Tethered or socketed: choosing how your charger connects
A home charge point arrives either way: cable fixed to the unit, or a socket that takes the cable your car came with. What follows sets out what each means for your driveway and for charging a second car later on.
Read the latest updatesWhat tethered and socketed actually mean
A tethered charger has its charging cable built into the unit, fixed at one end to the wall-mounted box and ending in the connector that plugs into your car. You never handle a separate cable. You unwind it, connect it, and that's the whole process.
A socketed charger has no cable attached at all. Instead it has a socket on the front of the unit, and you supply your own cable, usually the one that came with your car, plugging one end into the charger and the other into the vehicle.
Cable length is fixed one way and chosen the other
A tethered cable comes at whatever length the unit was built with, and that length doesn't change once it's fitted. If your car ends up parked further from the charger than the cable reaches, you're stuck on that occasion. A socketed charger avoids this, because the cable is a separate item. You can choose the length that suits your driveway, and replace it later if your parking changes.
What happens if you change the car you charge
A tethered charger ends in one connector, built permanently into its cable, so it suits whatever vehicle uses that connector. If a future car needed a different one, the cable itself would have to be replaced, and on a tethered unit that usually means replacing the whole charger. A socketed charger sidesteps that: the cable is a separate, replaceable item, so a different connector is a case of buying a new cable. Connector types and compatibility across specific units are set out on the charger comparison table.
Tethered and socketed chargers compared
Each row sets out what suits the design and what to check before you commit to it, on the parking and vehicle situation you actually have.
| Charger type | Suits | Watch out for | Second car or EV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tethered chargerThe cable is permanently attached to the unit, so there is nothing to plug in at the charger end and nothing to store separately. | One car, one connector type, and a driveway or off-street space where the cable always reaches. | The cable has to reach your car's socket in every parking position you actually use, and it fixes the connector type to the unit. | A different connector on a second EV, or a future car that changes connector type, usually means an adaptor or a new unit. |
| Socketed chargerThe unit takes the cable that came with the car. | More than one EV in the household, or uncertainty about which connector a future car will use. | You supply and look after the cable yourself, and plug it in and store it after every charge. | Works with whatever cable fits the socket, so a second car or a change of connector doesn't call for a new installation. |
This sets out how each design works and who it tends to suit, not results from testing individual units. Check the cable length you would actually need against your own parking spot and car before deciding.