Charging speed: how long does it take and how much range do you add?

How to read the result

Charging time is the energy you add (your battery's usable size, scaled by its health, times the gap between current and target charge) divided by the power going in. On AC the power is flat — your car's onboard charger caps it, so a faster wallbox past that limit adds nothing. On DC the power tapers as the battery fills: it's quick to about 80%, then slows sharply to protect the cells, which is why the last 20% can take as long as the first 60. "Limited by your car" means the charger could go faster but your battery (or onboard charger) sets the ceiling; "limited by the charger" means a more powerful one would be quicker.

Good to know

• •The DC curve is illustrative, not your exact car. Real fast-charging speed depends on each model's battery and software; we estimate the limit from pack size, so treat the time as a realistic ballpark, not a guarantee.
• •A cold battery charges much slower — DC power can drop by a third or more until the pack warms up. Cars that pre-condition the battery on the way to a charger reach full speed sooner.
• •The last 20% is slow on purpose. Charging above 80% can take nearly as long as 10–80%, which is why 10–80% is the standard road-trip benchmark. A shared or load-balanced charger also delivers less than its headline rating.

Frequently asked questions

Why does charging slow down after 80%?

To protect the cells. As the battery fills, its management system steadily cuts the power it accepts, so the last 20% can take almost as long as the first 60–70%. That's why fast-charging is usually quoted as 10–80%, and why on a road trip it's faster to stop sooner and charge to 80% than to wait for 100%.

Why is home charging so much slower than a fast charger?

Home and wallbox charging is AC, which goes through your car's onboard charger — usually capped around 7–11 kW regardless of the wall unit. DC fast chargers feed the battery directly at 50–350 kW. AC is fine for overnight top-ups; DC is for quick stops on long trips.

Does a more powerful charger always charge faster?

Only up to your car's limit. On AC the onboard charger caps the speed — a 22 kW wallbox won't beat 11 kW if the car only accepts 11. On DC the battery's own acceptance limits how much it can take, especially at higher charge levels, so a 350 kW charger may be no faster than a 150 kW one for many cars. The result shows whether the charger or your car is the limiting factor.

How much range does charging add?

It's the energy you put in divided by how much your car uses per 100 km (or per mile). The same charge adds more range to an efficient car than a thirsty one, and a smaller or aged battery adds less because it holds less energy between the same two charge levels.