How much does it cost to install a home EV charger?

As you consider options for charging your EV at home, you'll want to know how much installation will cost.

In this article, we'll break down the main factors that will determine the cost of your installation based on jobs evaluated by Kopperfield in 2022, serviced by licensed and qualified electricians.

We've classified jobs as cookie-cutter, complex, and extreme to help you understand price ranges.

Note: All Kopperfield installs are performed by licensed professionals who ensure proper permitting. Lower-priced jobs serviced by unlicensed handy-persons are not included in this article.

What determines the cost of a home EV charger installation?

There are three main cost drivers for home EV charger installations:

• Long wiring runs: The distance from your car's EV charging port to your home's electrical panel is typically the biggest cost factor for most modern homes.
  • Most jobs require 10 feet or less.
• Panel replacement: To learn more about this, see our article, "Should I replace my electrical panel?"
• Added complexity: Some installations require trenching through concrete and other various landscapes. Not all electricians offer to trench. We recommend discussing this with your installer. 

'Cookie cutter'

The vast majority of installations are straightforward. They're so simple that we call these "cookie-cutter" installs. Little more is needed than a few feet of wiring connecting your home's electrical box to your Level 2 home charger.

Typically, these simple installs don't require anyone to come to your house before the installation date, also known as a "site visit." And, since installs like these don't require replacing an electrical box or a long wiring run, that eliminates the two biggest expense drivers for home EV charger installation. 

In 2022, among jobs evaluated by Kopperfield:

• 9 in 10 customers paid less than $2,000 to install a Level 2 home EV charger, and
• 94% of customers booked their install entirely online without a site visit.

Complex installs

In about 7% of the jobs we evaluated, owners paid $2,000 to $4,000 to install a Level 2 home EV charger. In most of these cases, the job required a longer-than-normal wiring run from the home's electrical box to the charger. For example, some houses can require dozens of feet instead of the typical 5 feet of wiring. 

Extreme

Extreme cases happened less than 4% of the time. These were typically older houses with outdated wiring and electrical boxes. Extreme jobs can be pricey, up to $7,000 in some cases.

 In situations like this, there may be options to cut costs, such as moving the wall unit closer to the electrical panel (thereby reducing the wiring run length). 

Conclusion

While pricing in different markets can vary, this data gives you a reasonable idea of what to expect when it comes to the cost of installing your Level 2 home EV charger.

But take note: Those who've switched to home charging say that the expense is just one part of the overall equation. EV owners agree that the benefits of installing a home EV charger far outweigh the cost.