By Alexandr Godonoaga, Owner and Lead Electrician, Cob Services LLC. ICC-certified, ComEd-approved EV Service Provider, Illinois Electrical Contractor License #26-00032356. Published September 10, 2026.

“Should I get the Tesla plug or the regular one?” is a question I hear on a lot of EV site walks in Naperville right now. It’s a fair thing to worry about. Automakers keep announcing moves to Tesla’s connector, and nobody wants to bolt a charger to the garage wall that looks outdated by the time the next car arrives.

My answer is to buy the plug that matches the car you’ll charge most over the next few years and not lose sleep over it. The connector is the cheapest part of a home charging setup to change later. The expensive part is the 240-volt circuit behind the wall, and that circuit is the same whichever plug you choose.

The quick version

You drive a Tesla, or your car has a native NACS port: get a NACS charger.
Your car has a CCS1 port and you plan to keep it for several years: get a J1772 charger. If your next car has a NACS port, a certified adapter covers the gap.
You’re leasing a CCS1 car and expect the next one to have NACS: a NACS charger now, plus a certified NACS-to-J1772 adapter until the lease ends.
You have one of each in the garage: look at Tesla’s Universal Wall Connector, which carries both plugs on one handle.

What the two plugs actually are

J1772 is the round AC plug that nearly every non-Tesla EV in North America has used for Level 1 and Level 2 charging. If your car has a CCS1 port, the top half of that port is a J1772 inlet. The two large pins underneath are only for DC fast charging. In your garage, the car only uses the J1772 half.

NACS is the smaller plug Tesla developed. It carries AC and DC power through the same pins, which is how one slim handle does both home charging and Supercharging. SAE standardized it as SAE J3400, so “J3400” on a spec sheet means the same connector.

For home charging, the two plugs deliver the same 240-volt AC power, and the plug has nothing to do with charging speed. Speed comes from the circuit size, the amperage the charger is set to, and the onboard charger built into your car. A 48-amp charger on a 60-amp circuit will charge a given car at the same rate with either handle.

Where the switch really stands in September 2026

The industry has picked NACS. The cars are catching up slowly.

By mid-2026, essentially every major automaker selling EVs in the US had signed on to NACS, with Stellantis the last to commit in late 2025. Signing on and shipping a car with the port are different things, though. In July 2026, the independent tracker TheChargePort counted 32 of 96 models with a native NACS port. The rest still use CCS1 and an adapter.

Here’s roughly where some brands are:

Hyundai’s updated 2025 Ioniq 5 was one of the first non-Tesla models with a factory NACS port. Kia’s updated EV6 and EV9 followed.
Rivian moved the refreshed 2026 R1S and R1T to a native NACS port.
GM’s first native-NACS model was the 2026 Cadillac Optiq, and the returning Chevy Bolt has one too. GM says most of its 2026 EVs still leave the factory with a CCS port, and it expects none of its EVs to need an adapter at a Supercharger by 2027.
Stellantis says its first native-NACS model will be the 2027 Dodge Charger Daytona.

So a 2026 model year badge doesn’t tell you which port you have. Some models changed ports with a refresh, which means two cars with the same name can be different.

How to tell in ten seconds

Open the charge port door. A small oval opening with five pins is NACS. A large two-part socket, round on top with two big holes underneath, is CCS1, and the round top section is where a J1772 plug goes. If your car is still on order, ask the dealer which port your build has before you buy a charger.

The wiring is the same either way

A Level 2 install in Naperville includes:

a dedicated 240-volt circuit sized for the charger (a 48-amp charger needs a 60-amp circuit, and a 32-amp charger needs a 40-amp circuit)
a City permit
the Residential Load Calculation Worksheet the City requires with that permit
the installation itself
an inspection

The connector doesn’t change any of it.

If you pick J1772 today and your next car has a NACS port, the circuit stays where it is. You add an adapter or swap the charger. Swapping a hardwired charger on an existing circuit takes about half an hour of electrician time, as long as the new unit runs at the same or lower amperage the circuit was built for. At worst, the “wrong” plug costs you an adapter or a new charger, and the wiring stays put.

