The right Kia EV4 charging cable matters more than it does on most electric cars, because the long range version holds 81.4 kWh and is certified at 388 miles WLTP. That is a lot of energy to put back, and the car meters it in at 11 kW on AC, three phase, a figure fixed across every trim and both body styles. Refilling a battery that size at the wrong rate does not slightly inconvenience you, it stops the car being charged by morning.

Body style makes no difference here at all. Hatchback or Fastback, Air or GT-Line S, the Kia EV4 uses a Type 2 to Type 2 Charging Cable, with a Type 2 inlet for AC and CCS for DC, mounted at the front of the car on the offside. The Fastback is longer and carries a different boot, and neither fact reaches the charging system.

Eleven kilowatts describes three phases arriving at once. Domestic British wiring provides a single phase, and the two that are missing cannot be conjured up by a wallbox, so the EV4 draws 7.4 kW at home. Our 32A single-phase Type 2 to Type 2 cable is the one that carries the whole of that, and it is the cable we recommend to EV4 owners. A 32A three-phase cable only pays for itself if you regularly charge on a real three-phase supply, and even then the car holds itself to 11 kW.

A 16A cable is genuinely unworkable on the 81.4 kWh EV4, and that is the single most important thing on this page. Limited to 3.7 kW, the car needs 23 hours 45 mins to go from empty to full, so a flat battery cannot be recovered in a night, or even in a night and the following working day. It adds roughly 18 miles an hour against roughly 37 on the 32A cable, which across a seven hour off-peak window is about 126 miles instead of about 259. On a car sold on the strength of 388 miles, halving the rate you can refill it undoes the point of buying it.

A Type 2 to 3-Pin cable belongs in the boot rather than on the driveway. It runs at 2.3 kW, about 11 miles an hour, so a full charge of the long range EV4 would take 38 hours 15 mins. As a way of borrowing a few dozen miles from a socket at a relative's house, or keeping the car moving while a wallbox is out of action, it is worth owning. It is IP67 sealed and adjusts between 6A and 12A for older circuits.

Kia's other electric models each have their own limit. The smaller EV3 shares the EV4's 11 kW charger, the EV6 and EV9 are the bigger 800V cars, and every model we stock for is grouped in the Kia charging cable range.

The cables are IEC 62196 Type 2 as standard, CE and TUV certified, good from -30C to 55C, IP55 sealed on the Type 2 to Type 2 and IP67 on the Type 2 to 3-Pin. Two year manufacturer's warranty and free next working day UK delivery.

Kia EV4 Charging Times by Battery

Kia EV4, 58.3 kWh, up to 273 miles WLTP

Maximum onboard AC charging speed: 11 kW, three phase

Kia EV4, 81.4 kWh, up to 388 miles WLTP

Maximum onboard AC charging speed: 11 kW, three phase

The 58.3 kWh times use Kia's published 55.0 kWh usable figure. Kia does not publish a usable capacity for the 81.4 kWh pack, so the 78 kWh behind those times is a third party figure and the results are indicative rather than official. Expect a lower figure in winter and on sustained motorway runs.

Kia EV4 Charging Cable FAQs

What cable should a Kia EV4 owner buy?

A Kia EV4 owner should buy a 32A single-phase Type 2 to Type 2 cable. The EV4 accepts 11 kW three phase, which comes out as 7.4 kW on a single-phase home supply, and the 32A cable passes all of it through. That fills the 81.4 kWh battery in 12 hours and the 58.3 kWh battery in 8 hours 30 mins, and the same cable plugs into untethered public AC posts without any adapter.

Does the Kia EV4 Fastback charge differently from the Hatchback?

No. The Kia EV4 Fastback and the Hatchback use the same Type 2 inlet in the same place, at the front of the car on the offside, and both are capped at 11 kW AC. Charge times depend entirely on which battery is underneath, 58.3 kWh or 81.4 kWh, not on the shape of the body. The Fastback is the longer car, so it is worth measuring your parking spot before choosing a cable length, but the electrical answer is identical.

Would a three-phase cable speed up a Kia EV4?

A three-phase cable speeds up a Kia EV4 only at a location wired for three phase, and the gain is real there: 8 hours instead of 12 on the 81.4 kWh battery. At a house fed by a single phase, the second and third conductors have nothing behind them, so the car still draws 7.4 kW and the extra spend achieves nothing. Buy it for a workplace or a commercial unit, skip it for a driveway.

Why is a 16A cable a poor choice for a Kia EV4?

A 16A cable restricts the Kia EV4 to 3.7 kW, which means 23 hours 45 mins to fill the 81.4 kWh battery and 16 hours 45 mins for the 58.3 kWh one. Neither of those completes overnight. It also halves what an off-peak tariff can do for you, adding about 18 miles an hour rather than about 37. On a car with this much battery a 16A cable saves a small amount at purchase and costs you the use of the car.

How much range does a Kia EV4 gain overnight?

A Kia EV4 on a 7.4 kW home wallbox gains around 37 miles for every hour it is plugged in, so an eight hour night puts back roughly 296 miles and a seven hour off-peak window roughly 259 miles. That covers the 58.3 kWh car completely from empty and takes the 81.4 kWh car most of the way. With a 16A cable the same eight hours returns about 144 miles.

How many metres of cable does a Kia EV4 need?

Work it out from the front offside corner of the Kia EV4, since that is where the charge flap is, and from the way you actually park. Nose in towards a wall-mounted unit and 5m is normally enough on either body. Reverse in, or park a Fastback in a bay where the front sits away from the wallbox, and 10m removes the guesswork. Choose 15m or 20m when the car lives on the far side of a shared drive or in a detached garage.