How Much Does an EV Charger Installation Cost in 2025?

EV Charger Installation Cost Factors

Many cost factors will impact the final price of installing an EV charger in your home. You should pay special attention to the level of the charging station, the amount of modifications your home and garage will need, permit costs, and labor prices.

Charging Station Level

Residential homeowners have two options for their home EV charging stations: Level 1 and Level 2. There is also a Level 3 station, but it’s only available for commercial locations and has a price that reflects that. Here are the cost ranges for each type and some background information to help decide on the right installation for your home. 

Level 1 Charging Stations

Level 1 charging stations, or L1 stations, cost around $80 to $180 for the unit itself, plus up to another $150 for installation. However, these can be installed yourself, and they’re often given for free when you purchase a new EV. They’re the slowest but most affordable option. You don’t need a dedicated charging station for a Level 1 setup. In fact, L1 chargers typically ship with your new electric car and plug directly into a standard 120-volt AC outlet. 

You may need to pay extra to install an L1 station if your home only supports 15-amp circuits or if the plug isn’t close enough to your distribution box. In this case, you can expect to pay at least $400 to hire an electrician to set up your charging station.

Level 1 stations offer an average power output of 1.3 kilowatts (kW) to 2.4. kW, which is equivalent to 3 to 5 miles of EV range per hour. In other words, it will take more than three and a half days for your electric vehicle to fully charge using a Level 1 charger plugged into a standard 120-volt outlet. This makes them great for light use or hybrid vehicles but not as ideal for regular use of a fully electric vehicle. 

Level 2 Charging Stations

Installing a level 2 EV charging station costs about $350 to $900 for the unit itself, plus another $400 to $1,700 in labor costs. The price of an L2 station will vary depending on your home’s current electrical setup. If you already have the 240V plug needed to supply power to your L2 station, your installation costs will be on the lower side. If your home needs all new rewiring (essentially starting from scratch), you’ll be paying much more to your local electrician.

For serious residential charging of 100% electric vehicles, Level 2 charging stations are your best bet. They charge your vehicle much, much faster, making them the most practical option for all-electric vehicles that are used often. You can also get L2 stations capable of charging two vehicles at once, which can cost as much as $5,000 for the unit and another $3,500 for installation.

Level 2 chargers give your EV approximately 12 to 80 miles per hour, meaning an overnight charge typically fills a fully depleted battery. These charging stations require some electrical work. They plug into a 50-amp (minimum), 208-240V dedicated circuit and need a costly and heavy supply line from the breaker box, accounting for the price increase. 

Level 3 Charging Stations

Level 3 charging stations (also known as DC Fast charging stations) cost between $10,000 and $40,000 for the parts alone and anywhere from $4,000 to $50,000 for the installation. L3 stations also offer a massive amount of charging power—three to 20 minutes of range per minute. They also utilize an incredible amount of DC voltage (400V to 900V), which is why you don’t typically see them in residential settings.

Level 3 charging stations are only available for residential use in certain areas and have extensive permit requirements, so their exorbitant prices aren’t usually factored into the average costs for homeowners. 

Permits

Count on spending $50 to $200 on permits, especially if you are installing a Level 2 station with a dedicated circuit. The price of a permit varies by location, so check with local regulatory agencies or ask your contractor for accurate pricing. Always check with your local permitting office before starting work. Below is a breakdown of the most common prices for each section of the request:

Garage Modifications

Most garages don’t come with a 240V, 20- to 100-amp circuit. If you need this installed, it will cost somewhere between $1,800 to $2,500 to upgrade the circuit and panel. Many homeowners opt to wrap up this work as part of a complete garage remodel, particularly if they struggle to find room for the charging station. Remodeling a garage costs around $16,700 on average. Of course, many charging stations don’t need a garage, as you can install a charger outside instead of inside if you prefer, but you’ll still need the additional circuit for the L2 setup. 

Cabling, Wi-Fi, and Additional Features

The wires that run from the breaker box to the system can raise your overall cost, especially if the system needs new or longer wires. Many modern charging stations have a Wi-Fi receiver, allowing users to check charging stats from their phones, so you’ll need to make sure the charging station connects to Wi-Fi. You can easily run an extender out to a garage at around $20 to $80, but if your station is further away from your main wireless Internet hub, you’ll need a whole new router, modem, and account. 

Some chargers also allow for additional features, including an invoicing function and tracking how much energy gets pumped—both being helpful for work vehicles. There are also dedicated cable hangers, at the cost of $10 to $35 for most designs (though sturdy, wall-mounted options can exceed $300).

