EV charger types and cost in Melbourne

The plug is the same, the charger is not

In Australia, every new EV uses a Type 2 connector for AC charging at home. Tesla, BYD, MG, Kia, Hyundai, Polestar, BMW and the rest all share it, so any charger with a Type 2 plug will physically connect to any car. That is the good news, and it means the choice is never about the plug.

What differs is everything behind the plug: how much power the charger can deliver, whether the cable is attached, and whether the charger is smart enough to work with your solar, your tariff and your switchboard. Those three things decide what you should buy and what it will cost.

One thing to clear up first. The cable that came with your car, the one that plugs into a normal power point, is a portable charger, not a home charger. It draws 10 amps and adds roughly 10 to 15 km of range per hour. It is fine as a backup. A proper wall charger is three to nine times faster and, more importantly, is on its own protected circuit instead of sharing a power point with the freezer.

Speed: 7 kW, 11 kW or 22 kW

Home chargers come in two families, and which one you can have depends on the power supply to your house, not on the charger you buy.

• Single-phase, 7 kW (32 amp). The standard for Melbourne homes. Adds about 40 km of range per hour, so an empty battery is full by morning. Most houses in Airport West, Essendon, Niddrie and the surrounding suburbs are single-phase.
• Three-phase, 11 kW or 22 kW. Only possible if your home has three-phase power, which is common on larger blocks in Keilor and Aberfeldie and on newer builds, and rare on 1950s to 1970s homes. 22 kW adds up to 120 km of range per hour, but the car has the final say: most EVs accept a maximum of 11 kW on AC, and some only 7 kW. A 22 kW charger on a car that accepts 11 kW charges at 11 kW.

The honest advice for most households is that 7 kW is plenty. The car sits in the garage for ten hours a night and is full by six. Three-phase makes sense if you already have it, drive long distances every day, or run two EVs off one charger.

Tethered or socket

A tethered charger has the cable permanently attached, usually 5 to 7.5 metres long. You pull up, plug in, done. It is the choice for most single-EV households.

A socket (untethered) charger has a Type 2 socket and you use your own cable. It looks tidier, the cable can be locked away, and it suits households with two EVs or anyone who wants to use a longer cable than the tethered models offer. The trade-off is fetching the cable every time you charge.

Smart or basic

A basic charger does one thing: it charges at full rate whenever the car is plugged in. That is fine on a simple house with a modern switchboard and no solar.

A smart charger connects to your Wi-Fi and adds three things that matter in Melbourne:

• Solar charging. The charger watches what your panels are exporting and charges the car with the excess instead of sending it to the grid for a few cents.
• Scheduling. Charge only during a cheap overnight EV tariff, or only when the sun is out, without touching the car.
• Load management. The charger measures the whole house and backs off when the oven, air conditioner or hot water is running, so the main switch never trips. This is what makes a 7 kW charger safe on an older single-phase supply that could not otherwise take it.

Smart chargers cost more, but if you have solar or an EV tariff the difference pays for itself within a year or two.

Tesla, Zappi, Wallbox and Ocular compared

These are the chargers we install most often across Melbourne's north-west.

We also install BYD, Fronius and other brands on request, and we will tell you plainly if the charger you have in mind is a poor fit for your house.

What it costs in Melbourne

Prices below are typical ranges for Melbourne homes as at 6 September 2026, supplied and installed by a licensed electrician with a Certificate of Electrical Safety. Your quote from us is a fixed price for your specific house, not a range, and it will not change if the job takes longer.

Putting that together, most Melbourne homes pay between $1,500 and $3,000 all up for a 7 kW smart charger installed. A simple install with a basic charger can come in under that. A three-phase 22 kW unit with a long run to a rear garage can pass $4,000.

The things that push a quote up are always the same: distance from the switchboard, digging, and the state of the switchboard. We look at all three before quoting, usually from a few photos and a phone call, so the price is right the first time.

How to choose

1. Check your car's maximum AC rate. Tesla Model 3 and Y: 11 kW. BYD Atto 3 and Dolphin: 7 kW. MG4: 7 kW on most variants, 11 kW on some. Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5: 11 kW. Buying a 22 kW charger for a 7 kW car wastes money.
2. Check your supply. Look at your switchboard. One main switch usually means single-phase; three ganged together means three-phase. If in doubt, send us a photo.
3. Decide on solar and tariffs. If you have panels or an overnight EV tariff, a smart charger is worth it. If not, a basic charger with load management is fine.
4. Measure the run. Where will the car park, and how far is that from the switchboard? This is the biggest variable in the price.
5. Get a fixed quote. Send us the car model, a photo of the switchboard and a photo of where the charger will go. We come back within two hours with a fixed price.