03-04-2025
Home charging remains an EV draw, but rising electricity prices frustrate customers
Home charging — a selling point for electric vehicles — is increasingly frustrating consumers because of rising electricity prices and slower-than-expected charging speed, according to J.D. Power.
Charging at home continues to be important for EV owners, especially as federally funded public charging infrastructure becomes uncertain, according to the J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Electric Vehicle Experience Home Charging Study released March 25.
More than 80 percent of regular charging happens at home, according to J.D. Power.
Overall satisfaction with home charging is still high, but frustrations with charging equipment is increasing. Some EV owners are rejecting mounted Level 2 chargers, opting for slow-charging Level 1 systems that connect to a standard 120-volt electrical outlet, the firm said.
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Level 2 charger usage is highest among owners of 2022 model-year vehicles, while usage of Level 1 chargers is increasing among owners of 2023 and newer model-year EVs.
'We see a pretty good percentage of people who have determined that a Level 1 charger just simply meets their needs. They may not be driving all that much and they don't need the extra power of the Level 2 charger,' Brent Gruber, executive director of the EV practice at J.D. Power, told Automotive News.
Other EV owners are likely forgoing Level 2 chargers as many incentives from utilities and automakers expire.
One utility had a program that allowed customers to spread the cost of charger installation over several payments, rather than paying at once, Gruber said. That program, along with many others, has ended, he said.
A Level 2 charger costs $300 to $600 depending on the manufacturer and retailer, plus installation.
Some discounts are still available, but consumers often don't know where to find them, Gruber said. Eaton has a rebate finder on its website to set expectations before they install a charger.
If home charging doesn't meet consumers' cost, safety and reliability standards, 'they tend to have a bad experience, and then it just hurts the market,' said Dan Carnovale, director of Eaton Experience Centers.
Overall, EV owner satisfaction with Level 2 permanently mounted chargers fell 11 points from a year earlier to 714 on a 1,000-point scale. Satisfaction with Level 1 chargers was flat at 581, J.D. Power said.
Customers tend to prefer Level 2 chargers over Level 1 because they have more features, Gruber said. They connect to Wi-Fi, allow customers to manage their charging to optimize cost, and charge EVs much faster than Level 1 plugs.
Charging speed 'increases satisfaction dramatically,' Gruber said. When home charging is slower than expected, satisfaction declines 141 points on average.
J.D. Power compiled the home charging study in collaboration with PlugShare, an EV driver app maker and research firm. The study consisted of 10,472 EV and plug-in hybrid vehicle owners. It was fielded from November 2024 to January 2025 and measured satisfaction with the retail price of charging equipment, cord length, size of charger, ease of winding/storing cable, cost of charging, charging speed, ease of use and reliability.
Cost savings is another major driver of satisfaction. EV owners typically save by charging at home rather than filling at a gas station, Gruber said. The average cost per-kilowatt-hour at a public EV charger was $0.342 on April 2, according to AAA. The average price of gasoline was $3.238 per gallon, AAA said.
At about 4 miles per kWh, it costs roughly $8.55 for an EV to travel 100 miles. That compares with $12.95 for a car that averages 25 mpg.
Home charging is usually a better deal for EV owners than public chargers, but the average cost to charge EVs at home has increased. EV owners said they spent $58 on electricity to power their EVs in March, up $2 from a year earlier.
Frustration with charging cost 'may represent post-pandemic consumer weariness with pricing, along with the uncertainty of potential changes to federal EV support and energy regulation,' J.D. Power said in a statement.
Electricity cost varies across the country. At more than $75 per month, charging an EV was the most expensive in New England and California, Gruber said.
Home charging is one of the 'key reasons why people buy electric vehicles in the first place — that cost savings, the ability to take advantage of charging at home. That's part of the value proposition,' he said.
When electricity prices rise, 'the value proposition decreases,' Gruber said. 'It's a critical part of the ownership experience.'
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