New EVs are moving to the SAE J3400 plug, while most cars already on the road use CCS1 and J1772. Here is where the standard stands in late 2026, and how to choose connectors for Level 2 and DC fast sites that will serve both.
NACS vs CCS is the connector question every site host now faces before ordering chargers. The North American Charging Standard, published by SAE International as J3400, is becoming the default plug on new vehicles, while most non-Tesla EVs built through 2024 use CCS1 for fast charging and J1772 for Level 2.
You do not have to pick a winner and hope. This guide covers where the standard stands in late 2026, which vehicles use which plug, how adapters fit in, and what to install at Level 2 and DC fast sites so the chargers you buy now keep serving drivers for the life of the equipment. It is general information, not engineering or legal advice.
NACS began as one automaker's proprietary connector and was opened to other manufacturers in November 2022. SAE International then standardized it as J3400: first as a Technical Information Report in December 2023, then as a Recommended Practice in the fall of 2024. In April 2025 SAE added two companion documents. J3400/1 sets out how adapters between J3400 and J1772 are evaluated for safety, and J3400/2 defines the dimensions of the connector and the vehicle inlet.
The Recommended Practice covers AC charging and DC fast charging up to 1,000 volts through the same compact connector, which is why one port on the car handles both. Any supplier can now build to it. For a site host, that settles the practical question: J3400 is a published, open standard, not a bet on one company's plug.
By November 2026, native NACS ports were on sale or announced on models from more than twenty brands, including Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Rivian, Lucid, Toyota, Lexus, Subaru, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and BMW, according to a running list kept by EVChargingStations.com. Many entries are 2026 and 2027 model-year vehicles, and some are announced rather than on sale.
The other half of the picture is the installed base. The Joint Office of Energy and Transportation notes that most current EVs use CCS1, and those cars will be parking at your site for years. Some new models also split the job, using NACS for DC fast charging but keeping a separate J1772 port for AC charging. The honest planning assumption for the next several years is a mixed fleet: CCS1 and J1772 cars, a growing share of native NACS cars, and adapters in use in both directions.
On January 1, 2026, NACS made up 48.2 percent of public DC fast connectors in the US, CCS1 40.4 percent and CHAdeMO 11.4 percent, based on Alternative Fuels Data Center counts compiled by EVChargingStations.com. CCS1's share rose from 35.8 percent a year earlier, while CHAdeMO's fell from 14.9 percent. CCS1 is not fading from public sites: both standards are part of the network drivers use today.
At Level 2 the stakes are lower. AC charging is a simple exchange between car and charger, and adapters between J1772 and J3400 now have an SAE safety process behind them. A NACS car can charge on a J1772 station with an adapter, and a J1772 car at a NACS-only station needs the reverse adapter. Asking every visitor to carry the right adapter is the friction a good site removes.
| Option | Works best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| J1772 only | Workplaces and multifamily sites with many older vehicles today | NACS drivers need an adapter |
| NACS (J3400) only | Private fleets where every vehicle has a NACS port | J1772 vehicles need an adapter |
| Mix of J1772 and NACS ports | Public, retail, hospitality and mixed-use sites | Sign each port so drivers find the right plug |
| J1772 plus adapters kept on site | A short-term bridge for staff or fleet vehicles | Adapters go missing; issue and track them like keys |
MÖTEN commercial Level 2 chargers ship with J1772 connectors as standard, with a NACS (SAE J3400) connector on select models, and a NACS-to-J1772 adapter is available as an accessory. The lineup is on the Commercial Level 2 page, and the connector terms are defined in our glossary.
DC fast is where the connector choice carries real money. A DC session runs at high current, an adapter adds a connection point that has to manage heat, and drivers who pull in for a fast charge expect to plug in without searching the trunk. That is why the J3400 Recommended Practice addresses adapter thermal awareness, and why a native cable for each standard is the cleaner answer at a fast-charging site.
A dual-cable charger carries a CCS1 cable and a NACS cable on the same unit. Be clear about what it does not do. The Joint Office notes that a port charges a single vehicle at a time even when it offers several connectors, so two cables on one port give drivers a choice of plug, not twice the throughput. Count ports for traffic, and count cables for compatibility. The dwell-time guide covers how many ports a site needs.
Every MÖTEN DC fast charger ships with CCS1 as standard and a built-in NACS (SAE J3400) cable, so NACS vehicles plug in directly with no adapter. Model details are on the DC Fast Chargers page.
If public money is part of the project, read the program rules before you write the spec. Some funding programs set minimum connector requirements for each port, and those rules change, so confirm the current version with the program administrator.
Two connector types add operating questions as well as hardware ones: how drivers find the right port, how each one is priced, and how the electrical service copes when a row of chargers is busy. The eMÖTEN CMS handles those on one console.
The details are on the eMÖTEN CMS page.
MÖTEN evfc supplies chargers for US sites. These notes are general information for readers elsewhere.
Yes, in practice. NACS is the connector that SAE International standardized as J3400 and published as a Recommended Practice in 2024. The two names are used interchangeably.
Both. Most non-Tesla EVs built through 2024 use CCS1, while a growing number of new models have native NACS ports, so a DC fast charger with a native cable for each standard serves both without adapters.
Yes, with an adapter. SAE J3400/1, issued in April 2025, sets out how adapters between J3400 and J1772 are evaluated for safety. Adding NACS ports alongside J1772 removes the need for one.
Not on the same port. A port charges a single vehicle at a time, so a second cable gives drivers a choice of connector, not extra capacity. Plan port count for traffic and cable types for compatibility.
Tell us who charges at your site and how long they stay. We will recommend the mix of J1772, NACS and CCS1 ports, and the MÖTEN chargers that carry them.