Plug-In vs. Hardwired

Plugged-in, 240-volt connectors cost around $1,000 to $2,200 to install and are portable, easy to install, and less costly to repair than hardwired connectors, which cost $850 to $1,800 on average. Hardwired connectors for EV chargers are directly connected to your home’s electrical wiring. Since it’s wired directly into your electrical circuit, you can’t move hardwired connectors like you can with plugged-in connectors.

Indoor vs. Outdoor

Indoor installation prices can be as much as $1,000 less than outdoor installations. Outdoor stations need to be more weather-resistant than indoor stations, and some outdoor locations are farther away from home, requiring customized cable lengths. The extra security typically involves a holster for protecting the cable, though some homeowners might opt for building a roof over their outdoor charging station to further protect it from the elements.

Location

Though costs for an electric vehicle station range from $160 to $50,000, geographic location plays a major role in determining the total price. According to data from the EV Project, a governmental project run by the Department of Energy responsible for deploying more than 12,000 commercial and residential charging stations, L2 EV chargers tend to cost as much as $1,000 more in the West Coast when compared to states in the Southeast. 

Labor

For Level 1 stations, labor costs anywhere from $0 (if you just use a standard wall outlet) to $400 for more complex setups. Level 2 stations typically require a dedicated local electrician, with costs to hire an electrician ranging from $400 to $1,700. Level 3 stations are for commercial and public use but are incredibly labor-intensive and complex, costing as much as $50,000 for labor. 

Cost to Charge an Electric Vehicle

Electric vehicles cost anywhere from $0.11 to $0.79 per kWh to charge. This price range varies depending on whether you’re charging at home or a public charging station.

At Home

The average EV battery capacity ranges from 18kWh to 100kWh, with most vehicles averaging 40kWh. Electricity varies depending on your location, but according to the U.S. Energy Information Association, the national average for residential electricity rates falls around $0.17 per kWh. This means you’ll pay approximately $6.80 to fully charge a typical EV at home or anywhere from $3.05 to $17. 

Public Charging Stations

There are a few common pricing models for public charging stations that can impact how much you’ll pay to fill up your car:

• Pay as you go: These public charging stations charge $0.28 to $0.79 per kWh or $7 to $36 for a complete fill-up for a small car with a battery capacity of 40 kWh. EVs with a max battery capacity of 100 kWh will cost $28 to $79 to fully charge. 

• Monthly subscriptions: Some providers offer a charging network through a mobile app that enables you to sign up and pay monthly to fill up your vehicle. Prices vary from $4 to $8 a month.

• Free: As the name suggests, these public stations offer fill-ups for free. You may find one of these options at your workplace as a perk for choosing an EV.

• Public idle fees: Idle fees for leaving your car connected after it’s finished charging can range from $0.40 to $1.30 per minute, though not all networks include a fee for idling. 

Does Installing an EV Charger Increase Home Value?

Electrical vehicles are a relatively new technology, so data on EV chargers adding to home value is limited. With that said, it’s reasonable to assume that EV chargers will offer some boost to your home value now, and will likely be considered more valuable as more people adopt EVs in the future. In order to get the best possible ROI from an electric vehicle charger, it’s recommended to invest in quality installation of a level 2 charging system, as these will offer the most versatile benefit to potential homebuyers.

Budgeting for Installing an EV Charger

Installing anything besides the most basic, plug-in L1 EV charger can be an expensive project—here are a few ways to reduce costs:

• Find out if you qualify for local, state, or federal incentives to install an EV charger—these can offset costs significantly.

• Research different brands and types of EV chargers to make sure you’re paying only for the features and power output that you really need.

• When planning where to put your charger, try to keep it as close to your electrical box as possible in order to reduce the costs of wiring jobs.

• Install your EV charger during other renovations, such as garage remodeling, to reduce costs.

• Talk to your neighbors about getting multiple EV chargers from the same contractor for a discounted group rate.

• Think about investing in solar panels (if the climate permits) to charge your EV off-grid and save on utility bills over time.

• Use free EV charging stations when you see them, even if you have a charger at home.

How HomeAdvisor Gets Its Cost Data

No place is more important than your home, which is why HomeAdvisor connects homeowners with local pros to transform their houses into homes they love. To help homeowners prepare for their next project, HomeAdvisor provides readers with accurate cost data and follows strict editorial guidelines. We surveyed thousands of real customers about their project costs to develop the pricing data you see, so you can make the best decisions for you and your home. We pair this data with research from reputable sources, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, academic journals, market studies, and interviews with industry experts—all to ensure our prices reflect real-world projects.