Home EV charger buying worksheet

Step 1. Amperage and circuit sizing

A home charger is a continuous load, so code requires the circuit to be rated at 125 percent of the charger's output, which is the same thing as saying the charger may use at most 80 percent of the circuit. These are the standard pairings; your electrician makes the final call for your panel.

How big a unit actually finishes the job works through the overnight arithmetic, and the charge time calculator turns any pairing into hours for your own car.

Step 2. Your numbers

Five figures decide almost everything that follows. Write them down before shopping.

• Vehicle make and model
• Battery capacity in kWh
• The vehicle's onboard AC charging limit in kW
• Typical daily miles driven
• Main panel capacity in amps, and how much free breaker space it has

A unit faster than the vehicle's onboard AC limit adds cost without adding speed, because the car and the wall unit negotiate the lower of the two rates. Match the unit to the car you have, with headroom for the next one only if you know it is coming. The vehicle pages carry the verified onboard limit for each family we could confirm from the manufacturer.

Step 3. Plug in or hardwired

Check every line that describes your situation, then compare the two columns.

Every model in the catalog states which it is, and the category pages split the database that way.

Step 4. Which smart features earn their price

• Charging schedules: worth it if your utility has time of use rates, because the overnight rate is the whole saving.
• Energy tracking: worth it if you split costs, expense mileage, or simply want real numbers rather than an estimate.
• Load sharing or power management: worth it for two cars on one circuit.
• Utility program integration: check your own utility, because enrollment discounts can exceed what the feature costs.
• ENERGY STAR certification: a lower standby draw, and the qualifying bar for many rebates. Certification status is flagged on every model here.
• App remote start and stop: convenience only. Do not pay much for it.

Connectivity and certification are columns in the comparison table, so you can filter to exactly the feature set you decided on rather than reading listings one at a time.

Step 5. The installed cost worksheet

Five lines, and the first is the only one a product listing shows.

• Unit price
• Electrician quote, covering the circuit, the wire run and the breaker
• Permit fee, which your electrician or local authority can confirm
• Minus any utility, state or federal rebate
• Total installed cost

For the first line, the 188 models in this database that carry a price verified at a named seller start at $100, at a median of $461. The full price breakdown by output, connector and form factor shows where a given specification lands.

Running cost is a separate and much smaller line: the energy your car draws from the wall times your rate. The charging cost calculator uses your state's current residential rate, and every state worked out already is one click further.

Step 6. Ten questions for your installer

1. Is my panel's capacity sufficient, or does this need a load calculation or a panel upgrade?
2. What amperage circuit do you recommend for this unit and this panel?
3. Will this be a dedicated circuit with its own breaker?
4. Plug in or hardwired for my situation, and why?
5. What wire gauge and conduit will you use for the run length involved?
6. Is a permit required here, and is it included in the quote?
7. Does the quote include the outlet, or just the wiring to it?
8. Are you licensed and insured for this kind of installation specifically?
9. What rebates apply, and who files the paperwork?
10. What does the workmanship warranty cover, and for how long?

With an amperage, a mounting decision and a budget, the shortlist is a filter away. The comparison table holds every model with its verified price and specifications, the brand pages put one manufacturer's whole range side by side, and the weekly price drops show what moved this week.

This worksheet is a planning aid, not electrical advice. A licensed electrician should evaluate your specific installation.

The fillable version

Everything above, as a PDF with real form fields: type your measurements and quotes straight into it, tick the checklists, and the totals add themselves up in Adobe. It prints cleanly if you would rather fill it in by hand or hand it to a contractor. It is free, and the form below sends it.