EV Charging Cable Guide Australia: What Comes With the Car and What You Need

Buying your first EV? Do not assume an EV charging cable is in the boot. Some brands include a portable granny charger, some include nothing at all, and almost none include the Type 2 to Type 2 cable you need for certain public chargers. Tesla stopped including its Mobile Connector with new cars in 2024. New Geely owners have collected their cars and only discovered at home that there was no way to plug them in.

The confusion is understandable because “EV charging cable” covers three different things: the portable unit that plugs into a powerpoint, the Type 2 cable that connects your car to untethered AC chargers, and the tethered leads permanently attached to wall chargers and DC fast chargers. You will probably never need to buy the third. The first two are worth understanding before delivery day, not after.

This guide covers what each EV charging cable does, what comes with which cars, and what to spend on day one.

Which EVs come with a charging cable in Australia

Inclusions vary by brand, by model and sometimes by dealer, so treat the table below as a starting point and confirm what is in your contract. As of July 2026:

Brand	What’s typically included	Notes
Tesla	Nothing since 2024	Mobile Connector sold separately, $350–$400
Toyota	Portable (Mode 2) cable	Included with all Toyota BEVs and PHEVs
MG	Portable granny charger	Owners report the AU unit is limited to 8 amps, slower than the 10A socket allows
BYD	Varies by dealer	Some dealers include a granny charger; the V2L adapter is standard on most models
Geely	Varies by promotion	Buyers report no cable as standard; some launch deals included a granny charger
Hyundai / Kia	Varies by model	Confirm for your specific trim at order time

Two patterns stand out. Brands treat the portable charger as a negotiable accessory, so ask the dealer to include one before you sign rather than after. And no mainstream brand includes a Type 2 to Type 2 public charging cable; if you want one, you are buying it yourself.

The three types of EV charging cable explained

The granny charger (Mode 2 portable charger) plugs into a standard 10-amp household powerpoint. It delivers about 2.3kW, which adds roughly 10 to 15km of range per hour. An overnight charge recovers around 100km, enough to cover the average Australian daily drive of 35 to 38km (ABS) several times over. It needs no installation and travels in the boot, which is exactly why owners visiting relatives or camping with powered sites rate it so highly.

The Type 2 to Type 2 cable (Mode 3) has the same 7-pin connector on both ends. It links your car to any AC charger that has a socket instead of a fixed lead: many kerbside chargers, shopping centre bays, older destination chargers and some workplace units. It carries no electronics, it is just a heavy-duty lead, which is why generic versions work fine and owners routinely buy them from EV accessory retailers rather than the dealership. No, JB Hi-Fi is not the usual source; specialist online stores and some auto retailers carry them.

Tethered cables are permanently attached to the charger. Every DC fast charger in Australia has one, so you never need your own cable on a road trip. Most home wall chargers are tethered too. If you install a socketed wall charger, your Type 2 cable does double duty at home and in public. For a breakdown of connector standards, see our Type 2 charger guide; for plug types across the market, the government’s charging equipment overview is the authoritative reference.

What an EV charging cable costs

A 5-metre Type 2 to Type 2 cable costs about $150 for a 7kW single-phase version and $180 to $250 for a 22kW three-phase version, as of July 2026. Portable granny chargers from reputable brands run $200 to $500 depending on amperage and smarts. Tesla’s Mobile Connector is $350 to $400 and includes 10A and 15A tails; our Mobile Connector review covers whether it earns its price.

Buy the 22kW-rated cable even if your car and home are single-phase. The price gap is small, it is backwards compatible with every single-phase charger, and it will not need replacing if your next car or a public charger can use three-phase AC. Length matters more than most buyers expect: 5 metres suits a garage, but kerbside charging with an awkward approach angle often needs 7 or 10 metres.

One thing you should not buy is a cheap unbranded granny charger from a marketplace listing. It runs at near its maximum rating for hours, unattended, connected to your house. Certified equipment with Australian approval marks is not the place to save $80.

When you actually need your own Type 2 cable

You need a Type 2 cable the first time you pull up at an AC charger with no lead attached, and that moment is hard to predict. DC fast charging on highways will never require it. Home charging with a tethered wallbox will never require it. But BYO-cable AC chargers are common in council kerbside programs, older shopping centre installations and destination chargers at wineries and motels, and they are effectively free range you cannot collect without the cable in your boot.

That makes the decision straightforward for most owners. If you ever charge away from home and off the highway network, a Type 2 cable is cheap insurance that broadens where you can plug in. If you genuinely only ever charge at home on a tethered charger and DC charge on trips, you can skip it. Around 93% of Australian EV owners can charge at home (Electric Vehicle Council Ownership Survey 2024), but most still hit a socketed public charger eventually.

Can you rely on a granny charger instead of a wall charger?

For low-mileage drivers, yes, at least for a while. At 10 to 15km of range per hour, a granny charger plugged in every evening covers a typical commute without drama, and plenty of owners run this way for months before installing anything. Owners charging from excess solar during the day do the same thing deliberately, trickling in free energy at 2.3kW.

The limits show up quickly if your daily kilometres climb. A near-empty 60 to 80kWh battery takes more than a full day to fill from a powerpoint. Some included units make it worse: the granny charger supplied with the MG4 in Australia is limited to 8 amps by owner reports, cutting an already slow rate by a fifth. And the standing advice against ordinary extension cords means the powerpoint needs to be close to where the car parks.

A 7.4kW wall charger adds 40 to 50km of range per hour and turns overnight charging into a non-issue, at a typical installed cost of $1,000 to $1,800 for a simple job. Run your own numbers with the charger speed calculator, and see our best home EV charger guide when you are ready to compare units. All hardwired installations must be done by a licensed electrician.

What to buy on day one

Match the spend to how you will actually charge:

• You have a garage and drive daily. Order a wall charger before delivery and skip the accessories until you know what your car came with. Add a Type 2 cable with your first service if you find yourself using public AC chargers.
• You rent, or street park. A granny charger (if not included) plus a 22kW Type 2 cable covers home powerpoints and every socketed public charger, for roughly $350 to $750 total as of July 2026.
• You road trip often. Nothing extra is essential, DC chargers carry their own cables. The granny charger earns its boot space for overnight stops at motels and powered campsites.

Whatever you buy, do it before delivery. The recurring story from new owners is not that cables are expensive. It is discovering at 9pm on collection day that the boot is empty, the battery is at 40%, and nothing in the house connects the car to the wall. Browse all wall chargers and portable units on our EV chargers hub to see what fits your setup.