A panel that can’t carry the load is a much bigger cost than a plug decision. If you haven’t looked at yours yet, our self-assessment guide for Naperville electrical panels is a better use of 15 minutes than comparing connectors.

Adapters are fine for daily use if you buy the right one

I’m comfortable with an adapter that lives on a charger cable permanently. What I don’t like is the wrong adapter on a charger that runs at 48 amps for hours every night. Check three things before you buy:

It’s an AC adapter. J1772-to-NACS and NACS-to-J1772 adapters are for Level 1 and Level 2 charging. The DC fast-charging adapter your automaker may have sent for Superchargers is a separate product, so don’t assume it will work on a home charger.
It’s certified to UL 2252. That’s the safety standard written for adapters used with EV charging connectors. Aftermarket brands have started certifying their AC adapters to it; Lectron announced certification for its NACS-to-J1772 and J1772-to-NACS adapters in February 2026. Automakers sell their own too. Hyundai and Kia offer an OEM J1772-to-NACS adapter for their NACS-equipped models, though whether one comes with the car varies by model year and trim.
Its amp rating meets or beats your charger’s output. Home charging is a steady load that runs for hours, and that’s when an undersized or uncertified adapter heats up.

Every adapter adds one more connection point. Every so often, look at the adapter and the car’s charge port for discoloration or softened plastic, and replace the adapter if you see either.

Your three real options

Option	Makes sense when	Watch for
NACS charger	You drive a Tesla or a native-NACS car, or expect your next car to be NACS	Any CCS1 car in the household needs a certified AC adapter
J1772 charger	You’re keeping a CCS1 car for years	A future NACS car will need a J1772-to-NACS adapter
Tesla Universal Wall Connector	Your garage has both port types, or you can’t predict the next car	Confirm the exact model qualifies for any rebate you’re counting on

Tesla sells two hardwired home chargers. The standard Wall Connector is NACS only. The Universal Wall Connector has a NACS plug with a J1772 adapter docked into the handle. Press a button and the J1772 end releases for a non-Tesla car. It delivers up to 48 amps. In a garage with a Tesla parked next to a Hyundai, it takes the adapter question off the table.

If you prefer another brand, several sell the same charger in both NACS and J1772 versions, including Emporia and EvoCharge. ChargePoint announced NACS connector options for the Home Flex, including reconfiguring existing units. If that’s your plan, ask whether a replacement cable is actually available for your model before counting on it. For how the big brands compare on reliability and install quirks, see our installer’s take on the Tesla Wall Connector, ChargePoint, and Wallbox.

Naperville and ComEd rebates look at the charger, not the plug

Around here, the utility that sends your electric bill matters more than the connector.

If the City of Naperville is your electric utility, the City’s incentive is up to $500 for a Level 2 or Level 3 station. The requirements:

The station must be hardwired and permitted.
It must pass a City electrical inspection.
It must carry a UL rating or equivalent, and you photograph that rating on the nameplate for your application.
You must contribute to the City’s Renewable Energy Program.

None of those terms mention the connector, so an adapter on a J1772 cable doesn’t put the incentive at risk. A plug-in charger on a NEMA 14-50 outlet does, because it isn’t hardwired. We cover that trade-off in our post on NEMA 14-50 outlets versus hardwired chargers in Naperville. Check current terms on the City of Naperville’s EV charging page before you apply.

If ComEd bills you, the 2026 residential rebate is closed. ComEd territory covers Aurora, Lisle, Plainfield, Bolingbrook, Downers Grove, Hinsdale, Burr Ridge, La Grange, and unincorporated Naperville Township. When ComEd’s program has been open, the charger had to be smart, ENERGY STAR certified, and NRTL certified. ComEd’s current terms also exclude JuiceBox and Enel X units. If you’re holding out for the next funding round, check the exact model number you plan to buy. The NACS and J1772 versions of a charger can be separate products with separate model numbers. Our ComEd EV rebate walkthrough has the full program status and the time-of-day rate math.

