.3 kW): about 7 miles per hour of charging. Fine as a back-up, slow as a routine.
• 7 kW home charger: about 24 miles per hour, so about 120 miles in a 5 hour Octopus Go window.
• 22 kW AC: only faster if your car has a 22 kW onboard charger, and almost no UK home has the three-phase supply it needs.
• Rapid and ultra-rapid (50 to 350 kW): 10 to 80 % in roughly 18 to 60 minutes depending on the car and the charger.
• Company car: your employer can repay the electricity you use at home, tax and NIC free. Voltaback measures each session for that.

How to calculate how long it takes to charge an electric car

Charging time (hours) = energy to add (kWh) ÷ (charging power actually accepted (kW) × efficiency)

Two units do all the work. The kWh is a quantity of energy: think of it as the size of the tank. The kW is a rate: how fast the tap runs. Efficiency covers charging losses, the part of the electricity drawn from the socket that never reaches the battery.

Step 1: how many kWh you actually need

Take the usable battery capacity and multiply it by the share you want to add. Going from 20 % to 80 % on a 60 kWh battery means adding 60 % × 60 = 36 kWh, not 60.

Most drivers top up rather than fill from empty. That is why "miles added per hour" or "miles added per night" are more useful numbers than "0 to 100 %".

Step 2: the power the car really accepts

The charging speed is set by the weakest link in the chain:

• the supply: a 3-pin socket is limited to 13 A, and most chargers that use it are set to 10 A, about 2.3 kW. A dedicated home charger on a single-phase supply gives up to 32 A, about 7.4 kW (sold as "7 kW");
• the charger itself, which may be set lower on a small main fuse;
• the car's onboard charger for AC charging. Most current models accept 7.4 or 11 kW AC, a few 22 kW, some small or older models only 6.6 or 7.2 kW;
• the car's DC limit on rapid chargers, plus its charging curve (see below).

A 22 kW public AC post will only deliver 11 kW to a car with an 11 kW onboard charger. A 350 kW ultra-rapid will only deliver what the car accepts at that moment.

Step 3: losses, then the sum

When you charge on AC, between 10 % and 15 % of the energy is lost as heat in the cable, the onboard charger and the battery. Use 0.9 as a planning factor. On DC rapid chargers the conversion happens in the charger, so the time is close to kWh ÷ average kW.

Worked example: you want to add 36 kWh at home on a 7.4 kW charger. 36 ÷ (7.4 × 0.9) = 36 ÷ 6.66 = 5 hours 24 minutes. On a 3-pin plug: 36 ÷ (2.3 × 0.9) = 17 hours 23 minutes.

To turn kWh into miles, a reasonable average is HMRC's own assumption of 3.59 miles per kWh, the figure behind its Advisory Electricity Rate. Small cars do better, large SUVs and winter motorway driving do worse. Source: HMRC advisory fuel rates.

Electric car charging time table by charger and battery size

AC charging: home, workplace and car parks

Times from empty to full, with about 10 % losses. Miles per hour use HMRC's 3.59 miles per kWh.

The jump that matters at home is from the 3-pin plug to the wallbox: three times faster, for a one-off installation. Beyond 7.4 kW, a UK home rarely gains anything, because it needs a three-phase supply that very few houses have.

DC rapid charging: motorway services and charging hubs

Rapid charging is quoted from 10 to 80 %, because the speed falls sharply above that. Typical times for a 10 to 80 % session:

A big charger does not make a slow car fast. On a long trip, the car's peak DC power and the shape of its charging curve count more than the number on the charger.

Home charging time: 3-pin plug, commando socket or wallbox?

Most EV charging in the UK happens at home, so this is the time that shapes daily life. Three set-ups exist, each with a different speed.

3-pin plug: a back-up, not a routine

A standard UK socket with the car's portable cable delivers about 2.3 kW, so about 7 miles per hour and about 74 miles in a 10 hour night. That is enough for a short commute, but the plug and the wiring run near their limit for hours, which is why manufacturers and electricians advise against using it every night. Our guide to charging an electric car on a 3-pin plug covers the safety checks.

