⚡ EV charger & meter cupboard

Charging your car at home: what does it ask of your meter cupboard?

The Netherlands counts around 667,000 home chargers in early 2026 — with more added every month. Whether one phase is enough or 3-phase pays off depends on your car and how you drive. We'll explain it honestly.

Single phase or 3-phase: the difference in charging speed

The difference lies in the power your connection can handle.

Charging on a single phase

max. ± 3.7 kW

On a single phase you typically charge at about 3.7 kW (16A). With a 32A circuit 7.4 kW is possible, but that puts a lot of strain on one phase and often doesn't fit within your connection.

Charging on 3 phases

11 kW (3×16A)

On 3 phases you charge at 11 kW — about three times as fast. The load is also neatly spread across three phases.

Quick math: a 60 kWh battery is full in under 6 hours at 11 kW — just a night at the charger, and you leave in the morning with a full battery.

What does an EV charger need?

A dedicated circuit

An EV charger is a heavy consumer that draws full power for hours. That's why it always gets its own circuit in the fuse box — the standard requires it.

Sometimes: load balancing

Load balancing automatically adjusts the charging speed to what your home is using at that moment. You charge as fast as possible without the main fuse tripping — especially important on a single phase or a busy meter cupboard.

For 11 kW: a 3-phase connection

To use the full 11 kW you need 3 phases — in the connection and in the fuse box. If you already have 3 phases inside, this is purely installation work.

Honest advice

Sometimes one phase is simply enough

Do you drive a plug-in hybrid with a small battery, or around 30 to 50 kilometres a day? Then a night of charging at 3.7 kW is often more than enough — after all, your battery rarely needs to go from nearly empty to completely full in one go.

In that case we won't recommend an expensive upgrade, but at most an extra circuit for the charger. If your situation changes later — a bigger battery, a second electric car, a heat pump — the meter cupboard can still be prepared. That way you never pay for more than you need.

Frequently asked questions

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