Type 2 explained: the plug every Australian EV uses and why it matters
Every new EV sold in Australia uses the same Type 2 socket. Here is what that actually means for buying a home charger.
One of the more useful facts about buying an EV in Australia: the plug wars are over. Every new electric car sold here uses the same AC charging socket, called Type 2 (or Mennekes, if you want the German engineering name).
That single fact simplifies almost every home charging decision.
What Type 2 actually is
A seven pin connector rated for up to 22kW three phase AC. It carries the power, the ground, and a signalling pair that lets the car and the charger negotiate how much current is safe to draw.
The socket on your car is Type 2. The socket on your home charger is Type 2. The cable connecting them is Type 2 to Type 2. No adapters, no dongles.
Why this matters when you buy a charger
- You can buy any smart charger on the Australian market and it will work with any EV you buy next.
- Trading in a Tesla for a Kia EV6 does not change your home hardware. Same plug, same charger.
- Second hand chargers hold value because the connector is not going to change.
The exception
DC fast charging (the roadside stuff) uses a different larger connector called CCS2, which is Type 2 with two extra pins for high voltage DC. You do not install these at home; they are 50kW to 350kW commercial hardware. But the top half of the connector is the same, which is why a car with CCS2 can happily use your Type 2 wall unit for slow AC charging overnight.
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