Commando socket: 3.7 kW, a half-way house

A blue 16 A industrial socket on its own circuit, used with a compatible portable cable, gives about 3.7 kW, around 12 miles per hour. It is uncommon in UK homes but useful where a wallbox is not possible. It must be installed by a qualified electrician on a dedicated, protected circuit.

7 kW wallbox: the UK standard

A single-phase home charger at 32 A gives about 7.4 kW, so 24 miles per hour and about 120 miles in a 5 hour off-peak window. That fills most batteries overnight from a low state of charge. All new home chargers sold in Great Britain must be smart: under the Electric Vehicles (Smart Charge Points) Regulations 2021 they come with default charging hours outside 8 to 11 am and 4 to 10 pm on weekdays, which the owner can change, and a short random start delay. Source: GOV.UK, smart charge point regulations.

For the practical choice between the three, see charging an electric car at home in the UK. To get quotes from qualified installers, see home charger installation.

Is a 22 kW home charger worth it?

Almost never. A 22 kW wallbox needs a three-phase supply, and the vast majority of UK homes are single phase. Even with three-phase, most cars charge at 11 kW AC at most. Overnight, a 7 kW charger already adds more energy than a typical day's driving uses. The detail on supply types and chargepoint architecture is in our guide to EV charging infrastructure.

Charging overnight: how many miles do you get back?

The night is the time window that counts, especially on an EV tariff where the cheap rate only lasts a few hours. Two common windows in 2026:

• Octopus Go: cheap electricity from 00:30 to 05:30, so 5 hours. Source: Octopus Energy.
• Intelligent Octopus Go: a 6 hour home off-peak window from 23:30 to 05:30, with car charging scheduled by the supplier, up to 6 hours a day. Source: Octopus Energy help centre.

What this costs per charge and per mile on each tariff is in our article on the cost of charging an electric car at home.

Does one night cover a company car's day?

The table below converts annual business and private mileage into a daily need, over about 225 working days, and gives the charging time needed each night, losses included.

Three readings for the driver and the fleet manager:

• Up to about 20,000 miles a year, a 7 kW wallbox recovers each day's driving inside the 5 hour Octopus Go window. A 3-pin plug only works for low mileage.
• Around 25,000 miles a year, a day needs slightly more than 5 hours, but nights at the weekend absorb the difference: over seven nights, a 5 hour window at 7.4 kW gives about 233 kWh, against about 172 kWh needed for five working days.
• At 30,000 miles and above, home charging still covers the week on a 6 hour window, but long days will need a rapid top-up on the road.

Charging time for common UK company cars

Manufacturer figures, rounded. The last column shows how much of the battery a 7.4 kW wallbox adds in a 5 hour Octopus Go window.

Even the largest batteries in this list gain 40 % or more in a 5 hour window, which is 110 to 130 miles of driving. A full charge from empty is rarely needed.

Plug-in hybrids: short charges, but only if they are plugged in

Plug-in hybrids remain common in UK fleets. Their batteries are small, typically 10 to 25 kWh usable, and most accept only 3.7 or 7.4 kW on AC. Many have no DC rapid charging at all, or a modest 50 kW.

A plug-in hybrid fills up in one night, even on a 3-pin plug. The real question for the fleet is whether it is plugged in at all: a hybrid driven on petrol emits and costs far more than its official figures suggest. Measured home charging sessions answer that question car by car.

Charging at work: what a working day adds

A car parked for 8 hours on a workplace charger has time on its side. On a 7.4 kW post it gains about 53 kWh, roughly 190 miles, which fills most batteries. On an 11 kW post, a car with an 11 kW onboard charger gains about 79 kWh in the same time.

For employers, this changes the sizing question. A bank of 7 kW posts shared between drivers through the day often serves more cars than a few fast units, and workplace sockets can be used by drivers who cannot charge at home. Electricity provided at work to charge an employee's car is not a taxable benefit. Grants for workplace chargers are covered in our article on the Workplace Charging Scheme.

How to charge faster: six practical habits

Most of the time lost around charging comes from habits, not hardware.

