Victron Energy Phoenix 12/2000
1600 watts of true pure sine power from a 12-volt battery, at 230V: Victron's flagship Phoenix, built for European-spec gear rather than standard US outlets.
Characteristics
- Output: 1600W continuous, 4000W peak, 230V
- Waveform: True pure sine wave
- Standby: ECO mode, 0.6W draw
- Format: 28.7 lb (13 kg), IP21
- Victron's most powerful Phoenix, but 230V output
Detailed overview: Victron Phoenix 12V 2000 VA 230V pure sine wave inverter
The Victron Phoenix 12/2000 VE.Direct Smart converts a 12-volt DC battery bank into AC power. It is rated at 2000VA, meaning 1600 watts continuous at 77 °F (25 °C) and 1450 watts at 104 °F (40 °C), with an admissible 4000-watt peak. It is the most powerful model in Victron's 12-volt Phoenix range, built to run demanding loads such as a full-size microwave or an electric kettle without hesitation.
Important for US shoppers: this unit outputs 230V AC at 50 or 60Hz, the European standard, not the 120V that American wall outlets, RV shore-power pedestals, and nearly all US appliances require. It is not a drop-in inverter for a typical US camper, boat, or home backup setup. It exists in this catalog because it is a genuinely notable product, and because a real (if niche) group of American buyers need it: owners of imported 230V equipment, or of boats and overland rigs deliberately wired for dual-voltage use.
Where it is sold as a mainstream product, in the UK and the rest of Europe, it earns its reputation through a true pure sine wave output from a full-bridge topology and toroidal transformer, the same design that explains its 28.7-pound (13 kg) weight and its resistance to brief overloads and heat. The steel enclosure is rated IP21 and operates from -40 °F to 149 °F (-40 °C to 65 °C) with fan-assisted cooling.
ECO mode drops standby draw to 0.6 watt when no load above the set threshold is present, against 8 watts in normal operation, a genuine saving on an installation left connected for weeks. Built-in Bluetooth and the VE.Direct port allow configuration through the VictronConnect app: low-voltage cutoff thresholds, load-dependent dynamic cutoff, output voltage and frequency. Victron backs the unit with a 5-year warranty. For a genuine 120V US setup, see Victron's own Phoenix 12/1200 120V or step up to a MultiPlus inverter/charger.
EAN: 8719076057512
User manual / Instructions for use (PDF)
Related video
Video: VICTRON PHOENIX INVERTER SMART 12/2000 230V - Published on 03/08/2022
Our tester's review: Gilles Caron
Worth saying upfront: this is the European-spec Phoenix 12/2000, and it puts out 230V AC, not the 120V that US wall outlets, most RV pedestals, and the vast majority of American appliances expect. If you plug a US device into it, at best it does nothing, at worst you damage the device. Victron does sell this exact unit in the UK, Germany, and the rest of Europe, and it genuinely is the flagship of the 12-volt Phoenix range there: 1600 watts continuous, a 4000-watt surge rating, and the same toroidal-transformer build quality that has made Victron's name in the marine and overlanding world. In the US, Victron's standalone Phoenix Smart lineup caps out at 1600VA/120V; anyone wanting more standalone inverter power at 120V in the US market is steered toward the MultiPlus inverter/chargers instead, which bundle in a battery charger and transfer switch at a substantially higher price point. So who actually wants this 230V unit stateside? Mostly boat owners and overlanders running genuinely dual-voltage systems, or anyone who has imported 230V equipment (some European appliances, certain welding gear, some marine electronics) and needs a clean, high-power source for it specifically. For a standard US RV, van, or home backup setup that just needs to run American 120V appliances, this is the wrong product; look at Victron's own 120V Phoenix lineup or a MultiPlus instead.
Frequently asked questions: Victron Phoenix 12V 2000 VA 230V pure sine wave inverter
No, not directly. This unit outputs 230V AC, the European standard, not the 120V used by US outlets and most American appliances. Plugging a 120V device into it can damage the device. It is meant for 230V loads, not a household backup or RV power source in the US.
Mainly owners of imported 230V equipment, or boats and overland builds deliberately wired for dual-voltage use. For a standard US camper, boat, or backup power setup, Victron's 120V Phoenix lineup or a MultiPlus inverter/charger is the right product instead.
Not as a standalone Phoenix Smart inverter. Victron's US-market standalone Phoenix VE.Direct/Smart line tops out at 1600VA at 120V; for more power at 120V, the US lineup moves to the MultiPlus family, which combines an inverter with a battery charger and transfer switch.
At full output the unit draws close to 145 amps at 12 volts. A small lead-acid battery cannot sustain that kind of draw; plan on a large lithium battery or a several-hundred-amp-hour bank, with heavy-gauge cable to the M8 terminals.
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Published on 04/09/2026