Start at the panel

Every EV charging estimate starts with one question: can the panel take the load? Look at the service size, the panel's condition and brand, and the spare breaker spaces. Then run a load calculation for the home as it actually sits, because the panel rating alone does not tell you what is left over.

If the load calculation says the service is tight, the job becomes two scopes: the charger circuit, and a service or panel upgrade. Price them separately so the customer sees the whole picture and you are not quietly absorbing upgrade work.

The run decides the wire and the labor

Distance from the panel to the charger location drives everything: wire size grows with distance and load, conduit may be required, and labor grows with every wall, ceiling, or crawl space in the path. Measure the route the cable will actually take, not the straight line across the garage.

Detached garages and outdoor pedestal mounts add trenching, conduit, and sometimes a small subpanel. Note any drywall that must be opened and patched, and be explicit about who handles the patch and paint.

Charger level and hardware

Pin down what the customer is actually buying before you price. Level 1 charging runs on a standard outlet circuit and is slow but simple. Level 2 needs a dedicated circuit sized to the charger, and that is what most homeowners mean when they call. The charger itself may be customer-supplied or supplied by you, and that decision belongs on the estimate either way.

  • Level 1: a standard outlet circuit, minimal hardware
  • Level 2: a dedicated circuit sized to the charger's draw
  • Hardware: customer-supplied or yours, stated on the estimate
  • Mounting: wall mount indoors or a weather-rated pedestal outside
  • Load management: an option worth noting when the panel is near its limit

Permits and inspection belong on the estimate

EV circuits typically require a permit and an inspection. Check your local requirements, and show the fee and your time for the inspection visit as their own lines. Customers accept paperwork costs they can see; they resent the ones buried in the total.

Some utilities ask for notification of new EV loads. Check your local requirements and include any utility step in your schedule so the customer is not surprised by timing.

Mistakes that stall EV charging installs

  • Assuming panel capacity from the service size without a load calculation
  • Pricing the run as a straight line instead of the real route
  • Absorbing a service upgrade inside a charger-circuit price
  • Leaving the charger hardware ambiguous: who buys it, and which one
  • Forgetting trenching, pedestal, or drywall patch in the scope
  • Burying the permit fee and inspection trip inside labor

Writing the estimate the customer approves

Show the scope plainly: the load calculation result, the circuit and its route, the charger hardware and who supplies it, mounting, permit and inspection, any panel work as a separate scope, and the total. Note exclusions like drywall finishing, and give the price a validity window.

EstimateBook can draft this at the site visit: describe the panel and the run by voice or attach photos, and the app builds itemized line items you can edit for quantities, prices, and markup before sharing a PDF through Messages or Mail. The draft is a starting point; check it against your load calculation and material costs first. For the broader method, see how to estimate an electrical job.