EV Charging · Glossary
Type 2 Connector
The standard 7-pin AC charging connector used by all EVs sold in Europe, supporting 3.6kW to 22kW AC charging.
The Type 2 connector (also known as Mennekes or IEC 62196-2) is the universal AC charging plug for EVs in Europe. All cars sold from 2014 onward use it, and all UK home chargers terminate in either a Type 2 socket (untethered) or a captive Type 2 cable (tethered).
Type 2 supports 3.6kW (16A single phase), 7.4kW (32A single phase, the UK home standard), 11kW (16A three phase) and 22kW (32A three phase). Most UK domestic supplies are single phase and limited to 7.4kW per charger; three-phase upgrades cost £2,000-6,000 from Western Power Distribution and rarely make sense for residential.
For DC fast charging (50kW+), the connector is CCS, which is Type 2 with two extra DC pins underneath. CCS is what you see on motorway rapid chargers. See our EV charger installation page.