Airbnb host here — how many guests will actually use an EV charger if I install one?
Been managing a two-unit rental up near the coast for about three years now — mostly summer and fall tourist bookings, some off-season regulars. I'm looking at putting in a NEMA 14-50 outlet in the driveway for guests with EVs, guest brings their own cable, roughly $600-700 quoted for the electrician's time and permit. Before I commit I want a realistic number on how many guests would actually plug in. I've seen wildly different guesses thrown around — anywhere from one in twenty bookings to one in four — and I don't know which end of that is closer to my situation. My town gets a decent tourist pull in summer but it's not exactly a huge EV market up here yet. Anyone actually tracked real guest plug-in rates at their place, or is this one of those things you only find out after you've already spent the money?
Filed under: General EV Talk
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12 ANSWERS
@cloudspindleAugust 24, 2026
Different market than yours but similar size operation — we do a lake house up near Concord, mostly weekend and week-long summer rentals. Put in a NEMA 14-50 last spring, guest brings their own cable. First booking after it went live was a three-night stay and the extra nightly rate covered the whole install cost. Electricity for a full charge barely shows up on the bill, maybe eight bucks. Wasn't expecting it to pay off that fast.
@copperfogAugust 24, 2026
Did a NEMA 14-50 for a client's rental instead of the hardwired unit they wanted. Same cost as a normal 50A range circuit, way less than a wall-mounted L2 with enclosure and labor. If usage is unproven, that's the cheaper way to test it.
One thing on the cheaper-outlet route — get it permitted and inspected even though it's "just an outlet." Seen plenty of 14-50s wired by whoever the property owner could get cheapest, wrong wire gauge for the run length, no GFCI where it's required outdoors. Costs almost nothing to do it right the first time versus finding out during an insurance claim.
@ridgeleafAugust 25, 2026
Hardwired an L2 at our cabin two years ago because I figured it'd be a selling point up in a spot that's mostly a drive-through for people headed further north. Looked great in the listing photos. Two guests have actually plugged in since. Wish I'd started with the cheap outlet instead of the wall unit.
For a use case this uncertain, a 14-50 receptacle beats hardwiring. NEC 625.44 covers cord-and-plug EVSE connection — permit and inspection, no listed unit to buy or maintain. Newer code cycles are starting to require it be listed for EVSE use, not a generic range outlet, and not every town's adopted that yet — ask your inspector which cycle they're on. If usage picks up, hardwire a real unit later.
@hollowticketAugust 24, 2026
question from the guest side — stayed somewhere last year that listed "EV charger" and there wasn't actually anything there, just a regular outlet. is that a common thing hosts do, or did I just get unlucky? made the whole booking kind of annoying.
That's exactly what I don't want to be, and it's more than bad luck — other hosts say it happens a lot, usually a management company checking the wrong amenity box, or the charger flat out stolen (one host lost three in a year). Makes me double check my own listing stays accurate once this goes in. If I can't get the outlet done before next season, I'd rather leave the box unchecked than have someone show up expecting it.
@pixelmango19August 24, 2026
Worth checking Tesla's Destination Charger program, but don't count on free hardware at your size — that's changed. Current numbers floating around put the minimum near six Wall Connectors and a $25k-$50k install budget, hardware around $475/unit that you buy, not Tesla. Their public map listing also wants regular business hours and full-time staff, which fits a hotel or winery, not a 1-2 unit Airbnb. Non-Tesla guests still need their own adapter — less of a dealbreaker with NACS adoption these days, but worth knowing going in.
@staticpollenAugust 24, 2026
The percentages people throw around for guest plug-in rates aren't coming from anywhere verifiable — nobody's publishing real occupancy data by charger usage, it's mostly hosts eyeballing their booking calendar. What's actually out there is a spread of individual counts: some report basically zero use, one 18-unit portfolio landed near 1-in-4, most cluster well under 1-in-10, and it swings hard by market — how much public charging guests already have nearby. Before spending on anything permanent I'd want an actual count: how many of your last twenty bookings even had a guest who drove an EV.
@bluehazel_31August 24, 2026
Before committing either way, a season of just watching who books and where they're coming from tells you more than any percentage on a forum. We noticed most of our EV-driving guests mentioned it in the booking message before we'd even listed a charger. That's a cheaper signal than installing anything.
@northpickleAugust 26, 2026
Stowe gets EV drivers year-round for skiing and leaf season both. Places that mention charging up front get picked over ones that don't around here. Airbnb's 2024 data says charger listings book more on average, no percentage given, but plenty of hosts report zero bump. Real tourist pull likely still nudges the number up.
@saltmarsh99August 26, 2026
Good mix of reasons here to not overthink this before I even know if guests want it. Going with the 14-50 outlet route, permitted, guest brings their own cable, and I'll actually track how many people ask about it or use it before I ever consider the hardwired unit. Appreciate the real numbers instead of just guesses.
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