Power ratings, plainly

7kW vs 22kW EV charger

A 22kW charger sounds three times better than a 7kW one. For nearly every home in Northern Ireland it isn't an option at all, and even where it is, most cars can't use it. Here is the honest version, so you don't pay for speed you'll never see.

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The short answer

Last reviewed: 11 July 2026

For nearly every home in Northern Ireland, the right charger is 7kW. A 22kW charger at home needs a three-phase connection that most NI houses do not have, and many cars cannot accept 22kW of AC anyway. So 7kW is not a compromise here, it is the correct answer.

NI homes are single-phase, and single-phase tops out around 7.4kW.: A 22kW charger needs three-phase, which is normal in factories and farms, not houses. Bringing it to a home is a NIE Networks connection alteration: costly and often impractical.
The wall unit's rating is a ceiling, not a promise.: Your car's onboard AC charger sets the real speed. Most EVs cap AC charging at 7kW or 11kW, so a 22kW unit often delivers no more than a 7kW one.
7kW fills any EV overnight, and pairs with the cheap night rates.: You plug in at night and wake to a full battery, at a night unit rate as low as 17.79p. Speed beyond that is speed you sleep through.

7kW (single-phase)

The standard home charger across Northern Ireland. It runs on the single-phase supply nearly every house already has, needs no connection upgrade, and adds roughly 25 to 30 miles of range per hour. Left plugged in overnight, it fills any EV comfortably before morning. Fitted, a 7kW unit typically runs £800 to £1,500.

Runs on:The single-phase supply almost every NI home has.
Real-world:Full overnight charge for essentially every EV.
Suits:Practically every home in Northern Ireland.

22kW (three-phase)

Delivers more power, but only if you have a three-phase supply feeding it and a car that can accept 22kW of AC. Getting three-phase to a home means a connection alteration from NIE Networks, which is costly and often impractical. Most homes never have this option on the table.

Needs:A three-phase supply, rare in NI homes.
Catch:Most cars cap AC charging at 7kW or 11kW.
Suits:Some businesses and depots, not typical homes.

7.4kW vs 11kW vs 22kW: the actual charge times

Find the row closest to your car and read across. The 7.4kW column is your driveway, the home wallbox almost every NI house can have. The 11kW and 22kW columns need a three-phase supply, and a car that can accept that power, so for most NI homes they are not on the table at all.

Battery & example cars	7.4kW Your driveway single-phase, 0 to 100%	11kW three-phase, 0 to 100%	22kW three-phase, 0 to 100%
~40 kWh Nissan Leaf	~6 hrs	~4 hrs	~2 hrs
~60 kWh VW ID.3, Hyundai Kona Electric	~9 hrs	~6 hrs	~3 hrs
~77 kWh VW ID.4, Tesla Model Y, Hyundai Ioniq 5	~11.5 hrs	~8 hrs	~4 hrs

The maths. Every figure is the battery size divided by the charger power for a full 0% to 100% charge, plus about 10% for AC charging losses. It is the same convention as our how long to charge an electric car table, so the two never disagree. The 22kW column is a workplace and public-charger figure, not something you fit on a normal NI driveway.

The catch behind the fast columns. They only hold if the car can accept that power. Many cannot, which is the point below.

Two things people miss

Both push the answer firmly towards 7kW for homes.

Most cars can't take 22kW AC

The limit is set by the car's onboard AC charger, and most EVs cap it at 7kW or 11kW. Only a small number of models accept the full 22kW of alternating current. Fit a 22kW unit to a car that maxes at 7kW and it charges at 7kW, no faster. Rapid public charging is a separate DC system and isn't affected by this.

Three-phase means an NIE alteration

To feed a 22kW charger you need a three-phase supply. Bringing three-phase to a single-phase home is a connection alteration from NIE Networks: it can be expensive, involve external works, and isn't always feasible. For the money, almost every homeowner is better served by a 7kW unit that just works with what they already have.

The number on the wall box is a ceiling, not a promise

A charger's kW rating is the most it can offer. What your car actually pulls is set by its onboard AC charger, and then capped again by your home's supply. Fit a 22kW unit to a car that maxes out lower, and it charges at the lower figure. Here is how that plays out for a few common cars.

Example car	Onboard AC limit	What it means
Nissan Leaf (40 kWh)	6.6kW single-phase	Below 7kW already, so a 22kW unit charges it at 6.6kW and no faster.
Tesla Model Y, Vauxhall Corsa Electric	11kW three-phase	Needs three-phase to reach 11kW. On a single-phase NI home it charges at about 7.4kW.
Renault Zoe (ZE50)	22kW three-phase	One of the very few cars that can use a full 22kW unit, and only with a three-phase supply.

