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EV & Charger

Reference

EV Onboard Charger Limits by Model

Maximum AC rate, amps, connector, the charger that fits, the breaker and wire it needs, and EPA efficiency — for every model we cover, with sources.

By Mike M.Published Last verified

An electric car plugged in and charging on a residential driveway

The short answer

Your car's maximum AC onboard charging rate is the ceiling on home charging speed, and no wall charger can exceed it. This table lists that figure for every model we cover, along with the charger amperage that matches it, the breaker and conductor the circuit needs, and EPA's own efficiency and 240 V charge-time data.

This page exists because the figure is surprisingly hard to find. Manufacturer marketing talks about DC fast charging peaks, which are a different number on a different charging path. Review sites quote kilowatts without saying whether they mean AC or DC. And the number that actually decides what you install in your garage — the onboard charger's AC ceiling — is usually a line buried in the owner's manual.

So: one table, every figure sourced, as a page you can link to rather than a widget you cannot.

Maximum AC onboard charging rates and the circuit each vehicle needs
VehicleYearsMax ACMax ampsConnectorChargerBreakerCopperEPA kWh/100miEPA 240 V
Audi Q4 e-tron2022-202611 kW48 AJ177248 A60 A6 AWG29.412 h
BMW i4 and iX2022-202611 kW48 AJ177248 A60 A6 AWG28.59 h
Chevrolet Blazer EV2024-202611.5 kW48 AJ177248 A60 A6 AWG32.39.5 h
Chevrolet Bolt EV and EUV2017-202311.5 kW48 AJ177248 A60 A6 AWG29.47.5 h
Chevrolet Equinox EV2024-202611.5 kW48 AJ177248 A60 A6 AWG31.19.5 h
Ford F-150 Lightning2022-202619.2 kW80 AJ177280 A100 A3 AWG47.914.6 h
Ford Mustang Mach-E2021-202610.5 kW48 AJ177248 A60 A6 AWG30.79.6 h
GMC Hummer EV2022-202619.2 kW80 AJ177280 A100 A3 AWG65.111.2 h
Hyundai Ioniq 52022-202610.9 kW48 ANACS48 A60 A6 AWG309.1 h
Hyundai Ioniq 62023-202610.9 kW48 AJ177248 A60 A6 AWG267.5 h
Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe2022-20267.2 kW32 AJ177232 A40 A8 AWG583.4 h
Jeep Wrangler 4xe2021-20267.7 kW32 AJ177232 A40 A8 AWG682.4 h
Kia EV62022-202611 kW48 AJ177248 A60 A6 AWG29.69 h
Kia EV92024-202610.9 kW48 AJ177248 A60 A6 AWG3810.7 h
Polestar 2 and Polestar 32021-202611 kW48 AJ177248 A60 A6 AWG29.68 h
Rivian R1T and R1S2022-202611.5 kW48 AJ177248 A60 A6 AWG44.412 h
Tesla Cybertruck2024-202611.5 kW48 ANACS48 A60 A6 AWG42.911.7 h
Tesla Model 32017-202611.5 kW48 ANACS48 A60 A6 AWG24.611.7 h
Tesla Model Y2020-202611.5 kW48 ANACS48 A60 A6 AWG27.58 h
Volkswagen ID.42021-202611 kW48 AJ177248 A60 A6 AWG29.88 h
Max AC rate, max amps and connector are verified against each manufacturer's published specification — the individual vehicle pages carry the source link per figure. Charger amperage is the largest standard size at or below the vehicle's ceiling. Breaker sizes are 125% of the continuous load per NEC 625.41, with EV charging classified as continuous by NEC 625.42. Copper is the 75 degC column of NEC Table 310.16 for a conduit installation; NM-B cable is limited to the 60 degC column by NEC 334.80. EPA efficiency and 240 V charge times are from the US DOE / EPA fueleconomy.gov web service for a representative trim, queried October 5, 2026 — your trim may differ.

How to read this table

  1. Find your car. If the years column does not include yours, check the vehicle page — several models changed their onboard charger mid-life.
  2. Read the Max amps column. That is the hard ceiling. Nothing you install will exceed it.
  3. Read the Charger column. That is the size to buy. It is the largest standard charger at or below the car's ceiling.
  4. Read Breaker and Copper. Those are what your electrician needs, and they are what the circuit actually costs.
  5. Then check your panel. If a load calculation says your service cannot supply that breaker, the answer is a smaller charger or load management — see can my panel handle it.

The three groups, and why they exist

Why onboard charger ratings cluster where they do
GroupRateWhy manufacturers chose it
32 A / 7.2-7.7 kWPlug-in hybrids, entry BEV trimsA small battery fills quickly anyway; a bigger onboard charger adds cost, mass and heat for no user benefit
48 A / 10.5-11.5 kWThe large majority of battery EVs11 kW is roughly what a 60 A residential circuit delivers, which is the largest circuit most houses can spare. The convergence is not a coincidence
80 A / 19.2 kWF-150 Lightning ER, Hummer EV 2024+, Equinox EV 19 kW optionVery large batteries where overnight charging is genuinely the constraint — and where bidirectional home power is also on offer
The middle group exists because of the houses, not the cars. 11 kW is what a 60 A circuit gives you, and a 60 A circuit is what a typical US service can spare. Manufacturers designed to the grid they were plugging into.

