EV Won't Charge at Home: Fault-Finding Checklist

If your EV will not charge at home, work through the simple checks first before you assume anything is broken. In most cases it is a tripped breaker, a cable that is not fully seated, a locked car, or a charging schedule quietly holding the session, not a fault with the hardware. If you suspect the lead itself, our EV charging cables are rated by length and current so you can rule a dodgy one in or out.

Stay calm and go in order. The steps below move from the most common and simplest causes to the less likely ones. If at any point you smell burning, feel a hot cable, or the breaker keeps tripping, stop and read the safety section near the end first.

Is there power at the charge point?

Start at the source. If nothing lights up on your wallbox or the status light looks wrong, the circuit may have lost power. Check the consumer unit (fuse box) and see whether the RCD or the breaker for the charger has tripped.

If it has tripped once, you can switch it back on and try again. If it trips again straight away, or keeps tripping, stop. Repeated trips point to a wiring, moisture, or hardware fault that needs a qualified electrician or the charger manufacturer, not another reset. Our sibling guide on why an EV charger trips the RCD covers this in more detail.

If you are using a granny charger

A portable charger (an in-cable control box, or ICCB) has its own status lights and often a small RCD or reset button on the plug. It needs a sound, dedicated 13A socket, not an extension lead or a multi-way, and not a socket shared with a big appliance. If the plug feels warm or the socket looks worn, that is a warning sign. See granny charger not working for the full checklist, and our range of portable EV chargers if you need a replacement.

Is the cable fully seated at both ends?

This is one of the most common reasons a session never starts. The connector has to be pushed home firmly at both the car and the charge point. A connector that looks plugged in but is not quite latched will stop the handshake between car and charger.

Unplug both ends, check the pins look clean and undamaged, and plug them back in with a firm, deliberate push until they seat. If the connector is damaged, corroded, or discoloured, do not use it. If you are not sure your lead is the right type or current rating for your setup, our guides on Type 1 vs Type 2 and what size cable for an EV charger will help you check.

Is the car ready to accept a charge?

The car has to be willing to charge, not just plugged in. Run through these quick checks:

• Unlock the car. Many cars will not begin a session, or will keep the connector locked, until the vehicle is unlocked.
• Charge flap and locking pin. Make sure the flap is fully open and nothing is jammed in the inlet.
• Charge limit already reached. If you set the car to stop at, say, 80 percent and it is already there, it will not take any more. Raise the limit in the car if you need a fuller charge.
• Cold car. In cold weather some cars pause or slow charging while the battery warms. Give it a little time, and expect a delayed or gentle start rather than a dead one.

Is a schedule or smart tariff holding it?

This catches a lot of people. If the car is plugged in and everything looks fine but nothing happens, a timer is often the culprit. The hold could be set in three different places, so check all of them.

• The car. Look for a departure time or a scheduled charging setting in the car's menus or its app.
• The charger app. Many wallboxes let you set off-peak windows in their own app.
• A smart tariff. If you are on a tariff such as Intelligent Octopus or an OVO smart plan, the provider may be managing when the car charges to hit the cheap window. The session may simply be waiting for that window to open.

If you want to charge right now, most cars and apps have a "charge now" or "override" option that ignores the schedule for one session.

Could the lead itself be at fault?

A faulty lead is one possible cause among several, so it is worth isolating. If you have access to a second cable, or a public point you can try, swap the lead and see if the problem follows the cable or stays with the car or charger.

If a different cable charges fine, the original lead is the likely suspect and should be replaced rather than repaired. If the problem persists with a known-good cable, the issue is more likely the car, the charge point, or the circuit. You can browse replacement leads in our EV charging cables collection, sized by length and current.

What about error lights or fault codes?

If the wallbox or the car is showing an error light, flashing pattern, or a fault code, note exactly what it says and check it against the handbook. The charge point manual and the car's handbook list what each code and light pattern means for your specific model.

We cannot tell you what a given code means for a named car, because the meanings differ between makes and we do not want to guess. If the handbook points to an electrical or hardware fault, contact the charger manufacturer or a qualified installer.

A quick fault-finding checklist

When to stop and call a professional

Some things are not a job for trial and error. Stop and get help in these situations:

• The RCD or breaker keeps tripping. Reset it once. If it goes again, leave it off and call a qualified electrician or the charger manufacturer. Do not keep resetting it.
• A hot cable or a burning smell. A lead running mildly warm under load is normal. Hot to the touch, discoloured, melting, or smelling of burning is not. Stop charging, unplug at the source, stop using that cable and socket, and get it checked. Our guide on an EV charging cable getting hot explains the warning signs.
• Moisture in a connector, or anything involving the fixed wiring. That is electrician or manufacturer territory.

For related reading, see why your EV is charging slowly, our EV charging glossary, what to expect from an EV home charger installation, or browse all our EV charging guides.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my EV say it is charging but the battery is not going up?

Check whether the car has already reached its set charge limit, such as 80 percent, since it will hold at that point. In cold weather some cars draw a little power to warm the battery before they add range, so the percentage can look static for a while. If neither applies, try reseating the cable and check for a fault code in the handbook.

My EV will not start charging even though it is plugged in. What should I check first?

Check power at the point, then the cable, then the car. Make sure the breaker or RCD in the consumer unit has not tripped, that the connector is fully seated at both ends, that the car is unlocked, and that no schedule or smart tariff is holding the session. A "charge now" override usually ignores any timer for one session.

Could a faulty cable be the reason my EV will not charge?

It can be, so it is worth testing. If you can try a second lead or a public charge point and the car charges fine, the original cable is the likely cause and should be replaced rather than repaired. If the problem follows you to a known-good cable, the issue is more likely the car, the charge point, or the circuit.

My charger keeps tripping the RCD when I plug in. Is that dangerous?

Reset it once and try again, but if it trips repeatedly, stop and leave it off. Persistent tripping can point to a faulty cable, moisture in a connector, an overloaded shared circuit, or a wiring fault, and that is a job for a qualified electrician or the charger manufacturer. Do not keep resetting an RCD or bypass it.

Why did my EV stop charging overnight?

Often a smart-charge schedule or off-peak window ended or paused, or the car reached its set charge limit. It can also happen if the car lost its wifi or mobile connection, a brief fault auto-stopped the session, or the car went to sleep and did not restart. Check the car app and your tariff settings to see what managed the session.

The charging cable is warm. Should I be worried?

A lead running mildly warm while charging is normal. If it is hot to the touch, discoloured, melting, or smells of burning, stop charging immediately, unplug at the source, and stop using that cable and socket until it has been checked. Do not try to repair a damaged cable; replace it.