By EV Charge Cost Editorial Team. Published September 28, 2026, updated October 26, 2026.
Every EV can charge from an ordinary 120 V outlet using a Level 1 charging cord, and many cars come with one. It is slow, but slow is often fine: the car only needs to put back what you drove today, and it usually sits parked for many hours.
How much range a night adds
An ordinary NEMA 5-15 outlet is on a 15 A circuit. Because charging is a continuous load, it may draw 80% of that, 12 A, which is 120 V × 12 A = 1.44 kW. The table shows miles added in an illustrative 10- and 12-hour overnight session for popular models, using each model's representative EPA rating.
| Model | kWh/100 mi | Miles per hour | Miles in 10 h | Miles in 12 h |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla Model Y | 26.9 | 5.4 | 54 | 64 |
| Tesla Model 3 | 26.4 | 5.5 | 55 | 66 |
| Tesla Model S | 32.5 | 4.4 | 44 | 53 |
| Tesla Model X | 34.2 | 4.2 | 42 | 50 |
| Tesla Cybertruck | 42.9 | 3.4 | 34 | 40 |
| Chevrolet Equinox EV | 32.6 | 4.4 | 44 | 53 |
| Chevrolet Blazer EV | 35.6 | 4.0 | 40 | 48 |
| Chevrolet Silverado EV | 49.6 | 2.9 | 29 | 35 |
A 12-hour session delivers 17.3 kWh from the wall. At the U.S. average price of 18.16¢/kWh (August 2026), that costs about $3.14. The price per kWh is the same as on Level 2.
Who it works for
- Short and medium commutes. Replacing 37 miles takes about 8 h 36 min for a 33.5 kWh/100 mi EV.
- Efficient cars. The Tesla Model 3 gains 5.5 miles per hour; a large vehicle like the Chevrolet Silverado EV gains only 2.9.
- Plug-in hybrids, whose small batteries often refill completely overnight.
- Second cars and anyone with occasional access to faster charging for long days.
Where it falls short
- Long daily drives. At 4 miles an hour, a 100-mile day needs about 23 h 16 min.
- Short off-peak windows. If cheap power lasts only a few hours, Level 1 cannot fit much into it.
- Cold weather. Some of the modest power goes to keeping the battery warm, so fewer miles are added.
- Recovering from a road trip. Refilling a mostly empty battery can take several days.
Try it for a week before buying anything
The easiest way to know whether Level 1 is enough is to live with it. Plug in every evening for a week of normal driving and watch the state of charge each morning. If the battery climbs back to your usual level most mornings, you may not need a 240 V circuit at all.
- Note your longest day of the week and whether the car caught up by the next morning.
- Check how many hours the car was actually plugged in; late arrivals and early departures shrink the window.
- Repeat in the coldest month if you can, since winter mornings are the hardest test.
What about a 20 A circuit?
A 120 V, 20 A circuit allows 16 A continuous: 1.92 kW, about 6 miles per hour. Only use that setting if your charging cord supports it and the outlet and circuit are rated for it; otherwise stay at 12 A.
Safety checklist for Level 1
- Use the cord supplied or approved by the car maker and follow its instructions.
- Plug directly into the wall. Do not use household extension cords or plug adapters; see extension cords and EV charging.
- Prefer an outlet with nothing else heavy on the same circuit, such as a freezer or space heater.
- Check the plug after a long session. If the plug or outlet feels hot, looks discolored, or the breaker trips, stop and have a licensed electrician inspect it.
- Older or worn outlets are a common weak point; an electrician can replace one with a heavy-duty receptacle or add a dedicated circuit, with a permit where required.
If Level 1 does not keep up, compare it with 240 V in Level 1 vs Level 2 charging, or see what your state's electricity costs on the state pages.