What size breaker does an EV charger need?

At least 125% of the charger’s output, because a charger is a continuous load. Here is every output on this site against the breaker it requires.

Every figure here is taken from the manufacturer’s published listing and measured against the rest of the group. We do not test chargers. Where a listing is silent on a specification, this site prints not stated rather than a plausible default.

What this group looks like

The middle-half column spans the 25th to 75th percentile, so it describes where most of this group sits rather than being pulled about by one unusual unit.

This is arithmetic, not a design. The breaker figures here are the manufacturer’s published output multiplied by 1.25 and rounded up to the next standard size, which is what the continuous-load rule requires. They tell you what to expect before you call an electrician; they are not a substitute for one, and they say nothing about whether your panel has the capacity, what wire the run needs, or what your local code requires.

Against the market as a whole this group reaches about as far as average — a median cable of 25 ft against 25 ft overall. Cable length is the specification owners most often say they would change.

What these listings publish

Specification coverage is uneven, and knowing where it runs out is part of shopping honestly. A missing figure does not mean a worse charger — it means a less completely described one.

What they cost

Bands, not prices — and the charger is only part of the bill. A new circuit is frequently the larger half, and no listing prices it.

The rule, and why it exists

A circuit breaker is sized to protect the wire, and wire carries more current safely for three minutes than it does for eight hours. Anything drawing its full rating for three hours or more is a continuous load, and the code answer is to size the circuit at 125% of it — which is the same as saying the load may occupy no more than 80% of the circuit. An EV charger running overnight is the clearest continuous load in a domestic panel, so the rule always applies to it.

What that means in practice

Divide the charger’s output by 0.8 and round up to a breaker that is actually manufactured. A 32 A charger needs 40 A. A 40 A charger needs 50 A. A 48 A charger needs 60 A. A 50 A charger needs 70 A, because 62.5 is not a breaker size — which is one reason 48 A is a far more common rating than 50 A, and worth knowing before you pay for the extra two amps.

The wire matters as much as the breaker

The breaker protects the conductor, so the conductor has to be rated for it. Going from a 50 A circuit to a 60 A one is not a different switch, it is heavier cable along the whole run, and on a long run to a detached garage that is where the money goes. It is also why the honest question before choosing a charger is what the panel and the run can take, not what the car can accept.

Where this figure comes from

It is arithmetic on the manufacturer’s published output, not a design and not a manufacturer specification. It tells you what to expect before you call an electrician. It says nothing about whether your panel has the spare capacity, what the run needs, whether a load calculation passes, or what your local amendments require — and every one of those can change the answer.

Why this page exists

Every charger in this corpus publishes an output amperage and none of them publishes the circuit it requires, yet the second number is the one that decides what the installation costs. The relationship is arithmetic on a published rating — a continuous load requires a circuit rated at least 125 per cent of it — so the figure can be computed for every unit on the site. That computation is this page, and it is the only specification here that no manufacturer states.

What the arithmetic does not decide

This page gives the minimum circuit size the code requires for the charger’s rating. It does not account for the wire run, the panel’s spare capacity, the local amendment, or whether the service into the building can carry the additional load at all. Those are the questions that turn a straightforward install into an expensive one, and they are a licensed electrician’s to answer. The number here tells you what to ask about, not what to buy.

Reading the table against your own panel

The figures here are per charger and assume one charger on one circuit. Two chargers, or a charger alongside an electric cooker and a heat pump, is a question about the whole service rather than about any single circuit, and the answer is a load calculation rather than an addition. Where the panel is already full or the service is modest, that calculation frequently decides the charger rather than the other way round.

Before you buy

Ask what the panel can spare before choosing an output

A charger’s amperage decides the circuit, and the circuit decides whether the job is an afternoon or a service upgrade. In an older house the panel is frequently the real constraint, and finding that out before choosing a charger saves returning one.

Measure the cable run properly

Measure from where the charger will actually be mounted to the furthest charge-port position you expect to use — the car parked the other way round, and a second vehicle. Twenty-five feet is common and is not generous once the cable goes around a car rather than straight at it.

Treat marketing language as a claim, not a specification

Where a phrase on a listing matters to your decision, look for the number behind it: a stated output in amps rather than a sentence about fast charging, a stated cable length rather than a description of reach. Where this site could not find that number, it says not stated.

