Do electric cars come with a charging cable?
Last updated: Nov 30th 2022
When charging your electric car, at home or via a public charger, you may need to use your own cable. But does your electric car come with a cable and which ones does it come with? This guide to what charging cables come with which car will help.
Do electric cars come with a charging cable?
Different manufacturers are taking different approaches to the type of cables they decide to supply with a new vehicle.
At the very least you will be supplied with a three-pin electric car charger, but an increasing number of car manufacturers are now including a Type 1 or Type 2 cables for faster home and public charging.
Most new cars use a Type 2 connection for home AC charging, so this will be the most common cable supplied if your vehicle manufacturer decides to supply anything over and above the three-pin charging cable.
Which new cars are supplied with a Type 1 or Type 2 cable?
It’s recommended you check with the dealership or manufacturer which cables are supplied. But the following manufacturers of electric vehicles usually supply a Type 1 or Type 2 cable in addition to the three-pin plug:
| Manufacturer and model | Type 1 cable supplied? | Type 2 cable supplied? | Three-pin cable supplied? |
Audi e-tron | Yes | Yes | |
Audi A3 e-tron | Yes | Yes | |
Audi Q7 e-tron | Yes | Yes | |
BMW i3 | Yes | Yes | |
BMW i8 | Yes | Yes | |
BMW 330e | Optional | Yes | |
Hyundai Ioniq | No | Yes | |
Hyundai Kona | Yes | Yes | |
Jaguar I-PACE | Yes | Yes | |
Kia e-Niro | Yes | Yes | |
Mercedes C-Class plug-in hybrid | No | Yes | |
Mercedes E-Class plug-in hybrid | No | Yes | |
Mercedes S-Class plug-in hybrid | No | Yes | |
Mercedes EQC | Yes | Yes | |
MG ZS EV | No | Yes | |
Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV | Yes | Yes | |
Nissan Leaf (Mk2) | Yes (with optional 6.6kW on-board charger) | Yes | |
Porsche Panamera Hybrid | Optional | Yes | |
Renault Zoe | Yes | No | |
Tesla Model 3 | Yes | Yes | |
Tesla Model S | Yes | Yes | |
Tesla Model X | Yes | Yes | |
Vauxhall Corsa-e | Yes | No | |
Vauxhall Grandland X | Yes | Yes | |
Volkswagen e-Golf | Yes | Yes | |
Volvo plug-in range | Optional | Yes |
Do used electric cars come with a charging cable?
The types of charging cables supplied with electric cars (and whether manufacturers decided to supply them or not) has varied a lot over the years.
If you’re buying a used car, we recommend checking online to see what cables came with the car originally. This way you can be sure whether the used electric vehicle you are purchasing should have a cable with it or not.
Forums can be a handy way of finding out what cables were originally supplied with the vehicle. We recommend SpeakEV.
However, keep in mind that the seller or original owner may have decided to keep the charging cable to use with his or her new electric car.
Last updated: Nov 30, 2022
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