Many public AC chargers only have a Type 2 socket and no attached cable. You have to bring your own, or you cannot charge. Fast chargers (DC) almost always have a fixed cable, so you do not need yours there. The rest of this article is about AC charging.
The plug type
On the charger side, a Type 2 plug is the standard in Europe. On the car side it depends on your vehicle. Most modern electric cars also use Type 2, but check the manual before you order. You can read more about the differences in plug types explained.
Single phase or three phase
A single-phase cable uses one of the charger’s three phases, a three-phase cable uses all three. At a charger that supplies three phases, a three-phase cable therefore charges faster. Whether your car actually takes that power depends on its onboard charger. You will find it in the manual or the technical specification.
A three-phase cable is usually the safe choice: it also works at single-phase chargers, and your car decides how much it takes.
Amps and kW
Cables are rated by current, for example 16 A or 32 A. You can work out the power yourself: voltage times current, times the number of phases. At 230 V per phase that gives:
- 16 A single phase: about 3.7 kW
- 32 A single phase: about 7.4 kW
- 16 A three phase: about 11 kW
- 32 A three phase: about 22 kW
A cable that can handle more than the car and the charger does not charge any faster. The weakest link sets the speed.
A worked example
Say your car accepts 7.4 kW AC and you want to add 40 kWh. You buy a three-phase 32 A cable, good for 22 kW. Your car still charges at only 7.4 kW, because that is its maximum. That is 40 divided by 7.4: about 5.4 hours.
With a single-phase 16 A cable you are at 3.7 kW. Now it is 40 divided by 3.7: about 10.8 hours. That is twice as long, purely because of the cable.
So in this example you never use the extra 14.6 kW of that 22 kW cable. Check what your car can take first, then buy. For more on kW and kWh, see charging speed explained.
Length
Five to seven metres is enough in most cases. How long your cable needs to be depends on two things: where your car’s charging flap is and how the charger stands in relation to the road.
- If the flap is at the rear and you park nose-in, the cable has to reach a little further.
- If the charger is on the pavement and you cannot easily walk around it, an extra metre is welcome.
- A long cable is heavier, stiffer and harder to store. So do not take ten metres “just in case”.
Not sure what you need? At your usual parking spot, measure the distance between the flap and the charger, and add a metre.
Quality and safety
A cable carries a lot of current for hours. A poor cable can overheat, and you only notice when it goes wrong. So choose a cable with a CE mark and a clear statement of amps and phases on the plug or the label. A very low price with no information about the manufacturer is better read as a warning.
Also look at the protection rating against water and dust (the IP code). After all, you will charge when it rains. And check that the plugs feel solid and that the cable does not turn stiff or crack after a few uses.
Using the cable
- Plug the cable into the car first and then into the charger, or follow what the charger or the app tells you.
- Lay it so nobody trips over it and no car drives over it.
- Pull on the plug, not on the cable.
- Coil it up after use and keep it in a bag or cover.
Stop charging and replace the cable if you see a damaged plug or a crack in the sheath. Never use an extension lead or cable reel either: that is a fire risk.
When you do not need a separate cable
If you only charge at home on a wallbox with a fixed cable, you do not need a separate cable for the daily drive. The same goes if you mostly use fast chargers. As soon as you also want to top up at an ordinary public AC charger, on the road or at family, you will need one after all. More in the checklist for your first electric car.
The emergency cable for an ordinary wall socket is something else and no replacement. Read why in emergency cables and wall sockets: the risks.
You can see which plugs you will meet on the road on the page about plugs.