Best 3 kW EV Chargers

Let’s have a look at each product in particular.

MEGEAR – Level 1-2 Portable EV Charger (16 Amp)

The MEGEAR is a 16 Amp Level 1 & 2 AC charger, which means you’ll be able to plug it into any socket from 100V to 240V. It is compatible with 2 types of wall sockets, NEMA 6-20 or NEMA 5-15.

Its charging power is rated at 3.84 kW, so you can expect it to charge a standard Tesla Model 3 in about 12-14 hours, a Model Y in about 18-20 hours. A Hyundai Kona or a Kia Niro will take about 16-18 hours.

Now these figures may look like a long time and they certainly do not represent what we would define as fast charging, however bear in mind that we’re talking 1% to 100% and think about this: If you get home at 6PM and plug in your car then you leave at 8 AM in the morning, that’s 14 hours plugged in which will give the charger plenty of time to get your car up to 100% because obviously you’ll not be constantly getting home with 2% charge left in your car, unless you like to live dangerously.

The cable is long enough because it measures 25 Feet (about 7.6 meters) and it plugs into a J1772 charging connector which is universal to North American EVs with the exception of Tesla cars which come with an adapter.

This is a portable EV Charger, you can take it everywhere with you, it is IP55 rated, which means that it doesn’t matter if it rains on it or if you splash it with water. It’s not a smart charger, there’s no WiFi connectivity, smartphone app or Alexa integration. It just has the basic safety features like overcurrent and overvoltage protection.

The MEGEAR uses 4 LEDs to tell you whether it is charging, if it is powered on or if there is a fault. Every MEGEAR charger comes with a 1-year no-hassle warranty.

PRIMECOM – Level 2 Portable EV Charger (16 Amp)

Then there is our second 3kW charger, thePRIMECOM Level 2 Portable 16-Amp which also has a charging power of 3.84 kw. This is purely a Level 2 charger so you will need to plug it into a 220V-240V socket, however the number of plugs it can connect to is quite large: NEMA 14-30, NEMA 10-30, NEMA 14-50, NEMA 6-20. The part that plugs in your car charging port is a J1772 connector.

What we like about this charger is that you can buy it with either a 30-feet charging cable or a 50-feet cable. Even the shorter version is longer than most of the cables that you get with a 3 kW EV charger in this price range. This is a very welcome bonus since all the chargers sold in North America are tethered chargers which have their cables attached to them so they can’t be disconnected and replaced.

This is not a smart charger either, there’s no connectivity or smartphone app, however it also has an LCD display, which the MEGEAR does not and on it you will find information on the circuit breaker limit, the actual amperage, the voltage at which it is charging, the charging level of the electric vehicle batteries, how much energy has been delivered to the electric car and the actual charging power along with the temperature of the unit.

The unit is IP55 rated for being waterproof and this home EV charger manufacturer offers a 1-Year No-Hassle warranty.

Lectron – Level 2 Portable EV Charger (16 Amp)

Our third 3 kW EV Charger is the Lectron Level 2 Portable 16-Amp. This is also a pure Level 2 charger, so you can only connect it to 240V outlets. It can plug into NEMA 10-30 and NEMA 6-20 wall sockets. It also has a charging power of 3.86 kW so you can expect the same charging times that we listed for the MEGEAR.

The cable is shorter than average, measuring just 21 feet or about 6.4 meters. This is a full 9 feet less than the shortest PRIMECOM and it some case just might make a difference.

This one uses a Duosida style control box with 4 LED lights to show you whether the charger is connected, if it is delivering power to the car or if there is a fault. It’s not a smart charger, you don’t get any kind of wifi connectivity or smartphone app so you won’t be able to program its charging schedule, but you’re really likely to find that feature built in your smart EV or plug-in hybrid car.

Lectron will offer you a 1-Year warranty on this charger and I could not find any mention of the IP rating for the device, however we do know here that the Duosida control box is IP55 rated, don’t take it as a guarantee just as a guideline.

Morec – Level 1-2 Portable EV Charger (16 Amp)

The Morec Level 1 & 2 portable charger is our last 3 kW Charger that we’re going to be reviewing here. It too has a charging power of 3.84 kW (Which by the way stands for kilowatts, a unit of measurement for electrical power) with the device being able to achieve the same charging times as the rest of the ones listed here. It plugs into a NEMA 6-20 wall socket and it can work on an outlet that’s anywhere between 100V and 240V. This kind of flexibility is good to have because maybe you don’t want to upgrade or change the wall socket in your garage and the charging time is good enough for you.

Unlike the Lectron, this one has a cable that is long enough, measuring 26 feet (about 7.9 meters), but whenever the cable is too short, you can just buy an extra extension cord.

It is business as usual with this electric vehicle charger, no smart features, no connectivity or smartphone app. There’s 3 LED lights that tell you if it is charging, if there’s a fault and that’s it. This one is the lightest of them all weighing just 6.14 lbs which makes it perfect for charging at home or at work. This is the main advantage of this form factor, the fact that you don’t have to have an ev charging station everywhere you go.

But even though it is so light, the outside is still tough because it is IP65 rated so it will easily withstand splashes of water. Morec also only offers a 1-Year No-Hassle warranty.