EV in an Apartment Car Park? Where to Keep Your Charging Cable

The Short Version

  • Most apartment EV drivers rely on a portable charging cable or a public-charger cable, and it usually ends up living in the boot.
  • Keep cables clean, dry and loosely coiled, and follow your car maker's guidance on storing them.
  • A lockable spot in your own bay keeps cables, adaptors and car gear out of the boot and out of the apartment.
  • Before adding storage, check where your charge port and any wall charger sit, and include them in your compatibility check.
  • A charger install and a storage unit are separate approvals. Ask your strata manager about each.

Why charging cables end up as clutter

If you drive an EV and live in an apartment, there's a good chance you don't have a charger on your bay yet, or you're waiting on approval for one. That usually means relying on a portable charging cable, a cable for public chargers, or both.

Those cables are heavy, they pick up grime from the car park floor, and they take up boot space. Add adaptors, a tyre inflator, cleaning gear and everything else that travels with the car, and the boot quietly turns into a storage cupboard.

Looking after your charging cable

A charging cable can be expensive to replace, so it's worth storing properly:

  • Keep the connectors clean and dry. Cap the plug ends, or keep them in a sealed bag to stop dust and moisture getting into the pins.
  • Coil it loosely. Tight loops and kinks strain the cable over time. A large loop on a hook is better than wrapping it around your hand.
  • Get it off the floor. Car park floors collect water, oil and grit, and a cable left on the ground eventually gets driven over.
  • Follow the manual. Your car or charger maker's instructions are the final word on storage and care.

What else EV drivers keep in the car park

The same space problem applies to everything that goes with the car: roof racks and bike racks, a tyre inflator, spare adaptors, car cleaning gear, and kids' car seats between trips. None of it needs to be inside the apartment, and none of it needs to ride around in the boot.

A lockable unit in your own bay gives it all a home. The Kookaburra holds 2.3m³, roughly the volume of a three-seater couch, so there's room for cables and car gear alongside camping kit, golf clubs or boxes.

Will an over-bonnet unit get in the way of charging?

It depends on your car and your bay, so check before you order rather than after.

The Kookaburra stands on adjustable legs over the front of your car, with the storage compartment above the bonnet. Three things to look at:

  • Your charge port. Ports sit at the front, side or rear depending on the car. If yours is at the front, make sure you can still reach it and plug in comfortably with a unit in place.
  • Any wall charger. If there's a charger on the wall at the front of your bay, or one planned, note where it is and where its cable runs.
  • Your bonnet height. You need at least 2.1m from the floor to the lowest point overhead, and the less clearance you have, the lower your bonnet needs to sit. Taller SUVs and utes need more room at the front.

Include your charge port and any charger in the photos you send with the online compatibility check. Fit is confirmed before you order, and if you're close to the minimum clearance our team can verify measurements on-site. Our car park ceiling height guide explains how to measure.

Approvals: charger and storage are separate

If you're also applying to install a charger, treat it as a separate request from any storage in your bay. Chargers involve electrical work and often wiring through common property, so they tend to go through a different process.

Rules and practice vary between states. Strata Plus's storage advice is a useful plain-English overview of using car spaces for storage, and the NSW government's strata living guidance covers what's allowed in car spaces there. In Victoria, this tribunal decision on consent for a storage unit shows how owners corporations weigh these requests, and in WA there's a best-practice guideline for approving common property installations. In Queensland, start with your building's by-laws and your strata manager.

For the storage side, being freestanding keeps things simple. The Kookaburra needs no drilling or permanent fixing. Your strata manager will usually want its dimensions, 500kg weight rating, where it will sit in the bay and how it's installed. We provide an approval request form, and our body corporate approval guide walks through the process.

Rent or buy?

Rent on one of two plans: $25 a week on a 12-month minimum term with a one-off $149 delivery and installation fee, or $29 a week on a 6-month term with a one-off $199 fee. At the end of your term you can keep it, or give 14 days' notice and we'll collect it. See the rental plans.

Buy outright for $1,749, with delivery and installation quoted separately for your location. A bought unit comes with a 5-year structural warranty and Lifetime Parts Cover on the original lock mechanism and gas struts. See the Kookaburra.

Installation takes about two hours either way.

Frequently asked questions

Can I store an EV charging cable in an over-bonnet unit?

Yes. It's lockable storage in your own bay, which suits cables, adaptors and car gear. The Kookaburra's closed panels help shield items from dust and dirt, but it isn't sold as waterproof, so keep connectors capped or bagged.

Will it stop me plugging in?

That depends where your charge port and any wall charger sit. Include both in the photos for your compatibility check so fit can be confirmed before you order.

Does it fit above an EV?

The Kookaburra suits many sedans, hatchbacks, SUVs, 4WDs and utes, electric or not. You need at least 2.1m of clearance to the lowest point overhead, and fit depends on your bonnet height. Compatibility is confirmed before you order.

Do I need approval to put storage in my bay?

Most apartment and townhouse buildings require body corporate approval. Check your by-laws and ask your strata manager. The Kookaburra is freestanding with no drilling, and we provide an approval form to support your application.

Is it secure enough for a charging cable?

It has a three-point locking system and closed steel panels to help deter unauthorised access. Security also depends on how it's locked and the car park around it.