Level 2 EV charger installation, decided properly

The site survey — and it should happen before you are quoted

A competent electrician wants to see three things: your panel and what is already on it, where the car parks, and the route between the two. That route is the single biggest cost variable on the whole job — a charger on the wall directly behind the panel is a different job from one at the far end of a finished basement or across a driveway.

Watch for: A fixed price quoted over the phone or from a web form before anyone has seen your panel. It is not a quote, it is an opening bid, and the number that matters is the one that appears after the electrician arrives and finds the run is longer than assumed.

Working out what your car can actually accept

This is the step most buyers skip and most sellers skip with them. The charger does not decide how fast your car charges — the vehicle's onboard charger sets a ceiling, and paying for a circuit and a unit that can deliver more than that ceiling buys you nothing at all today. Look up your specific model and trim in the owner's manual or the manufacturer's spec sheet before you choose an amperage, because trims of the same model can differ.

Watch for: Being upsold to the highest-amperage charger available "so you are future-proofed". Sometimes that is a genuinely good call — a heavier circuit installed now can serve a future car — but it should be sold to you as a bet on your next vehicle, not as something your current car needs. Ask which of the two you are being sold.

The load assessment — is there room on your service?

Your electrician calculates what your existing service is already committed to and what is left. This is where a lot of EV projects meet their first real obstacle. It is also where the honest answer diverges sharply from the profitable one, because there are usually two ways out of a tight panel and only one of them is expensive.

Watch for: A panel upgrade quoted as the only option without load management even being mentioned. Before you accept a four-figure upgrade, read our load management page and ask specifically whether a lower charger setting, a load-management device or a load-side connection could avoid it. If the upgrade genuinely is needed, Electrical's panel upgrade guide covers what it involves.

Choosing where the unit goes and how long the cable needs to be

Mounting height, which side of the car the charge port is on, whether you ever park a second vehicle in that space, and whether you might one day back in rather than nose in. Cable length is a decision you make once and live with for a decade — a cable that just barely reaches will get pulled tight, dragged across the floor and stepped on, and that is how cables fail.

Watch for: Mounting the unit where the conduit run is easiest for the installer rather than where the cable reaches comfortably. Stand where the car parks and walk the cable to the port before anyone drills a hole. Also check the unit does not block a door swing, a workbench or the path around a parked car.

Deciding how the unit connects

Two options: hardwired directly into the circuit, or plugged into a heavy-duty receptacle. This is a genuine decision with real trade-offs in both directions — portability and easy swap-out against a more robust connection and often a higher available output. We have given it its own page rather than compressing it here.

Watch for: An installer who only ever does it one way and presents that as the rule. It is not a rule; it depends on where the unit is going and what you want from it. See hardwired vs plug-in before you decide.

The permit — pulled before the work, not after

A dedicated 240-volt circuit is permitted electrical work almost everywhere in the country. Your electrician normally pulls it, and the fee is small relative to the job. The permit is what triggers the inspection, and the inspection is what gives you third-party confirmation that the circuit feeding a car overnight was installed correctly.

Watch for: An installer who offers to skip the permit to save you money or time. Unpermitted electrical work can surface at resale, can complicate an insurance claim, and can disqualify you from utility programmes that require proof of a permitted install. It also removes the only independent check on the work. Requirements and the adopted code cycle vary by jurisdiction — your electrician and your local inspector are the authority here, not a website.

Installation day and commissioning

The circuit is run, the breaker fitted, the unit mounted and connected, and the system is tested under load. Commissioning on a modern unit also means connecting it to wifi, updating firmware, setting the maximum current to match the installed circuit, and configuring any scheduling. That current setting is a real safety parameter, not a preference.

Watch for: A unit left at its factory default current setting on a circuit that cannot support it, or set below what your circuit allows so the charging is needlessly slow. Ask the installer to show you the setting and confirm it matches the breaker they installed.

Inspection, then utility programme enrolment

An inspector visits, checks the work and signs it off. Separately, many utilities run EV programmes — special overnight rates, managed-charging enrolment, or rebates on qualifying equipment. These vary enormously by utility and change often, and some require you to enrol before you buy, not after.

Watch for: Buying the unit before checking your own utility's requirements. Some programmes only accept specific networked models, some need the install permitted and inspected, some need a separate meter. Call your utility, or check their EV page, before you order equipment — this is the cheapest hour of research in the whole project.