CB certification for EV charging cables: What it is and why it matters

If you’ve looked at the certifications on a Type 2 charging cable, you may have seen CB listed alongside UKCA, CE, and TÜV. It’s the one most people skip over.

CB is worth understanding. It’s an international certification scheme that confirms a product has been tested to globally harmonised safety standards, not just local ones.

Here’s what it covers, how it works, and what it tells you about the cable you’re buying.

What is the CB scheme?

CB stands for Certification Body. The full name of the programme is the IECEE CB Scheme, run by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

It was originally operated by the CEE, a European conformity body, and was integrated into the IEC in 1985. It has since grown into the world’s leading international certification system for electrical products.

The core idea is simple: one product, one test, accepted everywhere. A manufacturer tests a product once at an accredited laboratory, and the results are recognised in over 54 participating countries.

Member countries include the UK, every EU member state, the USA, Canada, Japan, China, South Korea, India, Australia, and dozens more.

How CB certification works

The manufacturer applies to a National Certification Body (NCB) in any participating country. The NCB assigns the product to an accredited CB Testing Laboratory (CBTL).

The laboratory tests the product against the relevant IEC standard. For EV charging cables, that’s IEC 62893 for cable construction and IEC 62196 for connectors.

If the product passes, the NCB issues a CB Test Certificate and a CB Test Report. The report contains the full test data and results.

The manufacturer can then take that certificate and report to any other participating country’s certification body and convert it into a local approval without repeating the testing.

That’s the key advantage. Instead of testing the same cable separately for every market, the manufacturer tests once and gains access to 54 countries.

How CB differs from UKCA, CE, and TÜV

The most important distinction is how the testing is carried out. UKCA and CE can be self-declared for most electrical products. The manufacturer tests its own product and signs a Declaration of Conformity.

CB certification cannot be self-declared. The testing is performed by an accredited, independent laboratory. The results are verified by a National Certification Body before the certificate is issued.

CB test reports can also be used to support a UKCA or CE Declaration of Conformity, because the IEC standards they test against align closely with the safety requirements of both the UK and EU directives.

What CB certification tells you about a cable

A Type 2 cable with CB certification has been tested in an accredited laboratory against internationally harmonised IEC standards.

The testing covers electrical safety, insulation performance, temperature limits, and mechanical durability of both the cable and its connectors.

Because CB testing is third-party and independently verified, it provides a level of assurance that self-declared certifications do not.

It also tells you the manufacturer is serious about international compliance. Obtaining CB certification takes time, money, and confidence in the product.

CB and TÜV together

Some cables carry both CB and TÜV certification. The two are complementary, not redundant.

CB confirms the product has been tested to international IEC standards and is recognised across 54 countries.

TÜV adds ongoing production monitoring and a publicly searchable certificate database (Certipedia). Together, they represent the highest level of independent verification available for an EV charging cable.

If a cable carries UKCA, CE, TÜV, and CB, it has met or exceeded every relevant safety framework, both mandatory and voluntary.

Why it matters when you’re buying a cable

CB certification is voluntary. A manufacturer doesn’t need it to sell a cable in the UK. Getting it anyway signals that the product has been independently verified to a global standard.

In a market where unsafe cables have been recalled from online marketplaces (as documented by Electrical Safety First and What Car? in 2023), independent certifications help you distinguish quality from risk.

Checking for CB alongside UKCA, CE, and TÜV takes a few seconds. It’s one of the simplest ways to confirm you’re buying a cable that has been properly tested.

Our cables

Every Type 2 cable we sell carries CB certification alongside UKCA, CE, and TÜV. We hold the supporting test reports and Declarations of Conformity for all products.

Our cables come with a three-year warranty covering manufacturing defects, and we’re a registered UK company based in West Yorkshire. If you have any questions about certifications, get in touch.