Most "best EV charger" lists are written for someone charging their own car in their own garage. A rental is a whole different game. The person plugging in is a stranger who's never seen your charger, may drive a car you've never heard of, and might be the fourth EV guest this month. You might want them to pay and home-charger reviews don't cover any of that.
We make one of the chargers below, and we'll tell you where it fits and where it doesn't. Some of the best choices for some hosts are other people's products, so they're here too.
What matters for a rental (and what doesn't)
Guest payment. Ask this before anything else. If you plan to give charging away, almost any solid Level 2 unit will do, and you should buy the toughest cheap one you can find. If you want guests to pay, most home chargers can't help you, and that narrows the list fast.
Ongoing fees. Payment-enabled chargers typically include a revenue share, a yearly software fee, or sometimes both. Over a few years that matters more than the sticker price.
Plug-in or hardwired. A plug-in unit on a NEMA 14-50 outlet is easier to install and swap. Hardwired units can deliver a bit more power and are harder to walk off with. For an overnight guest, 40 amps (about 9.6 kW, or 20 to 35 miles of range an hour) is plenty.
Toughness. An outdoor unit needs a NEMA 4 or IP65 rating. You also want a cable long enough to reach a car parked a little crooked, because guests will park a little crooked.
Connector. Most chargers use the J1772 plug, which nearly every non-Tesla EV takes and most Tesla drivers can use with an adapter. A few units come with NACS (Tesla's plug) instead. Mention it in your listing either way.
What matters much less at a rental: the solar and utility-schedule features that home-charger reviews love.
The quick comparison
Prices are typical US prices in October 2026, and they move around a lot. Check before you buy.
| Charger | Typical price | Power | Install | Can guests pay through it? | Ongoing cost to you |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grizzl-E Classic | ~$300 | 40A | Plug-in | No | None |
| Emporia Classic / Pro | ~$450–600 | 40A plug-in, 48A hardwired | Either | No (usage export only) | None |
| ChargePoint Home Flex | ~$540–640 | up to 50A | Either | No | None |
| Tesla Universal Wall Connector | ~$550–660 | 48A | Hardwired | Through Tesla's commercial program, Tesla app only | $0.03/kWh to Tesla |
| Wallbox Pulsar Plus | ~$650 | 40A plug-in, 48A hardwired | Either | Yes, via Wallbox app and account | 5% of revenue |
| OK2Charge | ~$800 | 40A | Hardwired | Yes, QR pay | $199/yr + 20% of revenue |
| Boba (plug-in) | $599.99 list | 40A | Plug-in | Yes, QR pay, no app | 10% of revenue |
Best if charging is free: Grizzl-E Classic
If you've decided to include charging in the stay, don't overthink it. The Grizzl-E Classic is about $300 and plugs into a NEMA 14-50. Its cast aluminum UL Type 4 housing shrugs off weather and the odd bump from a bumper. It has no Wi-Fi and no app, which is a feature at a rental: there's nothing for a guest to log into and nothing to break when your router reboots.
The trade-off is that you'll never know who used how much. For free charging, that's fine.
Best for tracking usage: Emporia
Emporia's Classic (from about $449) and Pro ($599) connect over Wi-Fi and log every session in an app, so you can see that the Saturday guest used 42 kWh. Emporia also sells Invite2Charge. It controls who can charge and exports usage data "for billing". It doesn't collect payment, though. You'd still be sending the invoice yourself, which brings back the awkward after-the-stay request. Good for hosts who want visibility, but not a payment system.
The well-known name: ChargePoint Home Flex
The Home Flex (about $599 list, often less) is a good home charger with a strong app and up to 50 amps. It was also the charger in Airbnb's 2024 partnership with ChargePoint. That discount for hosts has since ended, so compare it at full price.
What it can't do is charge your guests. It's a residential unit, and ChargePoint's paid-charging features live on its commercial hardware and network plans. Those cost more, and the driver pays through ChargePoint's app or account. If you go with Home Flex, you're effectively choosing free charging.
If your guests mostly drive Teslas: Tesla Universal Wall Connector
The Universal Wall Connector (about $550 to $660 depending on where you look) is hardwired and pushes 48 amps. It has the NACS plug plus a built-in J1772 adapter, so it works with nearly everything. Tesla also runs a commercial program where the owner sets a price and Tesla keeps $0.03 per kWh, which is a tiny cut.
