The EVIQO Level 2 is the charger to buy when you want a fully certified, weatherproof smart charger and refuse to pay a premium for a familiar brand. It is a 40-amp / 9.6 kW plug-in unit that carries UL, ETL and Energy Star listings plus an IP66 / NEMA 4 weatherproof rating, has a 25-foot cable and a genuine app - and it routinely sits at the bottom of the price band. That is an unusual amount of certified hardware for the money, and the one real catch is a shorter brand track record than a ChargePoint or a Wallbox, not the hardware itself.
The EVIQO wins our best budget chargers list and our best 40-amp chargers ranking, and this is the longer look at why. As always, we compile the published specifications and safety listings and do the electrical math rather than bench-testing hardware, so read this as documented research on a very well-regarded unit, not a lab teardown - we do not run a test lab, and we say so.
Who it is for
The EVIQO fits the buyer who has done the homework and realized that a well-certified 40-amp smart charger from a newer brand can cost less than half of an established-brand equivalent and do the same daily job. If you park in a garage or on a driveway with a properly rated NEMA 14-50 outlet, want scheduling and energy tracking on a time-of-use plan, and would rather keep the savings than pay for a logo, this is the unit. It is also a strong outdoor pick thanks to its IP66 / NEMA 4 enclosure. It is the wrong charger for exactly two people: the buyer who wants the reassurance of the longest-established brand and support network, for whom the ChargePoint Home Flex is the safer call, and the buyer who never wants to open an app, who should look at a sealed box like the Grizzl-E Classic.
The specs that matter
EVIQO rates the plug-in unit at up to 40 amps / 9.6 kW on 240 volts, with a J1772 connector, a 25-foot cable, a NEMA 14-50 plug and 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi app control. Three specs do the real work here:
- Double-listed, and Energy Star. The EVIQO carries both a UL and an ETL listing plus Energy Star certification - a fuller certification stack than many pricier chargers, and one that plenty of no-name 40-amp boxes on Amazon cannot claim. Energy Star also makes it eligible for a number of utility and state rebate programs, which can widen the price gap further.
- IP66 / NEMA 4 weatherproof, rated to -22 F. The enclosure is rated for indoor or outdoor mounting with an operating range of -22 to 122 F (-30 to 50 C), so it holds up on an exposed wall, in a carport, or through a hard winter. That is why it ranks near the top of our best outdoor chargers and best cold-weather chargers lists.
- Adjustable current, 6 to 40 amps. You can dial the output down in the app (or on the unit) to match a smaller circuit, which makes it flexible if your panel cannot spare a full 50-amp run today. Our amperage guide covers how to match the setting to your breaker.
What is good
The headline is certified hardware for the money. Getting UL, ETL and Energy Star listings plus a genuine IP66 / NEMA 4 weatherproof rating at the bottom of the price band is the EVIQO's whole argument, and it is a strong one - the safety listing is the single spec we would never skip on a charger that pushes 40 amps continuously for hours, and the EVIQO does not ask you to trade it away to hit a low price. The 25-foot cable reaches across a two-car garage and lets you park either way around. The app handles the features that actually save money: up to three charging schedules to catch off-peak rates, live kWh and cost tracking, and remote amperage adjustment. Integrated ground-fault (RCD) protection and a 3-year warranty round out a spec sheet that reads like a charger costing considerably more.
Where it falls short
The weaknesses are the flip side of the value. EVIQO is a newer brand with a shorter track record than ChargePoint, Wallbox or JuiceBox, so if a decade of support history is what reassures you, that is the real trade you are making - the hardware and listings are not the compromise. The plug-in unit also tops out at 40 amps: like every plug-in charger, a NEMA 14-50 plug sits on a 50-amp circuit and the continuous-load rule caps draw at 40, so a car that accepts the full 48 amps will not reach it on this version. And as with any connected charger, the scheduling and monitoring assume you will set up Wi-Fi; the unit will still deliver a charge without a live connection, but the smart features are a chunk of what you are buying. Note too that EVIQO sells a separate 48-amp hardwired model and a NACS (Tesla-port) variant - make sure the listing you buy is the one that fits your car and your install.
Installation notes
This is a plug-in charger, so the easiest path is an existing, properly rated NEMA 14-50 outlet on a 50-amp circuit - in which case you can often mount and plug it in yourself. Do not economize on the receptacle: EV charging is a continuous load, and a cheap 14-50 outlet is the exact part that overheats under a sustained 40-amp draw, so buy an industrial-grade, listed one (our NEMA 14-50 outlet guide explains why). Mounting it outdoors is fine given the IP66 / NEMA 4 rating, but NEC Article 625 still calls for GFCI protection and a wet-location in-use cover on the receptacle - confirm the specifics with a licensed electrician. If you want the full 48 amps, that is the separate hardwired EVIQO on a 60-amp circuit, not this plug-in unit.
How it compares
Against the Emporia Level 2, our overall top pick, the EVIQO is the more weatherproof, more certified body, while the Emporia edges it on the app ecosystem and offers a path to 48 amps if you later hardwire - the two are close, and price on the day often decides it. Against the Grizzl-E Classic, the EVIQO adds a real app and a longer cable that the sealed Grizzl-E gives up for cloud-free simplicity. Against a bare-bones plug-in unit like the Lectron V-Box, the EVIQO adds smart scheduling and a stronger weather rating for usually not much more. In short: it is the value benchmark the others are measured against.
Bottom line
The EVIQO Level 2 is the charger to buy when you want the safety listings and the weather rating that matter, plus a working app, without paying an established-brand premium. Buy it plug-in on a rated NEMA 14-50 outlet, use the scheduling if you are on a time-of-use rate, and the only thing you give up versus a pricier rival is brand tenure - not certification, not weatherproofing, and not features. For most homes that is an easy trade, which is exactly why it is our value pick.
