A mode 3 Type 2 cable rated 32 A single-phase covers the vast majority of Belgian needs, because the vast majority of homes here run on a single-phase 230 V connection. Three-phase only becomes useful when both your installation and your car support it. The reasoning starts at your meter, not at the catalogue.
Do you actually need to buy a Type 2 cable?
Often no. Before reaching for your card, open the boot and look at what is already in there.
Almost every electric car sold in Belgium ships with a mode 3 Type 2 cable. Some brands have quietly moved it to the options list, others supply only the mode 2 cable for household sockets, but those cases remain the minority. And if your wallbox has a tethered cable, as the Tesla Wall Connector and some Wallbox Pulsar units do, you need nothing extra at home.
The mode 3 Type 2 cable is the lead that connects the car to a charge point on alternating current. No box in the middle, a seven-pin connector at each end, and all the intelligence inside the charge point. Do not confuse it with the mode 2 cable, the one with the bulky box, which plugs into a household socket and tops out around 2.3 kW. Nor with the CCS Combo of motorway rapid chargers, whose cable is tethered and cooled. Three objects, three uses, and a single word for all of them in everyday conversation.
A second cable does earn its keep in one case: keeping it permanently in the boot, so you never end up in front of a public charge point on a Sunday evening in Namur with nothing to plug in.
Single-phase or three-phase: which one in Belgium?
Single-phase 32 A in nine cases out of ten. Three-phase adds something only if your home connection is three-phase and your car's onboard charger accepts all three phases.
The Type 2 connector, standardised by the IEC under reference 62196-2, can carry up to three phases. Amperage and the number of phases actually wired are what set the power, not the figure printed large on the packaging. A single-phase cable at 32 A reaches 7.4 kW. The same cable in three-phase 32 A reaches 22 kW on a 3×400 V grid.
The standard Belgian meter is 40 A single-phase 230 V, which is 9.2 kVA. On that connection a three-phase cable will never do anything at home. It stays useful on the road, at three-phase public charge points, provided the car can follow.
And in Brussels, one particular configuration keeps catching buyers out. A large share of the Sibelga grid runs on 3×230 V without neutral: three phases, but 230 V between phases instead of 400 V. A three-phase cable and charge point deliver 6.4 kW there at 16 A, less than a plain single-phase 32 A setup. The subject is covered in detail in our feature on 3×230 V without neutral.
The table below gives the power actually delivered per Belgian connection type, and the time needed to fill a 60 kWh battery.
| Connection | Matching cable | Real power | 0 to 100 % on 60 kWh |
|---|---|---|---|
| 230 V single-phase 16 A | Type 2 single-phase 16 A | 3.7 kW | 16 h 15 |
| 230 V single-phase 32 A | Type 2 single-phase 32 A | 7.4 kW | 8 h 05 |
| 3×230 V without neutral 16 A | Type 2 three-phase 16 A | 6.4 kW | 9 h 25 |
| 3×400 V 16 A | Type 2 three-phase 16 A | 11 kW | 5 h 30 |
| 3×400 V 32 A | Type 2 three-phase 32 A | 22 kW | 2 h 45 |
That leaves the link nobody mentions in the shop: the car. On the Belgian new-car market the overwhelming majority of models tops out at 11 kW on alternating current, and some city cars such as the Citroën ë-C3 stop at 7.4 kW single-phase. The 22 kW figure still exists, but as an option: Renault offers it on the Megane and Scenic E-Tech, with 11 kW as standard. Our model pages give that value version by version.
Length: 5 metres covers almost everything
Five metres reaches almost every public charge point in Belgium, and any wallbox mounted in a garage or on a facade. It is the default length, and it is not a compromise.
Work out the worst case, not the usual one: a parking bay where the charge point sits behind the car while your charge flap is at the front right. On a standard 5 m by 2.5 m bay you then have to go round half the vehicle, and 5 m just makes it.
A longer cable costs more, weighs more and stores badly. At 32 A three-phase, a 10 m lead approaches 8 kg and fills half the boot of a city car. Go for 7.5 or 10 m if you regularly charge in a car park where the unit sits across a driveway, otherwise stay at 5.
What does a Type 2 cable cost in Belgium?
Budget €130 to €200 for a 5 m cable from a brand available in Belgium. Two references listed at Auto5.be on 28 August 2026 give the order of magnitude and, more usefully, the gap between the two families.
| Reference | Configuration | Length | Price listed on 28/08/2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| NORAUTO 2783739 | Single-phase 32 A, 7.4 kW, IP55 | 5 m | €149.95 |
| NORAUTO 2784480 | Three-phase 32 A, 22 kW, IP55 | 5 m | €179.95 |
Thirty euros separate the two. That is little, and it shifts the advice: if your home already runs on 3×400 V, or if you expect to upgrade your connection in the coming years, three-phase is worth €30. On a single-phase 40 A supply that will not change, those €30 buy nothing.
