Volkswagen e-Up EV Charging Cable

Quick recommendation

This page covers the Volkswagen e-up!, and which cable you want depends entirely on how old it is. Both generations use a Type 2 inlet, so the connector never changes. The onboard charger does. A 2014 to 2016 e-up! accepts 3.6 kW, and a 16A cable in 5m or 10m covers that in full. A 2020 to 2022 car accepts 7.2 kW and wants the 32A cable in 5m or 10m.

Volkswagen doubled two things at once when it relaunched the car in 2020. The battery grew from 18.7 kWh gross, roughly 16 kWh usable, to 36.8 kWh gross with 32.3 kWh usable. The charger went from 3.6 kW to 7.2 kW. Because both numbers roughly doubled, the two cars take almost exactly the same time to fill: around five hours from empty, provided each has the cable it deserves.

Get that pairing wrong and the newer car suffers. Put a 16A cable on a 2020 e-up! and the fill stretches from five hours to ten, because the cable holds the car back to 3.7 kW. The reverse costs nothing: a 32A cable on a 2014 car simply charges at the 3.6 kW the vehicle asks for, with no risk and no benefit. If you are buying blind, or if the car might be sold on, the 32A is the safer purchase.

Telling them apart is easy enough by registration year. The first e-up! ran from 2014 to 2016 and the second from 2020 to 2022. If yours falls in that later window it has the bigger battery and the faster charger. Worth saying too: the petrol up!, including the up! GTI, has no charging port at all and needs nothing from this page.

Do not spend money on the three phase cable here. The e-up! tops out at 7.2 kW, which a single phase 32A cable already delivers in full, and British homes are single phase anyway with a 7.4 kW ceiling. All our Type 2 cables are IP55 rated and the 3 pin units IP67, each supplied with a 2 year manufacturer's warranty and same-day dispatch on working-day orders placed before 2pm.

Volkswagen e-up! Charging Times

e-up!, 2014 to 2016, about 16 kWh usable, 3.6 kW

e-up!, 2020 to 2022, 32.3 kWh usable, 7.2 kW

Volkswagen e-up! Charging Cable FAQs

Which cable does the Volkswagen e-up! need?

Type 2 to Type 2 in both cases, but the rating depends on age. A 2014 to 2016 car draws 3.6 kW, so a 16A cable loses you nothing. A 2020 to 2022 car draws 7.2 kW and needs the 32A version to reach it. Choose 32A if you are unsure, since it suits either car.

What changed between the 2014 and 2020 e-up!?

Battery and charger both roughly doubled. The early car holds 18.7 kWh gross, about 16 usable, and accepts 3.6 kW. The 2020 car holds 36.8 kWh gross with 32.3 usable and accepts 7.2 kW. Because the two figures scaled together, both still take around five hours to fill on the right cable.

How long does an e-up! take to charge?

Roughly five hours from empty for either generation, as long as the cable matches the car. A 2020 car on a 16A cable takes about ten hours instead, held back to 3.7 kW. On a domestic three pin cable, expect seven hours forty five for the early car and fifteen hours forty five for the later one.

Will a 32A cable harm a 2014 e-up!?

Not at all. The vehicle negotiates the current it wants, so a 32A cable on a 3.6 kW car simply supplies 3.6 kW. You gain nothing in speed and lose nothing in safety. The only reason to pay for it is flexibility, whether that means a future car or lending the cable to somebody else.

Does the petrol up! or up! GTI plug in?

No. Every petrol up!, the GTI included, runs on fuel alone with no charging inlet and no traction battery. Only the e-up! plugs in. If you cannot find a second flap on the car, or the fuel filler is the only opening you have, this page has nothing you need.

Is a three phase cable any use on an e-up!?

No. The e-up! peaks at 7.2 kW on AC, and a single phase 32A cable already delivers more than that. Three phase cables exist for cars rated at 11 kW or 22 kW, and even those give only 7.4 kW on a British home supply. Buying one for this car wastes money.