Soneil Spark AC 40A NEMA Charger Review: Quality Home Charging
PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
Compact Size | Stiff Power Cord Requires Precise Installation |
Great, Simple App | As a Newcomer, Unknown Long-Term Reliability |
Long Charge Cord | |
Five-Year Warranty |
Owning an Electric vehicle in 2026 is easier than ever. The infrastructure for public charging is slowly improving, while EVs continue to become more efficient and price competitive. Arguably though, the most important part of EV ownership still remains having a high-quality home charger.
High-quality is an important prefix here as the number of electric vehicle home chargers are numerous, covering a massive range of quality and pricing. This is an area where it’s best not to cheap out, as an EV charger can pump out three times the energy as a conventional oven, for hours at a time. Having faulty craftsmanship or poor-quality components can lead to a catastrophic situation.
But how does one ensure a new home charger, like the Soneil Spark AC 40A NEMA Charger, is a quality piece of equipment? By checking the certifications, specs, and of course, performing a full consumer test.
Soneil Spark AC 40A NEMA Charger
The Soneil Spark AC charger is available in three consumer configurations. There's the plug-in 40A unit we have in for testing, as well as 48A and 80A hard wire units. Other than how they are installed and how much power can be sent through the cable, the chargers physically are very similar.
Manufactured in Canada, the Soneil Spark charger is a level 2 EV charger compatible with Universal SAE J1772 charging ports. An adaptor for NACS vehicles is on its way. The unit itself is quite compact, measuring 7.1-inches (180 mm) tall, 7.1-inches (180 mm) wide, and a depth of 3.6-inches (92 mm). All in, the unit weights 15 pounds (6.8 kg). One of the best features of the unit is the length of its charger cord, measuring 24.6 feet (7.5 m ) in length. This allows it to be mounted further back on walls or deeper in a garage.
As stated earlier, safety is extremely important when it comes to a home charger and the trio of Soneil Spark chargers all come safety certified and verified to meet the UL 2594 North American EV charger standards. It’s also certified for Canadian CSA C22.2 No. 280 standards.
Finally, for those who may need to install the Spark EV charger outdoors, it comes with a IP66 rating which ensures it is dust tight and resistant to powerful water forces.
Ease of Use
The Soneil Spark AC 40A charger comes in a slick box, ready to be plugged in and used. The only real installation involves mounting the charger's wall bracket as well as installing the charging cord holder if desired. It’s important to note, for 40A plug-in units, ensure it is being installed close to the 240V wall outlet, and that the cord can both reach and be plugged in easily. The power cord cable that comes from the Spark's main unit is thick to ensure durability, but it doesn’t feature much flexibility.
Once installed, the unit will do an initial boot-up, relayed by the different LED lights and colors on the box. After that, simply plug in an electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle, and charging begins.
We tested the unit over 3 weeks on two different electric vehicles, a 2025 Volkswagen ID.Buzz and a 2026 Nissan LEAF. Both vehicles instantly connected to the Soneil Spark without issue and charged to 100% uninterrupted.
The Apps as Important as the Charger
Most modern wall-mounted consumer electric vehicle chargers have very little information displayed on the charge box itself. The Soneil Spark AC 40A is no exception. What separates the user experience from one wall mounted charger to the next is the accompanying smart phone app, and Soneil’s Spark App is fantastic.
Call us old school, but the simpler the app, the easier it is to use, the more we like it. The Spark app has three basic menus, selectable by icons at the bottom. The first lists all chargers owned and/or registered with that user's account. Select a registered charger and it will show the current status of the unit, its maximum available output in kW/h, and its connection type.
Selecting the gear icon on the top right brings up the charger’s settings where it can be given a name and do other tasks like have schedules set to take advantage of off-peak charging. It’s also possible to enter the cost of electricity, subdivided into whatever format your local power company uses. It’s handy to see roughly how much each charge costs.
Back on the main app homepage, the second icon is a map that shows where Soneil public chargers are located and if they are in use. Right now, there are few charges available in the wild, but the numbers are expected to increase.
The final icon on the home screen is for the My Account tab, and this is where some apps can get needlessly complex.
The Spark App has just four sub-menus under My Account. First is a list of any vehicles registered to the app. Next there is a charging history menu that can show either public or home charging usage. Finally, there's an account details menu followed by a Sign Out option. Nice and simple.
Conclusion
At a price of $429.99 in the United States, or $549.99 in Canada, the Soneil Spark AC 40A charger is priced competitively with other premium, fully certified chargers on the market. Its compact size, ease of use, intuitive app, five-year warranty, and perceived durability make it an excellent option for those looking to get a level 2 electric vehicle home charger.
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A 20+ year industry veteran, Mike rejoins the AutoGuide team as the Managing Editor. He started his career at a young age working at dealerships, car rentals, and used car advertisers. He then found his true passion, automotive writing. After contributing to multiple websites for several years, he spent the next six years working at the head office of an automotive OEM, before returning back to the field he loves. He is a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC), and Midwest Automotive Media Association (MAMA). He's the recipient of a feature writing of the year award and multiple video of the year awards.
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