Renting, no garage — running a 15m Arlec extension lead from the back GPO to the car out front. Is this actually a problem?
Renting a place in inner Melbourne, no garage, no driveway even. My only outdoor GPO is around the back near the laundry, and my park is basically street parking out the front. Bought a 15m heavy-duty Arlec lead from Bunnings, run it out the side gate and along the fence line to the granny charger on the Cupra Born's cable. It's been working for about two months now, plugged in most nights. A friend mentioned something about extension leads not being meant for sustained loads like that and now I can't stop thinking about it. Is this something people actually do long-term or am I one hot night away from a problem?
Filed under: Home Charging AU
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19 answers
19 ANSWERS
@trent_b87July 27, 2026
Your friend's right to flag it, though the actual risk with a genuine heavy-duty lead isn't the cable rating, it's ever leaving it coiled anywhere along that 15m run. A coiled lead under a sustained overnight load can heat up in the coil itself even when the cable's fine laid out straight. Run it fully uncoiled every time, check the plug end isn't warm a few hours in, and look at an actual outdoor-rated EVSE extension if this is a nightly thing rather than occasional.
It's stretched flat the whole way along the fence, never coiled anywhere. Does that mean I'm probably fine, or still worth swapping it out regardless?
Flat is the main thing you can control yourself, so that's a good start. Still wouldn't run a general-purpose Bunnings lead as a permanent setup though — a proper 10A outdoor EVSE extension rated for continuous load exists and isn't much more than what you paid for the Arlec.
Where would I actually find one of those — an auto-electrical supplier, or does a normal hardware chain stock them too?
@petey_fxJuly 27, 2026
Went through something similar before I gave up and started using the untethered chargers near the port instead. Wasn't the cable that got me in the end, it was the neighbours complaining about a lead running across the shared path.
No complaints yet, but mine does run along a bit of the shared side path too. Might just be a matter of time before someone says something.
Different problem to yours but same instinct up here — check the plug end by hand a few hours in, not just at the start. That's usually where you'd notice something first.
That's basically it. Costs nothing to check and catches most of what actually goes wrong before it turns into a real problem.
@bennyboy21July 24, 2026
Did basically this for the first month before my proper install went in. Never had an issue, but I also wasn't doing it for two months straight the way you are.
@just_lurking22July 24, 2026
does the cord itself need to be a specific gauge for this, or does any heavy-duty outdoor extension lead handle a sustained overnight load ok?
@gregolasJuly 24, 2026
Does a lead like that actually get warm running it every night, or is that only really a problem with the cheaper ones?
@margs4lifeJuly 31, 2026
Does the lead length actually slow down the charging itself or is that purely a safety thing? Never thought about that angle until reading this.
Bit of both. Voltage drop over 15m on a lighter-gauge lead can genuinely slow the charge rate, not just add heat. Heavy-duty gauge like the Arlec minimises that but doesn't get rid of it entirely.
@fi_macAugust 01, 2026
Priced a proper outdoor EVSE lead for a mate in a similar spot recently. Wasn't actually that much more than a decent heavy-duty Arlec once you compare them properly, just not sold in the same aisle at Bunnings.
@hankmoodyJuly 28, 2026
How warm is too warm on that plug check people keep mentioning? Genuinely wouldn't know what I was feeling for if I tried it myself.
Noticeably warmer than the wall plate around it, not just slightly warm to touch. If it's getting close to uncomfortable to hold your hand on, that's already past where I'd want it.
@just_lurking22July 26, 2026
this thread is making me nervous
@bazza_wJuly 28, 2026
Not exactly my segment, but curious if other renters running the cheaper Chinese EVs are doing the same lead workaround, or if this is more of a first-adopter thing specific to the Born.
@jdubzJuly 28, 2026
Different situation entirely, but this made me go check whether my own outdoor GPO is actually on its own circuit or piggybacking off the laundry like yours seems to. Worth everyone checking, not just renters.
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