What is a Type 2 connector?

Glossary · EV charging

How a Type 2 connector works

A charging cable normally has a connector at each end. One end plugs into the car and the other plugs into the charger.^{[1]Pod Point, EV charging connector types and speeds} The Type 2 name describes the shape of the plug and socket. It has 7 pins and a built-in locking mechanism, so nobody can easily remove or tamper with the cable without permission while the car is charging.^{[1]Pod Point, EV charging connector types and speeds}

A Type 2 connector can carry single phase or three-phase power.^{[1]Pod Point, EV charging connector types and speeds} That is why one connector design covers everything from a home charger to a faster three-phase unit. Most UK homes have a single phase supply, so a home charger is normally the single phase kind.^{[3]Pod Point, Everything you need to know about charging an electric car at home}

Most electric cars now come with a Type 2 socket. myenergi says only a handful of very early models use Type 1 instead.^{[2]myenergi, How long does an electric car take to charge?} The Type 2 socket is also the one on most public slower chargers, so one cable works at home, at work and at many car parks.^{[1]Pod Point, EV charging connector types and speeds}

Type 2 compared with other connectors

The table sets out the connectors you are likely to meet. It is based on Pod Point’s connector guide.^{[1]Pod Point, EV charging connector types and speeds}

Pod Point says Type 2 sockets are found on untethered home and public chargepoints, and that you charge any type of car from one so long as you have the right cable.^{[1]Pod Point, EV charging connector types and speeds} Rapid DC chargers have their cable attached, usually with both a CCS and a CHAdeMO connector, so you pick whichever fits your car.^{[1]Pod Point, EV charging connector types and speeds}

Home charging does not use the rapid connectors. A home charger is either tethered, with the cable built in, or untethered, with a socket for your own cable.^{[4]Martin Day Electricians, Home EV charger installation in Leeds} Our page on tethered and untethered chargers covers which suits which household.

Example

Aisha in Kirkstall buys a three-year-old electric car with a Type 2 socket. Her installer fits an untethered home charger. The charger has a Type 2 socket on the unit, so she buys a cable with a Type 2 end for the charger and a Type 2 end for the car.^{[1]Pod Point, EV charging connector types and speeds}

Her friend Daniel has an older car with a Type 1 socket. He needs a cable that fits his car at one end and the Type 2 charger socket at the other.^{[3]Pod Point, Everything you need to know about charging an electric car at home} Neither of them needs a different charger. Only the cable changes. Both can find out which socket the car has in the owner’s manual.^{[3]Pod Point, Everything you need to know about charging an electric car at home}

If you are choosing a home charger, check the connector before you buy. Our EV charger installation service includes advice on tethered or untethered units and on a charging rate your car can use.^{[4]Martin Day Electricians, Home EV charger installation in Leeds} The time a charge takes is covered in how long it takes to charge at home.

What people get wrong

Many people think Type 2 means a faster charger. It does not. Type 2 describes the plug shape, not the speed. The same Type 2 socket appears on slower and faster AC chargers, and the speed depends on the charger’s rating and what the car can accept.

A second mistake is mixing up the cable and the charger. An untethered charger always has a Type 2 socket, but your cable must match your car at the other end.^{[3]Pod Point, Everything you need to know about charging an electric car at home} Rapid charging connectors such as CCS are a separate matter and only apply at public rapid chargers.^{[1]Pod Point, EV charging connector types and speeds}

The bottom line

A Type 2 connector is the 7-pin, locking plug that most UK home and public AC chargers use. Almost all modern electric cars have a matching socket, and older Type 1 cars can still charge from a Type 2 charger with the right cable. For a home charger, the real choice is tethered or untethered, and a registered electrician can advise on that when the charger is fitted.