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The Charge Curve

HUB 04 · Charging Costs

Toyota bZ4X & Subaru Solterra: Home Charging Time and Cost

Platform twins with a catch: a notably slow onboard charger on some trims. Here is why a big charger is wasted money on these two.

By Stephen V.Updated How we compare
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The Toyota bZ4X and Subaru Solterra are the same car under the badges - and they share a quirk worth knowing before you buy a charger: their onboard charger is on the slow side. Some trims accept only 6.6 kW (about 32 amps), and the AWD versions around 7 kW, with the higher ~11 kW rate arriving on later model years. That makes these two the opposite of a Hummer - a big charger is money wasted.

Do not overbuy the charger

A charger can never push more than the car's onboard charger accepts. On a 6.6 kW bZ4X or Solterra, a 48-amp charger delivers exactly the same speed as a 32-amp unit - you would pay for capability the car cannot use. Check your specific trim and model year; if it is a 6.6-7 kW car, a 32 to 40-amp charger gives full speed for less. Our amperage guide walks through matching the charger to the car.

How long it takes and what it costs

On the ~64-72 kWh battery at 6.6 kW, a 10-to-80-percent charge is roughly 7 to 8 hours - a full overnight - adding about 20 miles of range per hour. A later 11 kW car cuts that to around 5 hours. Either way the electricity cost is the same; only the time changes.

Run it for your car

Cost-to-charge calculator

Put in your electricity rate, your battery size and your car's efficiency. The math is the same one shown above, with a 10% charging loss included so the number is realistic.

$8.09
A 10% to 80% charge
$11.56
A full (empty to 100%) charge
$0.05
Cost per mile
$5.08
Cost per 100 miles

Estimate only. Actual cost depends on your exact utility rate (including any time-of-use pricing and fees), your car's real efficiency, temperature, and charging losses. Check your electric bill for your true rate.

Both use a J1772 AC port, so any Level 2 charger fits. Add a NACS-to-J1772 adapter to use Tesla-style chargers.

Questions

Frequently asked

How many amps does a Toyota bZ4X or Subaru Solterra need?

Less than most EVs. Some trims cap the onboard charger at 6.6 kW (about 32 amps) and AWD versions at around 7 kW, with an 11 kW rate on later model years. On a 6.6-7 kW car, a 32 to 40-amp charger gives full speed - a 48-amp unit is wasted.

Is it worth buying a 48-amp charger for a bZ4X or Solterra?

Only if yours is a later 11 kW car. On the common 6.6-7 kW trims, a 48-amp charger charges no faster than a 32-amp one, because the car's onboard charger is the limit. Check your trim and model year before buying big.

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Receipts

Sources

We do not run a testing lab, and we do not pretend to. Where a measured number came from someone else's lab, we name them and link them. Where we could not verify something, we say so on the page rather than quietly leaving it out. Read our full method.