1. Plug in every evening rather than waiting for a low battery. Small daily top-ups fit easily into the off-peak window.
2. Set a daily limit of about 80 % in the car or the charger app, unless your handbook says 100 % is fine (LFP batteries) or you have a long trip the next day.
3. Check the charging current in the car's settings. Some cars are set to a reduced current by default on a 3-pin plug, which slows the charge further.
4. Precondition before a rapid stop in winter by setting the charger as the destination in the car's navigation.
5. Arrive low, leave at 80 % on rapid chargers. Two short stops are usually quicker than one long one to 100 %.
6. Pick chargers that match your car: a car that peaks at 100 kW gains nothing from a 350 kW unit, and may find a free 150 kW one faster.

Why charging slows down after 80 % and in cold weather

Four factors change the time, mostly on rapid chargers.

• The charging curve: a battery accepts high power when it is low and slows down near full to protect the cells. On many cars, 80 to 100 % takes almost as long as 10 to 80 %. On a long trip, leave at 80 % and stop again.
• Temperature: a cold battery accepts less power. In winter, set the rapid charger as the destination in the car's navigation: most recent models then precondition (pre-warm) the battery on the way, which noticeably shortens the session compared with arriving cold.
• State of charge on arrival: arriving at 10 % is more time-efficient than arriving at 50 %, because the car spends longer in the fast part of the curve.
• Shared power: some rapid sites split power between two cars on the same cabinet. The charger's screen or app shows the actual power.

At home on AC, these effects are small: the charge stays almost flat until the last few percent. Winter mainly increases consumption, so the same miles need more kWh and a little more time.

Public charging in the UK: what the rules guarantee

Since the Public Charge Point Regulations 2023, operators of public chargers must meet minimum standards that affect your time at the charger:

• the rapid network (50 kW and above) of each operator must be reliable 99 % of the time on average over each calendar year;
• contactless payment on new public chargers of 8 kW and above and on existing ones of 50 kW and above;
• prices shown in pence per kWh, a free 24/7 helpline, and open data on location and availability.

Source: GOV.UK, Public Charge Point Regulations 2023 guidance.

Rapid charging is the most expensive way to charge, often several times the home off-peak rate per kWh. For a company car, the cheapest time is the night at home.

Company car drivers: getting your nights of charging repaid

If you drive an electric company car, the electricity you use at home lands on your own household bill. HMRC allows your employer to repay all of it, private miles included, with no tax and no National Insurance, because there is no car fuel benefit charge on electricity. Source: HMRC Employment Income Manual EIM23900.

Employers usually choose between two methods:

• the Advisory Electricity Rate, a flat 7p per mile for home charging (15p for public charging), based on HMRC's 3.59 miles per kWh assumption;
• the actual cost of the kWh charged, at the driver's own tariff.

On a 7 kW wallbox and a cheap EV tariff the flat rate can suit you. On a standard variable tariff, the actual cost is fairer. The full comparison and the evidence to keep are in our guide to claiming back home charging on a company car.

You do not need a connected charger to be repaid at actual cost. With Voltaback, each home session is measured and linked to the right car, on a wallbox or a 3-pin plug, connected or not. Voltaback relies on the home's MID-certified meter, not on a standalone cable meter.

• Set up in two minutes: you connect your car in the Voltaback driver app, no box to fit.
• A monthly statement you can trust: kWh are matched to the right car and valued at your tariff, off-peak and peak.
• Audited measurement: average relative error of 1.22 %, audited by an independent third party.
• Privacy: location is only used during the charging session and is never shared with your employer. ISO 27001 certified, UK GDPR compliant.

More than 200 companies across Europe already repay their drivers' home charging this way.

Charge at night, get it repaid at the right price

Home charging overnight covers the week of most company car drivers, especially on a 7 kW wallbox and a 5 or 6 hour EV tariff window. What remains is to get those nights repaid accurately, without spreadsheets or a smart charger in every home.

Fleet manager or HR lead? Book a 30 minute demo and we will show you how each driver's home charging is measured and repaid at actual cost.