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Door staff@engadget.com (Calvin Wankhede) - 28 Sep 2026
Level 3 chargers are the fastest option to charge your EV's battery, but they're uncommon in residential settings. This is because they require a much more substantial electrical connection, and installing one in your home would almost certainly entail a significant electrical service upgrade. You'll typically find Level 3 chargers in commercial settings like parking lots or highway rest stops.
Level 3 chargers can add over a hundred miles of range within a single hour, making them ideal for road trips and quick top-ups. Having said that, the maximum power varies considerably between DC fast chargers so one Level 3 charger might be significantly faster than another.
The downsides to Level 3 chargers are cost and, potentially, battery longevity. While the jury is still out on the impact of faster charging on long-term battery health, sticking to Level 2 charging will alleviate that concern. The upside is obvious: Public Level 3 chargers offer the closest analog to the fill-up-and-go experience of a gas-powered car.
When looking at public chargers, you'll need to pay attention to the physical connector. North America is currently transitioning from older J1772 and CCS connectors toward NACS, which you may recognize as the plug historically used by Tesla vehicles. NACS has now become the standard for EV charging in North America and will ship on most new electric cars in the coming years.
If your car requires NACS and a public charger only offers the CCS connector, you won't be able to plug in at that location without an adapter. Some charging stations offer multiple connectors to choose from, but this isn't always the case.
The CCS/NACS issue should solve itself over time, but for now I'd recommend using an app like PlugShare or ChargePoint to find out which connectors are available at a particular location. These apps also report whether a location offers Level 2 or Level 3 charging, allowing you to find the fastest station when in a hurry.
Level 3 chargers can add over a hundred miles of range within a single hour, making them ideal for road trips and quick top-ups. Having said that, the maximum power varies considerably between DC fast chargers so one Level 3 charger might be significantly faster than another.
The downsides to Level 3 chargers are cost and, potentially, battery longevity. While the jury is still out on the impact of faster charging on long-term battery health, sticking to Level 2 charging will alleviate that concern. The upside is obvious: Public Level 3 chargers offer the closest analog to the fill-up-and-go experience of a gas-powered car.
When looking at public chargers, you'll need to pay attention to the physical connector. North America is currently transitioning from older J1772 and CCS connectors toward NACS, which you may recognize as the plug historically used by Tesla vehicles. NACS has now become the standard for EV charging in North America and will ship on most new electric cars in the coming years.
If your car requires NACS and a public charger only offers the CCS connector, you won't be able to plug in at that location without an adapter. Some charging stations offer multiple connectors to choose from, but this isn't always the case.
The CCS/NACS issue should solve itself over time, but for now I'd recommend using an app like PlugShare or ChargePoint to find out which connectors are available at a particular location. These apps also report whether a location offers Level 2 or Level 3 charging, allowing you to find the fastest station when in a hurry.