How fast do electric cars really charge?

The adoption of electric cars has been on the rise, with manufacturers investing more money in their development and customers increasingly choosing them over traditional combustion-engined cars. However, a significant concern for potential EV owners remains the charging question: How and where will I charge my electric car? How long will it take? And is the necessary infrastructure in place?

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While many EV owners rely on home charging, others don’t have this option, and the availability of urban charging infrastructure on residential streets is still limited. For such cases, public DC rapid charging stations play a crucial role, and their charging capabilities vary significantly from one electric car to another.

Testing Electric Car Charging Speeds

To determine the fastest-charging electric cars available in 2023, our team has conducted benchmark testing of the rapid-charge performance of all electric cars that underwent our full road test. The results revealed several essential facts. Firstly, the actual charging speed of an electric car can differ significantly from the claimed peak rate on the spec sheet, especially when considering the average charging rate across the full breadth of the available battery capacity. Additionally, as EV batteries approach full capacity, their rapid charging rate tends to slow down. However, some electric cars experience a more considerable drop in charging speed compared to others.

Our approach to rapid charge testing is straightforward. We use a rapid charger with sufficient capacity to match the test car’s peak charging rate and observe and record the power drawn by the car as it reaches various state-of-charge (SOC) levels (10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, and 90%).

Considering that EV owners mainly use rapid charging to extend their car’s range for a particular journey rather than for regular charging habits, our test results are weighted accordingly. Charging rates around 50% SOC are given three times more importance in our aggregated charge rate result compared to rates at either 10% or 90%. Similarly, rates at 70% and 30% SOC carry twice the significance as those at the battery’s extreme charge levels.

Top 10 Fastest-Charging Electric Cars on Sale 2023

Based on our benchmark testing, here are the top 10 fastest-charging electric cars available in 2023:

1. Porsche Taycan GTS Sport Turismo (2023)

Claimed peak rate: 270kW
Peak rate on test: 263kW
Weighted average test charge rate: 198kW
Usable battery capacity: 83.7kWh
Indicative charging wait, 10%-90% SOC: 22.2min
Test charger: Ads-tec/Porsche Engineering HBD 1120, operated by Porsche
Test charge conditions: dry, 22deg C

2. Audi E-tron GT Vorsprung (2023)

Claimed peak rate: 270kW
Peak rate on test: 248kW
Weighted average test charge rate: 189kW
Usable battery capacity: 83.7kWh
Indicative charging wait, 10%-90% SOC: 22.8min
Test charger: Tritium TRI 121-350, operated by Gridserve
Test charge conditions: dry, 7deg C

3. Hyundai Ioniq 6 RWD Ultimate (2023)

Claimed peak rate: 233kW
Peak rate on test: 229kW
Weighted average test charge rate: 180kW
Usable battery capacity: 77.0kWh
Indicative charging wait, 10%-90% SOC: 22.2min
Test charger: Tritium TRI 121-350, operated by Gridserve
Test charge conditions: dry, 13deg C

4. Tesla Model S Plaid (2023)

Claimed peak rate: 250kW
Peak rate on test: 254kW
Weighted average test charge rate: 151kW
Usable battery capacity: 97kWh (est)
Indicative charging wait, 10%-90% SOC: 32.6min
Test charger: V3 Supercharger, operated by Tesla
Test charge conditions: dry, 18deg C

5. BMW i7 xDrive60 M Sport (2023)

Claimed peak rate: 195kW
Peak rate on test: 196kW
Weighted average test charge rate: 148kW
Usable battery capacity: 101.7kWh
Indicative charging wait, 10%-90% SOC: 34.1min
Test charger: Tritium TRI 121-350, operated by Gridserve
Test charge conditions: dry, 8deg C

6. Mercedes EQE 350+ AMG Line Premium (2022)

Claimed peak rate: 170kW
Peak rate on test: 165kW
Weighted average test charge rate: 131kW
Usable battery capacity: 90.6kWh
Indicative charging wait, 10%-90% SOC: 35.1min
Test charger: Tritium TRI 121-350, operated by Gridserve
Test charge conditions: dry, 13deg C

7. Volkswagen ID Buzz SWB Style Pro (2023)

Claimed peak rate: 170kW
Peak rate on test: 185kW
Weighted average test charge rate: 114kW
Usable battery capacity: 77.0kWh
Indicative charging wait, 10%-90% SOC: 31.6min
Test charger: Tritium TRI 121-350, operated by Gridserve
Test charge conditions: dry, 9deg C

8. MG Motor 4 Long Range SE (2023)

Claimed peak rate: 135kW
Peak rate on test: 139kW
Weighted average test charge rate: 109kW
Usable battery capacity: 61.7kWh
Indicative charging wait, 10%-90% SOC: 29.7min
Test charger: ABB HP CP500 CJ, operated by Gridserve
Test charge conditions: light rain, 4deg C

9. Volvo C40 Recharge Plus, Single Motor (2023)

Claimed peak rate: 150kW
Peak rate on test: 134kW
Weighted average test charge rate: 104kW
Usable battery capacity: 67.0kWh
Indicative charging wait, 10%-90% SOC: 32.6min
Test charger: Tritium TRI 121-350, operated by Gridserve
Test charge conditions: dry, 14deg C

10. Polestar 2 BST Edition 270 (2023)

Claimed peak rate: 150kW
Peak rate on test: 150kW
Weighted average test charge rate: 97kW
Usable battery capacity: 75.0kWh
Indicative charging wait, 10%-90% SOC: 39.4min
Test charger: Alpitronic HYC 150, operated by Instavolt
Test charge conditions: light rain, 12deg C

Conclusion

As the EV market continues to grow, understanding the real-world charging capabilities of electric cars becomes crucial for potential buyers. The ranking of the top 10 fastest-charging electric cars in 2023 reveals significant differences in charging speeds between various models. This information empowers consumers to make informed decisions based on their charging needs and preferences.

With technological advancements and increasing investments in EV charging infrastructure, the charging experience for electric car owners is expected to improve further, reducing charging times and making electric vehicles an even more viable and practical choice for everyday use.