Hub · Home Chargers
A Level 2 home charger is a simple box with a surprising number of ways to get it wrong: the wrong connector for your next car, a cable that won’t reach the charge port in February, or 48 amps of output your panel can’t feed. This hub is where we compare the boxes themselves — output, cable, connector, build — on published specs and verified owner feedback, never on fake hands-on testing.
What this hub covers
- Connector first: J1772 vs. NACS (Tesla) — what your car takes today, what your next car will take, and when an adapter is a fine answer versus a daily annoyance.
- Output that matches the circuit: a 48A charger on a 40A circuit is money parked in the wall. We pair every charger with the circuit it actually needs.
- Cable and cold weather: cable length, thickness, and how stiff the cord gets in an unheated garage — the complaint owners repeat most.
- Smart features that earn their keep: scheduling for time-of-use rates, load sharing for two-EV homes, and apps that work without a subscription.
Start with the panel, not the charger. The best box in the world is capped by the circuit behind it. Run the Electrical Readiness Checker first — two minutes now beats a return label later.
When you’re ready to compare specific models head-to-head, the Buying Guides score the field on one public rubric. For the running-cost side of the decision, see Charging Speed & Cost.