Skip to content
Volt & Cable

HUB 05 · Guides & Buying Advice

Charging a Subaru Solterra at Home

The Solterra is the Toyota bZ4X's twin, and early cars have a modest onboard charger — a rare case where a value 32-amp unit is all you need.

By Stephen V.Updated How we research
#ad

We earn a commission when you buy through our Amazon links, at no extra cost to you. It never affects our rankings, and we say so when the cheaper product is the better buy. How this works.

The Subaru Solterra charges at home over J1772, and here is the money-saving fact: early models cap AC charging near 6.6 kW (about 32 amps). On those cars a 32-amp charger is all the Solterra can use— a 48-amp unit and its bigger circuit add nothing. Newer versions raised the onboard-charger rate, so confirm your car.

The Solterra is the mechanical twin of the Toyota bZ4X, and it shares the same honest advice: spend less. The modest onboard charger on early cars means the big 48-amp units marketed for trucks are wasted on it. Match the charger to the car and you keep real money in your pocket.

The connector: J1772 at home, CCS for fast charging

Every Solterra uses a J1772/CCS1inlet, so home charging is plain J1772 with no adapter. Subaru is moving toward NACS for Supercharger access on future cars, but that is a road-trip DC accessory — it does not change the AC charger in your garage.

How much charger the Solterra can actually use

Check your model year. Early Solterras have roughly a 6.6 kWonboard charger, so a 32-amp Level 2 unit delivers the car's full AC speed and paying for 48 amps buys nothing. Later versions moved to a faster onboard charger. A value unit like the Eviqo Level 2, or a plug-in Mustart portable on a NEMA 14-50 outlet, is the sensible match. Size the circuit with the wire size and breaker guide.

On the road

For trips the Solterra uses the CCS network, and a Tesla Supercharger with the appropriate NACS DC adapter. See our DC fast charging explainer and bZ4X guide, its identical twin.

The gear

Recommended gear for this guide

The products this guide refers to, with prices pulled live from Amazon and dated on each card.

  • EVIQO EVIQO Level 2 (40A)

    Budget-conscious buyers who still want smart features

    EVIQO Level 2 (40A)

    A weatherproof, UL-and-ETL-listed smart charger that regularly sits at the bottom of the price band — a lot of charger for the money.

    $395.99Amazon
  • MUSTART MUSTART 40A Portable

    The cheapest capable portable

    MUSTART 40A Portable

    A budget 40-amp portable with an LCD readout — the value pick when you just need 240V charging that moves.

    $159.99Amazon

#ad · As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Questions

Frequently asked

How many amps does a Subaru Solterra charge at?
Early Solterras cap AC charging near 6.6 kW, which is about 32 amps, so a 32-amp charger reaches their full home speed. Later cars raised the onboard rate. Confirm your model year before paying for a bigger unit.
Is a 48-amp charger worth it for a Solterra?
On an early car, no — the onboard charger cannot use more than about 32 amps, so a 48-amp unit and its 60-amp circuit are wasted. A value 32-amp charger does the whole job.
Does the Solterra use J1772 or NACS?
It uses a J1772/CCS1 inlet, so home charging is plain J1772 with no adapter. Any NACS move is about DC Supercharger access on the road, not home AC charging.

Keep reading

Related

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.