What I’d pick in a few common garages

One Tesla now, probably another Tesla later: a hardwired NACS Wall Connector. There’s nothing else to decide.
A 2023 Mustang Mach-E or 2023 Ioniq 5 you’ll drive for another five years: a J1772 charger. Buy a UL 2252 adapter the week a NACS car joins the household.
A CCS1 car on a lease that ends in the next year or two, with a NACS car likely next: a NACS charger now and a certified NACS-to-J1772 adapter. The adapter goes in a drawer when the lease ends.
A Tesla and a non-Tesla in the same garage: the Universal Wall Connector on one circuit. If both cars regularly need a big charge on the same night, we should run the load numbers together, and that’s about your panel, not the plug.
A 2026 or 2027 model still on order: confirm the port with the dealer first, then buy the charger.

A short checklist before you order

Look at the charge port on every car that will use the charger.
Check who sends your electric bill: the City of Naperville or ComEd.
Decide between hardwired and plug-in. For the City incentive, it has to be hardwired.
Confirm your panel has room for the circuit, or plan for the upgrade.
If you’re a ComEd customer waiting for the rebate to reopen, confirm the exact model is ENERGY STAR certified.
If you need an adapter, buy one certified to UL 2252 and rated for your charger’s amperage.

The connector barely moves the install price. Distance from the panel, the wire path, and panel capacity move it a lot, as our breakdown of seven real EV charger installation quotes in Naperville shows.

Frequently asked questions

Is NACS the same thing as J3400? Yes. SAE standardized Tesla’s North American Charging Standard connector as SAE J3400.

Does a NACS home charger charge faster than a J1772 charger? No. At Level 2, both deliver the same AC power. Speed depends on the circuit, the charger’s amperage setting, and your car’s onboard charger.

Can I charge a Tesla with a J1772 home charger? Yes, with a J1772-to-NACS AC adapter rated for your charger’s output.

Can a NACS home charger charge a CCS1 car like a Mach-E or an older Ioniq 5? Yes, with a NACS-to-J1772 AC adapter. The DC adapter meant for Superchargers is a separate product.

If I switch plugs later, will I need to rewire the garage? No, as long as the new charger runs at the same or lower amperage the existing circuit was built for. It’s a charger swap on the same circuit.

Does the City of Naperville’s EV charger incentive care which connector I pick? No. The City looks for a Level 2 or Level 3 station that is hardwired, permitted, inspected, and UL rated or equivalent, plus the program’s other terms.

Are cheap adapters from online marketplaces safe? Some are and some aren’t. Look for UL 2252 certification and an amp rating at or above your charger’s output. If a listing mentions neither, pass on it.

Get a straight answer for your garage

Maybe you’re not sure which port your car has, which utility serves your address, or whether your panel can take a 48-amp charger. A site walk answers all three. We do them free across Naperville, Aurora, Lisle, Plainfield, Bolingbrook, Downers Grove, Hinsdale, Burr Ridge, La Grange, and the rest of DuPage and Will County.

We install NACS, J1772, and dual-plug chargers. We also pull the City permit in our contractor name, submit the load calculation worksheet, and schedule the inspection.

Start on our EV charger installation page for Naperville, request service online, or call (630) 427-5923.

About the author. Alexandr Godonoaga is the owner and lead electrician at Cob Services LLC, an Illinois-licensed electrical contractor (#26-00032356) with more than ten years of field experience across Naperville and the western suburbs. He is ICC-certified and personally leads Level 2 charger installations across DuPage and Will County.

Cob Services LLC 2020 Calamos Ct Suite 200, Naperville, IL 60563 (630) 427-5923 Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Automaker port plans, adapter certifications, and rebate terms change often. The details in this post were checked on September 10, 2026. Confirm current program terms before making a financial decision.

Call: (630) 427-5923