Compare them

The finder below is already filtered to this group. Widen or narrow it from there — every result shows the breaker it needs and is measured against the median for its own output class.

Your requirements

Clear all

How many amps can your panel spare?

This is the charger's output, not the circuit it needs. A charger is a continuous load, so its breaker must be rated at least 125% of that figure — every result below shows the breaker it requires.

A spare 20 A circuitup to 16 A charger · 16 statedA spare 40 A circuit17 to 32 A charger · 9 statedA spare 50 A circuit33 to 40 A charger · 18 statedA spare 60 A circuit41 to 48 A charger · 17 stated70 A or more49 A and above · 11 stated

What can you spend?

A ceiling, not a band — each option includes everything cheaper. Budget for the install as well: a new 60 A circuit is often a larger bill than the charger. We show price bands rather than exact prices, because a price captured on a scrape date is wrong by the time you read it.

Up to $20027 at or belowUp to $35039 at or belowUp to $50062 at or belowUp to $80070 at or belowNo limitall 71 products

Which plug does your car take?

J1772 is the standard connector on almost every non-Tesla EV sold in North America. NACS is Tesla's, and is being adopted by other makers. Adapters exist in both directions and are cheap; the connector is rarely the thing that decides the purchase.

J1772most non-Tesla EVs · 47 statedNACSTesla and newer models · 15 stated

How will it be installed?

Hardwired means an electrician wires it to the panel — required above 48 A and generally the tidier result. Plug-in needs a matching outlet, usually NEMA 14-50. Portable units travel with the car and run from either.

Hardwiredwired to the panel · 21 statedPlug-ininto an outlet · 21 statedPortabletravels with the car · 25 stated

App control and scheduling

Scheduling charging for off-peak hours is where a smart charger pays for itself. Where a listing does not mention an app, this site does not assume it lacks one.

Yesonly chargers that state it

71 chargers match

Sort results Best documented first Largest charger output Smallest charger output

EVDANCE Level 2 EV Charger for Tesla, 40A / 9.6kW Fast Home EV Charging Station with NEMA 14-50 Plug, 25FT Cable, Adjustable Current & Delay Timer, Compatible with All Tesla Model 3/Y/S/X (NACS Plug)

NACSPlug-in$200–350

Breaker needed

50A

Power

9.6kW

Voltage

240V

Cable

25ft

W x D x H

not stated

Weight

12lb

Check price on Amazon

Charger output

40A

Plug-in · 33 to 40 A charger · 18 chargers

Cable reach

25ft of cable

0% vs the 25 median — typical for its class

Output is 0% against the class median of 40.

Lectron Level 1 EV Charger – ETL Certified, 110V, 15 Amp, 16 ft Extension Cord & J1772 Cable – Portable Electric Car Charger for J1772 EVs with NEMA 5-15 Plug

J1772PortableUnder $200

Breaker needed

20A

Power

1.6kW

Voltage

120V

Cable

16ft

W x D x H

4×15×11in

Weight

6lb

Check price on Amazon

Charger output

15A

Portable · up to 16 A charger · 16 chargers

Cable reach

16ft of cable

-36% vs the 25 median — shorter than most in its class

Output is -6% against the class median of 16.

Autel 50A Level 2 EV Charger, 240V Hardwired J1772, WiFi Bluetooth, 25ft

J1772HardwiredSmart$350–500

Breaker needed

70A

Power

12.0kW

Voltage

240V

Cable

25ft

W x D x H

9×19×10in

Weight

21lb

Check price on Amazon

Charger output

50A

Hardwired · 49 A and above · 11 chargers

Cable reach

25ft of cable

No class baseline to compare against.

Output is 0% against the class median of 50.

Autel Home Level 2 EV Charger up to 50Amp, 240V, Indoor/Outdoor Car Charging Station, Flexible 25-Foot Cable,Hardwired, Silver

not statedHardwiredSmart$350–500

Breaker needed

70A

Power

12.0kW

Voltage

240V

Cable

not stated

W x D x H

9×19×15in

Weight

17lb

Check price on Amazon

Charger output

50A

Hardwired · 49 A and above · 11 chargers

Cable reach

Cable length not stated, so reach cannot be compared.

Output is 0% against the class median of 50.

