The most important decision an electric car owner makes after buying an EV is which home charger is the best for their needs.
Here at InsideEVs, we not only present the Best Electric Car Chargers Of 2024 but also break it down further and present the best of the best (or top-rated) home EV chargers. And that’s what we’ve got for you right here.
If only the best is what you desire, then you’ve arrived at the right place. This post includes only three chargers, all of which rated 99 out of 100 on our unique ChargerRater scale. Each fall a point short of perfection for different reasons, which you’ll see on our score sheets below.
InsideEVs’ Tom Moloughney independently and rigorously tests each of these chargers for his State of Charge YouTube channel. He puts the chargers through a variety of torture tests and uses them for a couple of weeks before scoring them with his unique ChargerRater point-based rating system. As Moloughney rightfully states:
Nobody takes testing, reviewing, and rating EV charging equipment as seriously as I do.
Moloughney has tested probably somewhere close to 100 chargers (and yes, the image above is of the inside of his garage), so when he says these three are recommended and the top-rated, you can rely upon his knowledge here to be the truth.
Note: The three overviews below come directly from Tom Moloughney and each include a link to his full review of each product.
1) Emporia 48-amp
Emporia entered the EV charger scene in 2022 with a high-quality, yet low-cost 48-amp EV charger. Offered for $399.00, it was the least expensive 48-amp WiFi-connected smart charger that was safety certified.
It quickly became one of my top recommendations, based on everything it had to offer for under $400.00. There haven’t been many changes since its introduction, but now you can order the Emporia with either a J1772 connector or the new North American charging standard (NACS) connector.
The Emporia scored 99 on our ChargerRater (which ties it for the highest score ever) and you can view the full review here on InsideEVs.
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2) ChargePoint Home Flex
The ChargePoint Home Flex is the second generation of ChargePoint Home chargers. Available since 2019, the Home Flex has been one of the top-selling EV chargers for the past five years.
The Home Flex is available as a plug-in unit that can deliver up to 40 amps, or it can deliver up to 48 amps when hardwired. It’s a WIFI-connected smart charger that is Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant compatible and has the best cold-weather cable I have ever tested, making it a good choice for outdoor installations in cold weather climates.
ChargePoint recently lowered the price significantly, and the NEMA 14-50 plug-in version is now $599.00, down from $699.00, making it an even better choice than before.
Check out the full review on InsideEVs.
Note: ChargePoint advertises the Home Flex as a 50-amp charger, but I’ve found that to be misleading. That’s because an electric device with a continuous load (three hours of continuous use or more) that delivers 50 amps requires a no. 4 wire. However, the Home Flex cannot accept no. 4 AWG. The thickest wire it can accept is no. 6, which, according to the National Electric Code is only good for a 48-amp continuous load.
The two fewer amps are not a big deal charging-wise, but you should know this should be marketed as a 48-amp unit, not 50.
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3) Autel MaxiCharger Lite 50
Autel offers its MaxiCharger in 40-amp and 50-amp versions. It also has an Elite model as well as the Lite model which I selected as a top pick. The 50 amp Elite costs $130.00 more than the 50 amp Lite and offers very little functional difference, which is why I recommend getting the 50 amp Lite and saving the cash.
All versions of the MaxiCharger are smart chargers with tons of features and a good app to control the unit and view charging data. Like all of the chargers on my top pick list, it’s safety-certified and Energy Star-rated. It’s the only charger that allows you to choose either an integrated connector holster or a remote one that you can install anywhere in the garage.
At $569.009 it’s reasonably priced for what it offers. Check out the full InsideEVs review for the Autel MaxiCharger Lite.
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Tom adds that many of the 48 amp chargers on the market today come with a NEMA 14-50 plug attached. If you use them with the plug, they can only deliver 40 amps by the National Electric Code.
We recommend hardwiring your EV charging equipment regardless of its power output simply because it’s a better way to charge by eliminating a potential point of failure. Hardwiring your charger, when done by an experienced licensed professional like Qmerit, is a safer way to charge your EV.
