Type 1 Tethered Cables
Quick recommendation
These are Type 1 tethered charging cables, supplied for permanent attachment to a home charging station. They are meant for fitting by a professional charge point installer, not for plugging in and out yourself.
The word tethered is what separates this from an ordinary charging lead. A tethered cable lives on the wallbox. It is wired into the unit at one end and finishes in a Type 1 connector at the other, so the only thing you ever handle is the plug that goes into the car. Nothing is coiled away afterwards, nothing sits in the boot, and on a dark winter evening in the garage that difference is felt every single night.
Type 1 is the connector fitted to a generation of electric cars and plug in hybrids sold before Type 2 became the UK standard. It is a five pin single phase design. That single phase construction sets a hard physical ceiling of 7.4 kW, so no Type 1 cable, tethered or portable, can carry three phase power. If your car has a Type 1 inlet this is the cable you need. If it has a Type 2 inlet, our Type 2 tethered cables are the correct choice.
Both lengths are rated at 32A. Choose 5m where the charging station is mounted close to where you park, and 10m where the unit sits further off, the drive is long, or the inlet on the car faces away from the wall. Worth measuring properly before ordering, because a tethered cable cannot be swapped for a longer one without another visit from an electrician.
Between charges the cable needs somewhere to sit. Leaving it coiled on a garage floor puts the connector in whatever water and grit gathers there, so a wall bracket beside the unit is a sensible companion purchase. Hung up, the lead drains, dries and stays clear of feet and tyres.
There is a 2 year manufacturer's warranty and UK orders qualify for same-day dispatch on working-day orders placed before 2pm.
Type 1 Tethered Charging Cable FAQs
What is a tethered Type 1 cable?
It is a charging cable permanently attached to a home charging station rather than carried loose. The unit keeps the cable, you keep the plug end ready to go into the car. That removes the nightly routine of unwinding a lead, plugging in twice and coiling it back up afterwards.
Can I fit one myself?
No. These cables are supplied for professional EV charging station installers. Fitting means terminating the cable inside the charge point, which is electrical work on a wired in appliance. Contact the company that installed your unit, or another qualified installer, and have them do it properly.
Which end connects to the car?
The Type 1 connector is the car end. The opposite end has no plug at all, because it is wired directly into the charging station during fitting. That is why a tethered cable arrives with only one connector on it, and why it cannot be used as a portable lead between two sockets.
Do I still need a portable cable as well?
Almost certainly, yes. Public charging posts have sockets rather than fixed leads, so away from home you plug in your own cable. The tethered unit handles your overnight charging at the house. A portable Type 1 lead in the boot covers workplaces, car parks and destination chargers.
Is there a three phase or 22 kW Type 1 cable?
No, and there never will be. Type 1 is a five pin single phase connector, so 7.4 kW is its physical limit by design. Any listing offering a three phase Type 1 cable is describing something that does not exist. A car with a Type 1 inlet cannot draw three phase AC power.
How do I pick between 5m and 10m?
Work out where the car's inlet sits when parked as you normally leave it, then measure to the wall unit and add slack. Five metres is fine for a station beside the bay. Ten metres suits a longer drive or an inlet on the far side of the car. Getting it changed later means paying an electrician again.