How Long Does It Take to Charge an EV? Lookup Tables for Level 1, Level 2, and DC Fast
Replacing a 40-mile commute takes about 2 hours on a typical 7.2 kW home Level 2 charger, or about 10 hours on a standard 120-volt outlet. Filling a battery from 10% to 80% takes roughly 6 to 9 hours on Level 2 and about 20 minutes to an hour on a DC fast charger, depending on the car. Find your row below.
The formula
Every table on this page comes from one line:
Hours = kWh you need ÷ (charging power in kW × efficiency)
- kWh you need = battery size × the percentage you are adding. Or, for a commute, miles ÷ your car’s efficiency in miles per kWh.
- Charging power is the lower of the charger’s rating and the car’s onboard charger limit (for Level 1 and Level 2), or the car’s average DC charging power (for fast charging).
- Efficiency is about 0.9 for Level 1 and Level 2, because some energy is lost as heat. We use 0.95 for DC fast charging.
Our assumptions: 3.3 miles per kWh, a typical figure for an EV crossover in mixed driving. A small, efficient car does better; a big SUV or winter driving does worse.
Table 1: Miles of range added per hour of charging
| Charger | Power | Miles added per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1, 120 V standard outlet (12 A) | 1.4 kW | ~4 |
| Level 1, 120 V at 16 A | 1.9 kW | ~6 |
| Level 2, 240 V at 16 A | 3.8 kW | ~11 |
| Level 2, 240 V at 30 A (most home chargers) | 7.2 kW | ~21 |
| Level 2, 240 V at 40 A | 9.6 kW | ~29 |
| Level 2, 240 V at 48 A | 11.5 kW | ~34 |
The Department of Energy’s rules of thumb, about 5 miles per hour on Level 1 and about 25 on Level 2, are in the same range. The 40 A and 48 A rows only apply if your car’s onboard charger accepts that much power; many accept 11 kW, some only 7 kW. Check before paying for a bigger charger.
Table 2: How long to replace your daily commute
Round-trip miles driven, and the hours of plugged-in time to put them back:
| Daily round trip | Energy used | Level 1 (1.4 kW) | Level 2 (7.2 kW) | Level 2 (11.5 kW) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 miles | 6.1 kWh | 4.8 h | 0.9 h | 0.6 h |
| 40 miles | 12.1 kWh | 9.6 h | 1.9 h | 1.2 h |
| 60 miles | 18.2 kWh | 14.4 h | 2.8 h | 1.8 h |
| 80 miles | 24.2 kWh | 19.2 h | 3.7 h | 2.3 h |
The takeaway: if your car sits at home for 10 to 12 hours overnight, a standard outlet covers a round trip of up to about 40 miles. Beyond that, or if you want a buffer, Level 2 is worth it. See what a Level 2 installation costs.
Table 3: How long to charge from 10% to 80%, by battery size
Battery sizes are from 2026–2027 models in our cheapest new EVs list.
| Battery (example models) | Energy added (10→80%) | Level 1 (1.4 kW) | Level 2 (7.2 kW) | Level 2 (11.5 kW)* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 57.7 kWh (Toyota bZ XLE) | 40.4 kWh | ~32 h | ~6.2 h | ~3.9 h |
| 58.3 kWh (Kia EV3 Light) | 40.8 kWh | ~32 h | ~6.3 h | ~3.9 h |
| 63 kWh (Hyundai Ioniq 5 SE Standard Range) | 44.1 kWh | ~35 h | ~6.8 h | ~4.3 h |
| 74.7 kWh (Toyota C-HR, Subaru Uncharted) | 52.3 kWh | ~42 h | ~8.1 h | ~5.1 h |
| 75 kWh (Nissan Leaf S+) | 52.5 kWh | ~42 h | ~8.1 h | ~5.1 h |
| 81.4 kWh (Kia EV3 Wind/Land) | 57.0 kWh | ~45 h | ~8.8 h | ~5.5 h |
*Only if the car’s onboard charger supports 11 kW or more.
Almost nobody charges this way at home. Owners usually plug in nightly and top up what they used, which is Table 2. Table 3 matters when you come home nearly empty, or for comparing cars.
Table 4: DC fast charging, 10% to 80%
Fast-charging time depends on the car’s average charging power over the session, which is lower than the peak figure in the brochure because power drops as the battery fills. For a 75 kWh battery (52.5 kWh added):
| Average charging power over 10→80% | Time |
|---|---|
| 50 kW | ~66 min |
| 75 kW | ~44 min |
| 100 kW | ~33 min |
| 150 kW | ~22 min |
The Department of Energy puts typical DC fast charging at roughly 100 to 200+ miles of range per 30 minutes, depending on the car. For a specific model, look for independent 10–80% tests rather than the peak kW number.
What slows a fast-charging session down:
- A cold battery. In winter, use the car’s navigation to route to the charger so it can warm the battery on the way. See EV winter range loss.
- Charging past 80%. The last 20% is slow on almost every car. On a road trip, two short stops usually beat one long one.
- A shared or slower charger. Some stations split power between stalls, and a 50 kW unit caps any car at 50 kW.
Working it out for your own car
- Find your car’s usable battery size and onboard charger rating (owner’s manual or the manufacturer’s spec sheet).
- Pick the row in Table 1 for your charger, capped at the onboard charger’s rating.
- For daily use, divide your round-trip miles by miles added per hour.
To see what the same sessions cost, run your numbers in the EV charging cost calculator. If you rely on charging at work, see workplace EV charging; if you rent, see apartment charging.
Sources
Level 1, Level 2, and DC fast charging rules of thumb, and the note that most home Level 2 units deliver 7.2 kW on a 40 A circuit, are from the Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center; home charging background is on its charging at home page. Battery sizes are from OctaneDaily’s 2026 cheapest EV ranking. All times in the tables are our calculation using the formula above; real sessions vary with temperature, battery condition, and charger.
Checked October 2026.
FAQ
How long does it take to charge an EV at home?
On a typical 7.2 kW Level 2 charger, about 2 hours to replace a 40-mile commute and 6 to 9 hours to go from 10% to 80% on a 58–81 kWh battery. On a standard 120-volt outlet, the same commute takes about 10 hours to replace.
Is a regular 120-volt outlet enough to charge an EV?
For short commutes, often yes. The Department of Energy estimates about 5 miles of range per hour on Level 1, or about 40 miles from 8 hours of charging. That covers a daily round trip of up to about 30–40 miles if you plug in every night.
Why does fast charging slow down after 80%?
To protect the battery, cars reduce charging power as the battery fills. The last 20% can take as long as the first 70%, so on road trips it is usually faster to charge to about 80% and stop again later.