One detail noted the same day deserves a mention, because it sums up this market. On the sheet for the cable advertised at 7.4 kW, the specification block reads "single-phase (3.7 kW)"; on the one advertised at 22 kW, it reads "three-phase (11 kW)". Both sheets contradict themselves. Trust the amperage and the phase count, never the kilowatt figure printed on the box.
Choosing your cable in four steps
- Check your car's onboard charger on alternating current: 7.4 kW single-phase, 11 kW three-phase or 22 kW three-phase. The value sits on the carmaker's technical sheet, never on the cable packaging.
- Look at your connection on the consumer unit or the contract: single-phase 230 V, 3×230 V or 3×400 V. The weaker of the two, car or installation, sets the power.
- Pick the amperage: 32 A in every case, unless your dedicated breaker is rated 16 A. A 32 A cable on a 16 A charge point causes no problem, the reverse halves your charging speed.
- Take 5 metres, a jacket that stays flexible in cold weather, and IP55 as a minimum if the cable lives outdoors.
Four mistakes come up again and again, and each one costs money:
- Buying a 22 kW cable for a car that accepts 11 kW. The remaining 11 kW will never be used, ever.
- Choosing 16 A to save twenty euros, then running a 32 A home charge point at half speed.
- Picking 10 m "just in case", then hauling 8 kg of copper around in the boot for three years.
- Believing that a three-phase cable fixes the Brussels 3×230 V case without neutral. It does not.
Can you plug an extension lead between the socket and the cable?
No. Carmaker manuals forbid extension leads and power strips, and the ban is not decorative.
Charging draws several amps for hours without interruption, which a household extension lead is not sized to take. Contacts heat up, and if the cable stays coiled on its reel the inner turns no longer cool down. Any work on your installation, reinforced socket included, is the job of a certified electrician.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a mode 2 and a mode 3 Type 2 cable?
The mode 2 cable is the one supplied with the car for a household socket: it carries a large control box in the middle and tops out around 2.3 kW. The mode 3 Type 2 cable links the car to a charge point or a wallbox, with no box, and ranges from 3.7 to 22 kW depending on amperage and phase count. They serve different purposes and are not interchangeable.
Does a three-phase Type 2 cable work on a single-phase charge point?
Yes. A three-phase cable is backward compatible: plugged into a single-phase charge point or car, it simply charges at the rate of the weakest link. The reverse is not true, a single-phase cable permanently limits charging to one phase, meaning 7.4 kW at most at 32 A.
What cable length should you plan for?
5 metres suits almost every public charge point in Belgium and any wallbox mounted in a garage or on a facade. Move up to 7.5 or 10 metres only if the charge point sits across a driveway, or if your charge flap is on the wrong side at the car parks you use. A 10 m cable rated 32 A three-phase weighs close to 8 kg and stores badly.
Do you need a 22 kW cable to charge faster?
Almost never. The car's onboard charger decides, and on the Belgian market it tops out at 11 kW in the overwhelming majority of cases. Renault offers 22 kW as an option on the Megane and Scenic E-Tech, the Zoe had it as standard and shows up used, and the list roughly stops there. A 22 kW cable plugged into an 11 kW car charges at 11 kW.
Can a Type 2 cable be used for motorway rapid charging?
No. Rapid DC chargers use a CCS Combo connector and their cable is tethered to the unit, because it is liquid-cooled and far too heavy to carry. Your Type 2 cable only works on alternating current, at home and at slow or accelerated public charge points.
Can I charge through an extension lead?
No, and carmaker manuals state it in plain terms. Charging draws several amps for hours on end, which a household extension lead is not built to handle. The risk is overheating contacts, made worse if the cable stays coiled on its reel. In the event of a claim, both your insurer and the carmaker have a ready-made argument.
How do I know whether my home is single-phase or three-phase?
Check your consumer unit and your connection contract. A standard Belgian meter is 40 A single-phase 230 V, which is 9.2 kVA. A 3×230 V connection at 40 A reaches 15.9 kVA, and a 3×400 V one around 27.7 kVA. If in doubt, ask your DSO (distribution system operator) or a certified electrician, never the person selling the cable.
Le verdict de Christophe F.
Buy a mode 3 Type 2, 32 A, 5 metres. Single-phase if your house is single-phase, which is the most common case in Belgium; three-phase if your connection runs on 3×400 V, because the €30 premium listed on 28 August 2026 pays for itself the day you change cars. The only figure that really decides is the power of your onboard charger: it sits below the charge point's rating in almost every case, and no cable will raise it. For the rest of the installation, fitting a home charge point follows different rules, and it goes through a certified electrician.
