What V2L can actually power — essential loads vs whole-home
An EV's V2L output is small — typically about 2.3–3.6 kW (≈10–15 A at 230 V), depending on the car and adapter. That is enough to keep a few essential loads running — lighting, a fridge or freezer, a router, phone and laptop charging, and one small radial socket — provided you keep the total draw within roughly 80% of the rating (about 2.4–3.0 kW on a 3.6 kW output). Trying to run the whole house is a gross overload: a domestic consumer unit is rated around 63 A, the car around 10–15 A. You also cannot use V2L while the car is charging. Confirm every appliance's actual rating, and remember the vehicle manufacturer does not sanction back-feeding fixed wiring.
In short
- Typical V2L output is ~2.3–3.6 kW (≈10–15 A at 230 V) — verify your car and adapter's figure.
- Size for essential loads only: lights, fridge/freezer, router, device charging, one small radial socket.
- Keep the total simultaneous draw within ~80% of the rating (~2.4–3.0 kW on a 3.6 kW output) to allow for surge and headroom.
- Whole-home is a gross overload — a ~63 A consumer unit fed from a ~10–15 A source. Don't.
- You cannot use V2L while the car is charging; appliance wattages here are typical ranges, not your appliance's rating.
Where this stops: This is a sizing guide, not a wiring recipe. Any arrangement that feeds a home's fixed wiring must be designed, installed and tested by a competent person.
Some details below depend on sources still being verified against the published standard, so we mark them Not confirmed rather than guess:
- Specific appliance wattages on this page are typical ranges for illustration only — your appliance's actual rating (and its start-up surge) must be read from its rating plate or manual.
- Your car and adapter's exact continuous V2L output (and any state-of-charge cut-off) is manufacturer-specific — confirm it against current manufacturer documentation; figures vary by model, trim, market and firmware.
- What (if anything) BS 7671 Amendment 4:2026 changed for §722 / V2X / V2L / PME / open-PEN is not asserted here — the public IET/BSI change material checked here does not identify a §722 / V2X / PME / open-PEN change in A4:2026, and the existing §722 / PME / open-PEN material appears to carry forward from earlier amendments, subject to licensed-text confirmation. Confirm against the published standard before relying on any A4-specific V2X/PME claim. (safety-critical — not treated as settled until verified)
The short answer
An EV's V2L output behaves like one ordinary household circuit, not like a whole consumer unit. On most European-market cars that means around 2.3–3.6 kW — roughly 10–15 A at 230 V — though the exact figure depends on the car, the adapter and the firmware, so check yours. Treat that as your whole budget. The realistic job is keeping a handful of essentials alive — lights, a fridge or freezer, the broadband router, device charging, and perhaps one low-power tool or appliance on a single radial socket.
Think in watts, and leave headroom
Add up the running wattage of everything you want on at once, then keep the total within about 80% of the V2L rating — roughly 2.4–3.0 kW on a 3.6 kW output. The 20% margin covers motor start-up surges (a fridge compressor briefly pulls several times its running watts) and stops you sitting on the limit.
What 'essential loads' typically look like
The figures below are indicative typical ranges to help you build a budget — they are not your appliance's rating. Always read the actual wattage from the rating plate or manual, because models vary widely and motors surge on start-up.
- LED lighting — a whole room's worth is often only tens of watts; even a generous allowance for several rooms is usually well under 200 W.
- Fridge or freezer — typically runs at a low average wattage but draws a brief, much larger surge when the compressor starts. Budget for the surge, not just the running figure.
- Broadband router / Wi-Fi — small, typically in the low tens of watts.
- Phone and laptop charging — small, typically tens of watts per device.
- One small radial socket — for a single modest appliance or tool. This is where it is easy to overshoot: a kettle, toaster, microwave, electric heater, hairdryer or iron can each draw 1–3 kW on its own and can swallow most or all of the budget instantly.
Heating loads are the budget-killer
Anything that makes heat — kettles, toasters, electric heaters, immersion elements, hairdryers, irons — runs at 1–3 kW and can use most of a 3.6 kW V2L output by itself. These are what tip a small source into overload. Plan around them, don't run several at once.
