Using NEMA 14-50 Receptacles

Many newer homes are now built with NEMA 14-50 receptacles in their garages for EV charging. Unfortunately, safety standards for high powered receptacles are lax. EV chargers (EVSEs) put a high continuous load on receptacles and the basic $10 Leviton or Chinese receptacle isn't built for continuous high power loads which can result in melted receptacles, wires, and possible fire hazards:

I strongly recommend that if you're going to use a NEMA 14-50 receptacle for charging, you should make sure the receptacle is built to handle EV charging loads. In 2025, the big box stores started stocking special receptacles meant to handle EV loads. These typically cost $40 or more compared to the $10 or less for the cheap ones, but this is money well worth spending.

Above is the more expensive Leviton with a special EV symbol. The newer receptacles that have these symbols will be built for heavy duty use. Receptables made by Bryant and Hubble are also recommended for EV charging use.

Swapping out a receptacle is an easy DIY project (just make sure you flip off the 50A breaker first, and test with a proximity electrical tester or meter that the voltage is indeed off). The better 50A receptacles tend to be deeper than the cheap ones, so you might have to deal with an electrical box extension when doing a swap out.

One last recommendation. If you plan on living in your home for a while, instead of purchasing an EVSE with a 50A plug, you could purchase a direct wire EVSE and just use the receptacle electrical box as a junction box. Hard wired connections are slightly safer since they eliminate some possible points of failure.