AC and DC are different numbers on different paths

The most common confusion this table resolves. An 800-volt Kia EV6 can take over 200 kW on a DC fast charger and 11 kW from your wall. Those are not inconsistent figures — they describe two physically different charging paths.

The two charging paths
PathWhereGoes throughTypical power
ACYour home charger, public Level 2The car's onboard charger1.4 to 19.2 kW
DCPublic DC fast chargersStraight to the battery, bypassing the onboard charger50 to 350+ kW
Per the US DOE, Level 2 AC charging adds approximately 25 miles of range per hour and DC fast charging 100 to 200+ miles per 30 minutes. A home charger is always AC, which is why the onboard charger's rating is the figure that governs your garage.
Why a bigger charger stops helpingBar chart comparing delivered power at 32, 40 and 48 amps against a vehicle onboard charger limit of 7.7 kilowatts, showing the surplus is wasted.32 A7.7 kW offered7.7 kW40 A9.6 kW offered7.7 kW48 A11.5 kW offered7.7 kWcar's onboard limit7.7 kW / 32 AShaded area above the line is capacity you paid for and cannot use. For a 32 A car, the 48 A charger adds cost, a bigger breaker and thicker wire — and no speed.
The lower of the two numbers always wins. Past the car's onboard limit, extra charger amps deliver nothing.

Model year and trim are the traps

Several of the cars in this table changed their onboard charger without changing their name:

  • Chevrolet Bolt EV and EUV went from 7.2 kW to 11.5 kW for the 2022 model year.
  • GMC Hummer EV went from 11.5 kW to 19.2 kW for the 2024 model year.
  • Tesla Model 3 carries 11.5 kW on Premium and Performance trims and 7.7 kW on the entry Standard RWD.
  • Audi Q4 e-tron is 11 kW on the 40, 45 and 50 and 7.2 kW on the Q4 35.
  • Chevrolet Equinox EV was sold with either an 11.5 kW or a 19.2 kW charger — EPA lists them as separate vehicles with charge times of 9.5 and 5.9 hours.
  • Hyundai Ioniq 5 changed its connector rather than its rate, moving to a native NACS port from the 2025 model year.

Each of those is on the relevant vehicle page with its source. If you are about to pay an electrician, five minutes confirming your own trim is time well spent.

How to confirm your own car's figure

  1. The owner's manual charging chapter. It states the maximum AC charging power, usually in kW.
  2. The manufacturer's specification page for your trim and model year.
  3. The car's charging screen when plugged into a charger rated above its ceiling — it will display its own limit.
  4. fueleconomy.gov, which publishes a 240 V charge time per trim and in some cases names the onboard charger directly.

What this table does not tell you

  • DC fast charging rates. Different path, different number, irrelevant to your garage.
  • Whether your panel can supply the breaker. That needs a load calculation.
  • Voltage drop on a long run, which can require a conductor larger than the ampacity minimum.
  • Your specific trim, where a model offers more than one onboard charger. The vehicle pages cover those.

FAQ

Questions people actually ask

What is an EV onboard charger?

The hardware inside the car that converts AC from your wall into the DC the battery stores. Its rating is the hard ceiling on home charging speed — no wall charger can exceed it, because the conversion happens in the car.

Where do I find my car's maximum AC charging rate?

The owner's manual charging chapter, the manufacturer's specification page for your trim, or the car's own charging display when plugged into a charger rated above its ceiling. This table lists it for every model we cover, with the source.

Why can my car take 200 kW at a fast charger but only 11 kW at home?

Because they are different paths. DC fast charging bypasses the onboard charger and feeds the battery directly. AC charging — which is what every home charger does — goes through the onboard charger, and that is where the 11 kW limit lives.

Will a charger rated above my car's limit hurt it?

No. The car and charger negotiate before any current flows and the car never draws more than its onboard charger accepts. The cost is financial, not mechanical: you pay for a bigger breaker and heavier conductors to deliver current the car cannot take.

Which cars accept 80 amps?

The Ford F-150 Lightning with the Extended Range pack, the GMC Hummer EV from the 2024 model year, and the Chevrolet Equinox EV when ordered with the 19.2 kW charger. All three need a 100 A circuit to use it fully, which most houses cannot spare.

Does a higher onboard charger rating mean faster DC fast charging?

No, they are independent. The Chevrolet Bolt has a 11.5 kW onboard charger and a DC limit around 55 kW; the Kia EV6 has an 11 kW onboard charger and a DC peak over 200 kW. The onboard charger governs AC only.

Sources

What we checked this against

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