Enel X Way JuiceBox EV charger review

Like almost any Level 2 EV charger, the Enel X Way JuiceBox gets all the basics right: Quick-enough charging, good-enough weatherproofing, decent-enough looks. It’s a popular product, probably because it has solid specs and a cute name—and it doesn’t hurt that it’s available at Costco.

But we wouldn’t recommend that you buy the JuiceBox. There’s some evidence that it’s not as reliable as many of its competitors, and many owners find that the smartphone app is cluttered at best, buggy at worst. The JuiceBox probably isn’t the worst EV charger out there, but plenty of others offer the same features at a lower price, and with a better reputation. It’s also one of the few big EV charger brands that still doesn’t offer a model with a Tesla (NACS) plug. As of 2024, you can do better.

The JuiceBox has a good vibe, for whatever that’s worth. The name is clever. The high-gloss finish, rounded edges, and the big-but-simple color-coded LED indicator all add some personality and warmth, at least compared to a typical charger's all-business approach. 

Its cable management setup beats most competitors, too. It seems like a simple thing, but the plug clip and cable hook are in a good spot. The cable doesn’t get too stiff in cold weather, either. 

If your utility company offers a rebate or discount for buying an EV charger and enrolling it in a demand-response program, the JuiceBox is likely to be one of the models that qualifies for that free money.

The JuiceBox also has a clever load-sharing option, which can come in handy if you need to charge two EVs at the same time. You can install two JuiceBox units on the same electrical circuit, and they will communicate with each other and adjust their power limits to stay within safety limits while also making sure both cars are charged. It’s not the only charger with this feature, and there are other ways to solve this problem, but it is one of the ways that the JuiceBox stands out from some of its competitors.

A Level 2 EV charger might seem like a serious piece of technology, but it’s more like a glorified USB phone charger. The only true must-have features are electrical safety certifications.

Beyond that, the boxes and cables all do the same thing, so just pick the plug shape that matches your car and your home’s electrical system. That’s it. Wi-Fi and smartphone apps aren’t even important in most cases, because most EVs themselves have Wi-Fi and a smartphone app.

So to stand out from the pack, EV chargers need to do something special. It could be extreme weatherproofing, a bargain-basement price, or clever power-management features. If the charger can’t do anything unique, it ought to at least be affordable and reliable.

The Enel X Way JuiceBox doesn’t have any standout features, and it’s neither cheap nor durable. It’s not even available in a variant with a Tesla / NACS connector. So it’s hard to find a reason to recommend it when there are so many other good middle-of-the-pack Level 2 chargers out there.

The average user rating at Amazon for most JuiceBox variants is less than 4 stars (out of 5), while other Level 2 chargers from big-name and no-name manufacturers alike tend to hover around 4.5 stars or higher. That is a huge difference. There’s a similar gap between the JuiceBox and other popular chargers in Best Buy’s ratings as well.

Common complaints within those reviews, as well as include complaints about intermittent Wi-Fi connectivity, as well as bugs and glitches that seem to have followed a major app update in 2023. Most of the harshest ratings came around the time of the app update.

Any brand can sell a batch of defective products from time to time. But it’s a bad sign when a popular product can’t crack 4 stars on Amazon—especially when the reviews for competing products are much more favorable. It’s possible that Enel X Way has ironed out many of the problems by mid-2024, but it’ll be a while before enough new reviews roll in to know for sure. (We've reached out to Enel X Way for comment, but have not yet heard back from them.)

If you are looking for an affordable yet durable charger with an easy installation process and monitoring system, the JuiceBox is a great option for you. With a range of models to choose from and additional services like the Enel X Way App and JuiceEco, Enel X Way chargers are very popular among EV owners.

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