A guide to what you cannot see: what happens in an ordinary socket after half an hour of charging, what a dedicated circuit must have, what the test certificate says and why you should ask for one from anyone who installs a charger for you.
Translated from Serbian. Prices, quotes from company websites and data are given in English for convenience; where the exact wording matters, the Serbian original applies.
Short answer: charging a car is not dangerous — what is dangerous is an ordinary socket under full load for hours. A safe installation has a dedicated circuit, the right cable cross-section, type A RCD protection with DC detection (or type B) and an industrial socket or a fixed wallbox. And the test certificate is the document proving that all of this has been measured — ask for it from anyone who installs a charger for you.
A 16 A Schuko socket is designed for short-term loads — a vacuum cleaner, a heater, tools. A charger draws 10–16 A continuously, for hours. The contacts heat up, the springs weaken, the contact gets worse and heats up even more — and after half an hour the socket heads towards 100 °C. If it is also on an extension cord, especially one wound on a reel, the cable heats itself up; if the cable is long, the voltage drops along it and the charger runs at its limit.
The second thing you cannot see: the car's on-board charger can let direct (DC) leakage current into the installation. An ordinary type AC RCD does not see this current, and in larger amounts the DC component can even “blind” it, so that it stops protecting everything else on that circuit as well. That is why charger installations call for a type A RCD with 6 mA DC detection or a type B RCD — not because someone went overboard, but because that is how the physics works.
And the third: a cable through the hallway or stairwell is a cable people trip over, one that sits in the doorway and draws electricity from a meter nobody knows the owner of. That is why neighbours react — and why a dedicated circuit is the only solution that lasts.
The portable charger that came with your car is not the problem. The problem is the socket behind it. On an industrial socket on a dedicated circuit with proper protection, that same cable works safely every night — which is exactly what the START package is.
This is the list of things the electrician has to do, regardless of which charger you buy and from whom. The standard that sets this out is SRPS HD 60364-7-722 (special requirements for supplying electric vehicles), and testing follows SRPS HD 60364-6.
“Atest” is the usual name for an electrical installation test report: a document in which an authorised contractor, using calibrated instruments, confirms that the installation has been carried out and measured in accordance with the regulations. It records who tested what, where and when, with which instruments, with what results and with what conclusion. For a dedicated charger circuit, the standard measurements and checks are:
Why it matters to you: for the building and the garage owner it is the only proof they can ask for; for the insurer it is the basis in the event of damage; for the charger manufacturer it is a warranty condition (installation by an authorised electrician); for you — peace of mind. And the most practical rule in this guide: if a company cannot issue a test certificate, that is already your answer. With us it comes with every installation, at no extra charge, with a copy for the building manager or the owner.
The Rulebook on technical norms for the fire safety of garages (Official Gazette of RS Nos. 31/2024 and 59/2025) is a new regulation that also covers electric vehicle charging points in garages. What matters for residents and assemblies: charging in a garage is regulated, not prohibited — it requires a dedicated installation and protection. Blanket bans on “any charging in the garage” have no legal basis; neither do extension cords through the hallway. In addition, the installation is carried out according to the technical norms for low-voltage electrical installations, with testing and a test certificate.
At low temperatures part of the energy goes into heating the battery, so charging at low power (a 2,3–3,7 kW socket) is noticeably slower — an 11 kW wallbox keeps these losses to a minimum. On the installation side, winter is the season when the charger works hardest and the contacts are under the greatest thermal stress; that is why it makes sense, once a year before the season, to check that the connections in the board and at the socket are tight, test the RCD with its “T” button and inspect the cable and plug. For subscribers we do this ourselves — it is the “winter check-up” included in the subscription.
Every installation we do: a dedicated circuit, type A RCD + DC, certified equipment, a MID meter and the test certificate included in the price. Check what is possible in your garage.
Yes — on an industrial socket on a dedicated circuit with proper RCD protection. That is safe, and it is the whole point of the START package. What is not safe is the same cable in a Schuko socket from the flat, via an extension cord, for hours.
A type B RCD also detects DC leakage currents of any size. You need one if the charger has no built-in 6 mA DC detection (RDC-DD). Most modern wallboxes have it, so a type A RCD in the board is enough — we check this against the device specification. Type B is several times more expensive than type A, so it pays to know which charger you are buying.
No, if the wallbox has dynamic load management: a sensor at the supply connection sees how much the household is using, and charging automatically slows down when large appliances are switched on. Typical connection capacities are 5,75 kW (single-phase) or 11–17 kW (three-phase) — the on-site assessment shows how much is left for the car.
An authorised contractor — a person or company with the appropriate licence and calibrated measuring instruments. A test certificate without the instruments listed, the measurement results and a signature is not a test certificate, just a piece of paper.
The measurements on one dedicated circuit take 30–60 minutes and are done right after the installation is finished; you get the document the same day.
It is not compulsory, but it is a sensible answer to the assembly's question “who is liable?”. A third-party liability policy costs less than people think and settles the last open question at the meeting.
A dedicated circuit, type A RCD + DC, certified equipment, a MID meter and a test certificate — included in the price of every installation we do. Check what is possible in your garage or write to us.
BlokVolt is an independent guide to electric cars in Serbia: companies, prices, procedures, regulations and figures — all with a source and a check date. The site is run by the team behind Evolako, which installs chargers itself; in comparisons it is marked as “our offer” and shown in the same columns as every other company.