Autel Home Smart Electric Vehicle (EV) Charger up to 50Amp, 240V, Indoor/Outdoor Car Charging Station with Level 2, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Enabled EVSE, Hardwired,25-Foot Cable,Sierra Blue

not statedHardwiredSmart$350–500

Breaker needed

70A

Power

12.0kW

Voltage

240V

Cable

not stated

W x D x H

12×16×9in

Weight

18lb

Check price on Amazon

Charger output

50A

Hardwired · 49 A and above · 11 chargers

Cable reach

Cable length not stated, so reach cannot be compared.

Output is 0% against the class median of 50.

EMPORIA Level 2 EV Charger w/NACS, Compatible with Tesla – 48 amp Electric Car Charger, Preconfigured for Hardwired Install with Whip, UL/Energy Star WiFi-Enabled EVSE, 24ft Cable, White

NACSHardwiredSmart$350–500

Breaker needed

60A

Power

11.5kW

Voltage

240V

Cable

24ft

W x D x H

not stated

Weight

not stated

Check price on Amazon

Charger output

48A

Hardwired · 41 to 48 A charger · 17 chargers

Cable reach

24ft of cable

-4% vs the 25 median — typical for its class

Output is 0% against the class median of 48.

WOLFBOX Level 2 EV Charger 48amp,Hardwired with J1772 Connector,240V(E48)

J1772HardwiredSmart$350–500

Breaker needed

60A

Power

not stated

Voltage

240V

Cable

25ft

W x D x H

not stated

Weight

13lb

Check price on Amazon

Charger output

48A

Hardwired · 41 to 48 A charger · 17 chargers

Cable reach

25ft of cable

0% vs the 25 median — typical for its class

Output is 0% against the class median of 48.

EVIQO Level 2 EV Charger J1772 48A – Hardwired 240V Wall Charging Station

J1772HardwiredSmart$350–500

Breaker needed

60A

Power

not stated

Voltage

240V

Cable

25ft

W x D x H

9×4×9in

Weight

20lb

Check price on Amazon

Charger output

48A

Hardwired · 41 to 48 A charger · 17 chargers

Cable reach

25ft of cable

0% vs the 25 median — typical for its class

Output is 0% against the class median of 48.

Level 2 EV Charger, 48Amp/11.5KW/240V, UL 2594, ETL & Energy Star

not statedSmart$200–350

Breaker needed

60A

Power

11.5kW

Voltage

240V

Cable

25ft

W x D x H

9×10×4in

Weight

13lb

Check price on Amazon

Charger output

48A

All · 41 to 48 A charger · 17 chargers

Cable reach

25ft of cable

0% vs the 25 median — typical for its class

Output is 0% against the class median of 48.

EVIQO Level 2 EV Charger J1772 40A NEMA 14-50 – 240V Wall Charging Station

J1772Plug-inSmart$350–500

Breaker needed

50A

Power

not stated

Voltage

240V

Cable

25ft

W x D x H

6×5×2in

Weight

21lb

Check price on Amazon

Charger output

40A

Plug-in · 33 to 40 A charger · 18 chargers

Cable reach

25ft of cable

0% vs the 25 median — typical for its class

Output is 0% against the class median of 40.

ELEGRP Level 2 EV Charger 40Amp, J1772 Portable Electric Car Charger, 240V NEMA 14-50 Plug, ETL Certified with 25FT Extension Cable

J1772Portable$200–350

Breaker needed

50A

Power

9.6kW

Voltage

240V

Cable

25ft

W x D x H

134×144×47in

Weight

13lb

Check price on Amazon

Charger output

40A

Portable · 33 to 40 A charger · 18 chargers

Cable reach

25ft of cable

0% vs the 25 median — typical for its class

Output is 0% against the class median of 40.

EVDANCE Level 2 EV Charger 40Amp, 240V 9.6KW Portable Electric Vehicle Charging Stations with NEMA 14-50P, 25FT Cable Adjustable Current/Timing Delay Home Electric Car Charger for J1772 BEVs/PHEVs

J1772PortableUnder $200

Breaker needed

50A

Power

9.6kW

Voltage

240V

Cable

25ft

W x D x H

not stated

Weight

12lb

Check price on Amazon

Charger output

40A

Portable · 33 to 40 A charger · 18 chargers

Cable reach

25ft of cable

0% vs the 25 median — typical for its class

Output is 0% against the class median of 40.

Show more (59 remaining)

Related

• The full EV charger finder — unfiltered, every install method.
• How we compile these figures.

Computed from the corpus on 2026-08-29.