A Type 2 charging cable is the standard AC charging cable for every electric car sold new in the UK and Europe since around 2014. It's the cable you plug from a Type 2 wallbox to your car, or from a public Type 2 charge post. If you've bought your EV new in the UK, this is the cable you need.
Connector type — Type 2 (Mennekes)
Type 2 — formally IEC 62196-2 Mode 3 — is a hexagonal 7-pin connector developed by Mennekes in Germany. The European Commission mandated it as the AC standard in 2014, which is why every modern UK EV uses it. The plug supports single-phase up to 7.4kW (32A) and three-phase up to 22kW (32A × 3). It's the same connector at both ends of the cable — Type 2 to Type 2 — for use at untethered (socketed) wallboxes and most public AC chargers.
Power rating: 7.4kW or 22kW?
The cable's current rating sets the upper limit on charging speed. A 32A cable on a 16A wallbox will work but waste your spend; a 16A cable on a 32A wallbox will throttle the charger to 16A.
- 32A / 7.4kW single-phase — the UK home wallbox standard. Buy this unless you know you have three-phase.
- 16A / 11kW three-phase — middle option for mixed homes; rare in UK.
- 32A / 22kW three-phase — only useful if you have three-phase supply and an EV that accepts 22kW (most cap at 11kW even when premium).
Match the cable's rating to your wallbox spec. If you don't know your wallbox spec, 32A single-phase covers 95% of UK homes.
Length
The right length depends on the distance from your wallbox to the car's charge port — bear in mind the port might be on the front, back, left, right or even the rear-quarter depending on the car. Add 1-2m of slack so you're not straining the cable or sockets:
- 5m — wallbox right beside the parking spot. Tightest layout.
- 7.5m — wallbox a couple of metres away, charge port on either side.
- 10m — most popular UK length. 4-8m of physical reach, useful slack for changing parking direction.
- 15m+ — long driveways, charging across a road, or sharing a charger with a neighbour.
Cable build quality
A daily-use cable lives outdoors. Construction matters more than headline price. What to look for:
- IP55 minimum on the couplings — splash-proof to UK rain. IP66 if you'll leave it plugged in during storms.
- Halogen-free woven jacket — lasts 5-10× longer than rubber in UK weather. Rubber goes brittle in winter and tacky in summer.
- 1m drop-impact tested couplings — connectors will get dropped on tarmac at some point.
- 3-year minimum manufacturer warranty — 5 years from premium brands. Below 3 is a red flag on cable quality.
Tethered vs untethered consideration
If your wallbox is tethered (cable permanently attached), you don't need to buy a separate Type 2 cable — the wallbox came with one. Buy a Type 2 cable when: you have a socketed wallbox, you charge at public AC posts, you want a spare for a holiday let, or your tethered cable has been damaged and needs replacing. See our replacement cable range for direct-replacement options.
What it won't do
A Type 2 cable is for AC charging only. Public rapid (DC) chargers — Tesla Superchargers, Ionity, BP Pulse 150kW — use a different connector called CCS Combo 2, which is tethered to the rapid post itself. You don't carry a CCS cable. If you're shopping for a "fast cable to take on long journeys," what you actually need is to find rapid charge points along your route — your Type 2 cable stays in the boot for hotel and destination charging.