Onboard AC limits checked against ev-database.org (July 2026). The pattern is clear: the classic Renault Zoe is one of the very few cars built to use a full 22kW AC unit, while most modern EVs stop at 11kW and older ones lower still. On a single-phase NI home the whole question is moot, because the supply caps everything near 7.4kW regardless of the car.

Where 22kW genuinely makes sense

22kW is not a bad charger, it is just the wrong tool for a house. It earns its place where a three-phase supply already exists and vehicles need turning around quickly rather than sitting overnight:

Workplace car parks, where staff cars share a smaller number of faster bays through the day.
Depots and fleet bases, where vans come back mid-shift and cannot wait a full night.
Rural or farm properties that already have three-phase for machinery, where the supply cost is already sunk.

If that is you, say so on your quote and we'll route you to installers who cover commercial and higher-power work. Weighing up install cost either way? Estimate your install cost first.

Why 7kW overnight is enough

Home charging is measured in nights, not minutes. You are asleep while the car charges, so a 7kW unit filling any EV before morning is all the speed a home needs. The extra capacity of 22kW would simply sit unused while you sleep.

It pairs with the cheap night rates

A smart 7kW charger targets the low overnight window on an EV tariff, so you get both a full car and the lowest cost per charge. As of July 2026, Economy 7 nights run about 18.95p per unit and EV-specific tariffs such as Nightshift about 17.79p, versus a standard rate closer to 30p.

See which NI tariffs make overnight charging cheap and how long a full charge really takes.

Ready to pick a unit? Our best home EV charger guide covers the 7kW models worth fitting in NI.

So which should you fit?

Find your situation and follow it.

A normal NI home

Fit 7kW.

It's the practical ceiling on your single-phase supply, needs no upgrade, and charges any car fully overnight.

A business or depot

22kW may fit.

With three-phase and a need for quicker turnaround, it can earn its place. See workplace and commercial charging.

Not sure what you've got

Ask on your quote.

A NICEIC-registered installer will confirm your supply and tell you straight whether 22kW is even possible.

Get it priced for your supply

Tell us your property and we'll match you with up to three vetted, NICEIC-registered NI installers. They'll confirm whether you're single-phase or three-phase, fit the right 7kW unit for your home, check your OZEV grant and handle NIE Networks notification as standard. If you're a business weighing higher-power charging, say so and we'll route you to installers who cover commercial work.

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7kW vs 22kW: common questions

How long does a 22kW charger take?

Empty to full on 22kW AC: around 2 hours for a 40kWh battery, around 3 hours for a 60kWh battery, and around 4 hours for a 77kWh battery. Those are the maximum figures though, and two things get in the way at home. First, 22kW needs a three-phase supply, which almost no NI house has. Second, most cars limit onboard AC charging to 7kW or 11kW, so they cannot pull the full 22kW even when it is available. The times only hold for the handful of cars that accept 22kW AC.

Can I get a 22kW charger at home in Northern Ireland?

In almost all cases, no. A 22kW charger needs a three-phase electricity supply, and the overwhelming majority of NI homes are single-phase. On a normal single-phase supply the practical ceiling for a home charger is 7kW. Getting three-phase installed means a connection alteration from NIE Networks, which is expensive and often impractical for a domestic property, so 7kW is what nearly everyone fits.

Would a 22kW charger actually charge my car faster?

Usually not, for two separate reasons. First, most NI homes cannot supply 22kW anyway. Second, even with a three-phase supply, most electric cars have an onboard AC charger limited to 7kW or 11kW, so they physically cannot accept 22kW of alternating current. Only a handful of models take the full 22kW AC. For the majority of drivers a 22kW unit would charge at exactly the same 7kW as a standard home charger.

What is the difference between single-phase and three-phase?

Single-phase is the standard domestic electricity supply in NI: one live conductor delivering up to around 7.4kW at a normal home. Three-phase uses three live conductors and can deliver much more power, which is why it is common in factories, farms and larger commercial premises. A 22kW charger needs three-phase; a 7kW charger runs happily on single-phase.

When does a 22kW charger genuinely make sense?

At business and commercial sites that already have, or can justify, a three-phase supply, and that run vehicles able to take faster AC charging or need to turn cars around quickly. A depot, workplace car park or fleet base can be a good fit, as can a rural property that already has three-phase for other reasons. For a typical home it rarely stacks up, because of the supply upgrade cost and the fact that most cars cannot use the extra speed.

How do I find out if I have three-phase?

Check your consumer unit and meter, or ask a NICEIC-registered electrician to confirm. Most homes will be single-phase. If you are a business considering higher-power charging, an installer can check your supply and advise whether a NIE Networks connection alteration is needed and roughly what it involves.

Fit the right charger, not the biggest number.

For nearly every NI home that's a 7kW unit. Get vetted NI installers, grant checked, no obligation.

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