How long does it take to charge an electric car at home?

On a 7 kW wallbox, a 60 kWh battery goes from 20 to 80 percent in about 5 h 25, and from nearly empty to full overnight. On a portable cable from a wall socket it takes three to four times as long, which still covers most daily driving.

How long does a DC fast charger take?

For a 60 kWh battery, 20 to 80 percent takes about 48 min on a 60 kW charger and about 24 min on a 120 kW charger, if the car can accept that much.

Why does my car charge slower than the charger's rating?

Because the car sets the limit. Every car has a maximum AC rate and a maximum DC rate, and it also slows down as the battery fills, when the battery is very hot or very cold, and when two cars share one charger.

Should I charge to 100 percent at a fast charger?

Only if you need the range to reach the next charger. Above about 80 percent a fast charger slows sharply, so the time is better spent driving.

Can every electric car use a fast charger?

No. A car needs a DC port. Most electric cars sold in Pakistan have a CCS2 port, but some of the smallest city cars charge on AC only. The connector guide explains the plugs.

How long does it take to charge an electric car in Pakistan?

It depends on two things: how fast the charger is, and how fast the car will accept it. A typical electric car takes a night to fill at home and about half an hour to go from 20 to 80 percent on a fast charger. This guide gives the times for each kind of charger, then for the cars people actually drive here.

The short answer

Take a 60 kWh battery, which is the middle of the market, and charge it from 20 to 80 percent. That is 36 kWh.

Charger	Power	20 to 80 percent
Portable cable on a wall socket	about 2 kW	18 h 57
Home wallbox	7 kW	5 h 25
Public AC charger	22 kW, if the car accepts it	1 h 43
DC fast charger	60 kW	48 min
DC fast charger	120 kW	24 min
DC fast charger	180 kW	16 min

The sum behind every row is the same: energy needed, divided by power. The times above also allow for charging slowing down as the battery fills.

Why the times are for 20 to 80 percent

A battery does not fill at one steady speed. It accepts the most power when it is fairly empty and less as it fills, and above about 80 percent a fast charger slows to a fraction of its headline rate. The last fifth can take about as long as the three fifths before it.

So on a trip, the quick way is to arrive low, charge to about 80 percent and drive on. At home none of this matters. The car has all night, and charging to full on a wallbox is gentle.

The car has a limit too

A charger can only give what the car will take, and every car has two limits.

On AC, the limit is the car's onboard charger. Home wallboxes and public AC chargers feed alternating current, and a unit inside the car converts it. Most cars here take 6.6 to 11 kW. Plug a 7 kW car into a 22 kW public AC charger and it still charges at 7 kW.

On DC, the limit is the battery. A fast charger bypasses the onboard unit and feeds the battery directly, up to the rate the car allows. A car that accepts 70 kW charges at 70 kW on a 180 kW charger.

Some cars have no DC port at all. 1 of the 71 electric cars on sale here charges on AC only: the GUGO GIGI. It cannot use a motorway fast charger.

Charging times for popular cars

Car	Battery	Home wallbox, 7 kW	DC 60 kW	DC 120 kW	The car's DC limit
BYD Atto 3	49.9 kWh	4 h 30	40 min	34 min	70 kW
MG ZS EV	72.6 kWh	6 h 33	58 min	38 min	92 kW
BYD Seal	82.6 kWh	7 h 27	66 min	33 min	150 kW
BYD Atto 2	45.1 kWh	4 h 04	36 min	33 min	65 kW
BYD Sealion 7	82.6 kWh	7 h 27	66 min	33 min	150 kW
MG4 EV	43 kWh	3 h 53	34 min	25 min	82 kW
Jaecoo J5 EV	49.5 kWh	4 h 28	40 min	20 min	130 kW
Kia EV5	88.1 kWh	7 h 57	70 min	35 min	141 kW
XPeng G6	80.8 kWh	7 h 17	65 min	32 min	451 kW
Deepal S07 EV	66.8 kWh	6 h 02	rate not published	rate not published	not published
Dongfeng Box	42.3 kWh	4 h 03	rate not published	rate not published	not published
Honri Ve	29.9 kWh	rate not published	rate not published	rate not published	not published

All times are 20 to 80 percent, for the largest battery each car is sold with. Where a maker publishes no charging rate for the car sold here, the table says so and does not guess. The charging time calculator has every car on sale, and each car's own page has its full table.

What the chargers here can deliver

Sarai lists 91 public DC fast chargers in Pakistan.

100 kW or more: 57 chargers. These fill most cars to 80 percent in 20 to 35 minutes.
50 to 99 kW: 34 chargers. Plan on 40 minutes to an hour. The fastest on the list is Chakri Service Area North Bound (M-2), at 360 kW in Rawalpindi. The charger map shows the power of every charger, and each route page lists the chargers along a motorway in driving order.

How to make a charging stop shorter

Arrive with a low battery. A battery at 15 percent charges faster than one at 50.
Leave at about 80 percent. Unless the next charger is far, the last fifth is the slowest part.
Match the charger to the car. A car limited to 60 kW gains nothing from a 180 kW charger, and the faster charger may cost more.
Check the charger before you set off. The Sarai app shows live status on Sarai chargers, and each charger's page lists its hours.
Top up at home. A car that leaves home full needs one stop fewer.

Sources

Motor1, Why EV charging slows near 100 percent: the US Department of Energy and NREL on the taper above 80 percent.
J.D. Power, What is DC fast charging?: why the rate slows above 80 percent.
BYD Pakistan (Mega Motor Company), a guide to electric mobility: the Atto 3 takes DC at up to 70 kW.
CarExpert, 2025 BYD Atto 3 specs: a 7 kW onboard charger.
NEPRA, September 2021: draft chapter on public EV charging stations for the Consumer Service Manual: connectors to IEC 62196, Type 2 for AC and CCS2 for DC.