Why whole-home is a gross overload
A typical domestic consumer unit is rated around 63 A; an EV's V2L output is around 10–15 A. Connecting the whole board to V2L does not magically share the car's small output across every circuit — it just means the first few appliances that switch on demand far more current than the car can deliver. The source can't supply it, so the result is a collapsing voltage and a tripped or stalled supply, not a working backup. The correct scope is a small essential sub-board, sized deliberately, never the main board.
Arithmetic: the source can deliver roughly a quarter to a fifth of the board's rated capacity. This is a sizing fact independent of any particular car; it is why the design scope is a small essential board, not the whole house.
Protection against electric shock relies on the supply being able to drive enough fault current to operate the protective device within the required disconnection time. A small vehicle source delivers far less prospective fault current than the grid, so a competent person must confirm protection and overload behaviour still hold in V2L mode — another reason the load is kept small and well within the source's rating.
Reference only — verify against the current edition; standard text is not reproduced.
You can't use V2L while the car is charging
The V2L output and charging use the same power electronics, so the car cannot discharge to your loads and take a charge at the same time. For a load-shifting plan this is the natural rhythm anyway: charge the car on a cheap overnight rate, then run the essential board off V2L during expensive hours, returning to grid before the next charge. For backup, remember the car is a battery you can't refill on the spot — once it hits its discharge cut-off you need to charge it before V2L is available again.
How to build your own budget
- Find your car and adapter's continuous V2L output in watts (or amps × 230 V). Use the manufacturer's figure, not a forum guess.
- Take 80% of it as your working budget — e.g. 0.8 × 3.6 kW ≈ 2.9 kW.
- List the appliances you genuinely need on at the same time and read each one's wattage from its rating plate.
- Add a generous margin for anything with a motor (fridge, freezer, pump) to cover its start-up surge.
- If the total fits inside the budget, it is plausible — and then it is a competent person's job to design, install and test the actual changeover and earthing before anything is connected to fixed wiring.
Whether BS 7671 Amendment 4:2026 changed anything for V2X / V2L / PME / open-PEN. The existing PME and open-PEN framework appears to carry forward, but no A4-specific change to these is asserted here until confirmed against the published standard.
A realistic small-essentials set
Lighting, a fridge-freezer, the router and a couple of charging devices typically sit comfortably inside a 2.4–3.0 kW budget — leaving a little room for one low-power appliance on a single socket. That is the kind of load V2L is genuinely good at.
Frequently asked questions
How much can an EV's V2L actually power?
Typically around 2.3–3.6 kW (≈10–15 A at 230 V), depending on the car, the adapter and the firmware — check your own. That is roughly one household circuit's worth: a few essentials, not the whole house. Keep the total simultaneous draw within about 80% of the rating.
Can I run my whole house from my EV?
No. A domestic consumer unit is rated around 63 A and a V2L output is around 10–15 A, so the whole board would be a gross overload. The correct scope is a small essential sub-board (lights, fridge/freezer, router, charging, one small socket).
Can I run a kettle, heater or other heating appliance?
One at a time, maybe — but heating loads (kettles, toasters, electric heaters, hairdryers, irons) draw 1–3 kW each and can use most of a 3.6 kW output on their own. They are the easiest way to overload a small source, so don't run several together and watch your budget.
Why keep the load within 80% of the rating?
The 20% margin covers start-up surges — a fridge or freezer compressor briefly pulls several times its running wattage — and keeps you off the limit. Sitting at 100% leaves no room for the next thing that switches on.
Can I use V2L while the car is charging?
No — the V2L output and charging share the same power electronics, so you can't do both at once. A typical plan charges the car cheaply overnight and runs the essential board off V2L during expensive hours, returning to grid before the next charge.
- Last reviewed
- 14 June 2026
- Written against
- BS 7671:2018 + A4:2026
- Reviewed by
- Martin (qualified UK electrician)
- Next review due
- 14 December 2026
General information, not project-specific design advice. Standards are cited by reference only and never reproduced. How we source this.
References & sources (3)
- V2L Workshop technical reference (internal) — verified design facts and confidence flags — load-sizing rule (~80% of rating), 63 A board vs ~10–15 A source overload, V2L-not-while-charging
- V2L Workshop — Vehicle-to-Load complete guide (internal) — power-output overview — manufacturer-stated output ranges; figures vary by model/trim/market/firmware — verify before relying on them
- BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 — Requirements for Electrical Installations (IET/BSI) — cited by clause (Chapter 41 / §411) only; standard text not reproduced