The catch is that drivers pay through the Tesla app, so non-Tesla guests are left out. Tesla also has restrictions on where and how the program can be used, so read the terms carefully if you have one rental unit.
Pay-per-use options
Wallbox Pulsar Plus
At about $650, the Pulsar Plus is a well-built charger with a payment feature called Pay per Charge: you set the price and Wallbox takes 5%. That's a good rate. The guest has to download the Wallbox app and make an account before they can pay. For a guest who just pulled in after a five-hour drive, that's a lot to ask. Check that the payment feature is available in your area before relying on it.
OK2Charge
OK2Charge was built for vacation rentals. Guests pay by QR code, or you can switch it to a daily amenity mode where charging is prepaid through pre-arrival emails. It connects to several property management systems, including Hostaway and OwnerRez, which helps if you manage a lot of listings. It costs about $800 for the hardwired 40-amp charger plus $199 a year for software, and OK2Charge keeps 20% of charging revenue. On a busy property that adds up. The warranty is one year.
Boba
Our charger, so judge accordingly. The plug-in model connects to a NEMA 14-50 outlet at 40 amps. Guests scan a QR code on the charger and pay with their phone, then plug in. There's no app to download and no account to create. You set the price per kWh in the owner app and keep 90% of what guests pay. It's rated NEMA 4 / IP65 for outdoor use and has a two-year warranty with advance replacement. There's also a hardwired residential version and a heavier commercial model with a 25-foot cable.
Where it doesn't fit: if you want charging free, a $300 Grizzl-E does that job for less. And in states that regulate per-kWh billing (see the note below), our residential models aren't the right tool for paid charging.
A note on state rules before you charge per kWh
A few states treat selling charging by the kWh as a commercial sale under weights-and-measures law, even at a private home. California and New York require a meter certified for commercial billing (NTEP, or CTEP in California), and Colorado and Maryland have similar rules. Most residential chargers, ours included, carry safety certifications but not that metering approval. Switching to per-hour pricing doesn't get around it in those states either. In those states, the simplest answer is free charging. Including it in your nightly rate works too. Elsewhere, check with your state's weights and measures program before you start billing.
Skip these
JuiceBox. Enel X Way pulled JuiceBox out of North America in October 2024. Existing units still charge. The app is gone, along with the smart features, so don't buy one for a new install however cheap it looks.
Anything that plugs into a regular outlet. Portable 120V chargers add 3 to 5 miles an hour. That's fine for an emergency and useless as a listed amenity.
Our picks
- Free charging, no fuss: Grizzl-E Classic.
- Free, but you want to see usage: Emporia.
- Mostly Tesla guests: Tesla Universal Wall Connector.
- Big portfolio already on a property management system: OK2Charge's integrations may justify its fees.
- Paid charging, ease of use: Boba, with QR-code payments and no monthly subscription, you keep more of your earnings every month.
Whichever you choose, the install matters as much as the box. Budget for a 240V circuit if you don't already have one. A short run near the panel often costs $650 to $1,100. Long runs cost more, and a panel upgrade costs a lot more. Then put the details in your listing. Our Airbnb EV charging policy templates have the wording.
FAQ
What's the best EV charger for an Airbnb?
It depends on whether guests pay. For free charging, a rugged 40-amp plug-in like the Grizzl-E Classic is hard to beat. If you want guests to pay, you need payment built in. Boba has it, and so do OK2Charge and Wallbox, though each handles it very differently.
Can I use ChargePoint Home Flex to charge guests?
Not directly. Home Flex is a residential charger without guest payment. ChargePoint's paid-charging features run on its commercial hardware and network plans.
Do I need a Tesla charger for Tesla guests?
No. Most Tesla drivers carry a J1772 adapter, and most chargers use J1772. Mention the plug type in your listing so they bring it.
Plug-in or hardwired for a rental?
Plug-in on a NEMA 14-50 is easier to install and replace, and 40 amps is plenty overnight. Hardwired makes sense outdoors in exposed spots, or if you want 48 amps.
How much does it cost to install?
If you already have a NEMA 14-50 outlet near parking, close to nothing. Adding a circuit usually runs from several hundred dollars to a couple of thousand depending on the distance from your panel, and a panel upgrade costs more.
Want guests to pay without an app or a yearly software fee? See Boba's chargers.