What does Charge Limit mean?

Explanation

A charge limit is the SoC percentage you set in your car's settings or on the dashboard, telling the car to stop accepting power when the battery reaches that level. Most EV manufacturers recommend setting a daily charge limit of 80% for regular use, as keeping the battery between 20% and 80% reduces long-term degradation.

You set the charge limit through your car's infotainment screen, and some cars let you set it through their phone app. Many EVs have two profiles: a daily limit (often defaulting to 80%) and a trip limit (100%) for when you need maximum range. Some cars, particularly those with LFP batteries, can be charged to 100% regularly without significant degradation.

The charge limit is your friend for daily charging. Set it once and forget about it. Your car will stop drawing power from the charger when it hits the target, whether you are at a home wallbox, a workplace charger, or a public station. This also means you will not incur idle fees at public chargers if you set a sensible limit and return to move your car.

For detailed documentation, see U.S. Department of Energy AFDC.

Where you'll see this

• On your car dashboard
• In charging network apps

Common confusion

People with LFP battery cars (like Tesla Model 3 Standard Range or BYD) are sometimes told to charge to 100% regularly. This is correct for LFP chemistry but not for NMC batteries. Know which battery type your car has.

Example

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