Schneider TeSys GV2, GV3 and GV4: Full MPCB Range Review
What is the Schneider TeSys GV range? TeSys GV is Schneider Electric's family of motor protection circuit breakers (MPCB) built to IEC 60947-4-1, running from GV2 (0.1-32 A, thermal-magnetic or magnetic-only) through GV3 (to 65 A) to GV4 (to 115 A, thermal-magnetic or electronic trip unit). Pick the wrong frame and you either strand yourself on a device with no headroom for the motor's inrush, or you pay for a 115 A frame to protect a 15 A pump. This review walks the GV2, GV3 and GV4 breakpoints, the GV2L magnetic-only variant, terminal options, LC1 contactor pairing, and where each one earns its place in a panel.
How GV2, GV3 and GV4 Split by Current
GV2ME (rotary dial) and GV2P (toggle operator) cover roughly 0.1-32 A across eleven thermal-magnetic settings. GV3P steps up to 65 A in a wider frame, still a single thermal-magnetic block. GV4 goes to 115 A and offers two trip technologies: a thermal-magnetic block similar in principle to GV2/GV3, or an electronic trip unit for tighter overload curves and remote signaling. Frame width grows with current — GV2 mounts on a standard 45 mm DIN pitch, GV3 and GV4 need more panel real estate, and that alone can decide a layout on a crowded MCC door.
GV2ME and GV2P: The 32 A Workhorse
GV2ME and GV2P are functionally the same thermal-magnetic MPCB; the difference is the operator — rotary knob on ME, toggle lever on P. Both dial-set the bimetal to the motor's FLC and carry a fixed magnetic trip sized to ride through direct-on-line inrush. Setting ranges run from around 0.1 A up to 32 A in overlapping bands, so two adjacent GV2 part numbers often cover the same motor — the choice comes down to which dial window the FLC falls into cleanly, not just which one technically fits.
Screw terminals are standard; cage-clamp (spring) terminals are available on part of the range for panel builders who wire in volume and want to cut termination time. That's a real time saving on a 200-starter MCC build, marginal on a one-off panel.
GV2L: Magnetic-Only, a Different Protection Scheme
GV2L drops the bimetal entirely. It is short-circuit protection and manual isolation only — no thermal overload element. Pair it with a separate LRD or electronic overload relay, and the relay does the FLC-based tripping while GV2L handles fault current and switching. Some panel builders reach for GV2L assuming it is a cheaper GV2ME; it isn't a substitute, it's a different protection architecture that only works correctly once the separate overload relay is specified and set.
Where does GV2L earn its keep? Where the overload protection needs to live on an electronic relay with communication, ground-fault, or multi-motor logic that a bimetal dial can't provide — the GV2L then supplies only the short-circuit and isolation function the standard requires.
GV3P: The 65 A Step
GV3P is thermal-magnetic like GV2ME/GV2P but built for motors in the 9-65 A FLC band. It shares the same setting logic — dial to nameplate FLC, magnetic trip fixed high enough to survive inrush — in a physically larger frame with higher terminal current capacity. What we see in the field: teams sometimes jump straight to GV4 for anything over 32 A, when GV3P covers the middle ground with a simpler thermal-magnetic block and no electronic trip unit to configure.
GV4: Thermal-Magnetic or Electronic, to 115 A
GV4 is the top of the manually-operated GV ladder, covering FLC settings to 115 A. It comes in two builds: a thermal-magnetic block for straightforward overload plus short-circuit protection, or an electronic trip unit that reads current directly and applies a configurable overload curve, often with an auxiliary contact block for remote status. The electronic version costs more and adds setup steps — a technician has to program the FLC value rather than turn a dial — but it holds tighter tolerance across the range and can report a trip cause rather than just a tripped flag.
Terminal options widen at this frame size: ring-lug and busbar connection alongside standard screw terminals, because 100+ A wiring is stranded cable or copper bar, not the small-gauge wire a GV2 sees.
Setting the Dial Across the GV Range
The setting rule doesn't change from GV2 to GV4: dial the thermal element to the motor's nameplate FLC, never to the cable ampacity and never to the breaker's maximum. The magnetic trip is fixed by design at a multiple high enough that normal inrush doesn't cause a nuisance trip.
Formula: MPCB Thermal and Magnetic Setting — Source: IEC 60947-4-1, motor starter dial-setting practice
Iset = IFLC, Im ≈ 12–13 × In
| Symbol | Description | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Iset | Thermal dial setting | A |
| IFLC | Motor nameplate full-load current | A |
| Im | Magnetic (instantaneous) trip threshold | A |
| In | MPCB rated current for the selected frame | A |
Some panel builders set the dial to the frame's maximum instead of the motor's FLC, reasoning it gives headroom. It doesn't — it just delays the overload trip until well past the point the motor windings are already cooking. Set it wrong and it either nuisance-trips on every start or doesn't trip at all when it should.
Coordination with LC1 Contactors and LR Overload Relays
Every GV frame is designed to pair with a specific LC1 contactor size and, on GV2L/magnetic-only builds, an LRD or electronic overload relay. Schneider publishes Type 1 and Type 2 coordination tables for each GV-plus-LC1 combination, stating the maximum prospective short-circuit current at which the pairing meets the declared coordination Type. Type 2 means no damage beyond light, easily-separated contact welding after a fault; Type 1 allows the starter to need parts replacement. Swap in a contactor from outside the published table and the coordination Type is no longer guaranteed, whatever the individual devices are rated for.
This is where a MPCB plus contactor build lives or dies on paperwork as much as on hardware — the combination has to match a tested table entry, not just two devices that are individually rated high enough.
Choosing Between GV2, GV3 and GV4
| Criteria | GV2 | GV3 | GV4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current range | ~0.1-32 A | ~9-65 A | ~17-115 A |
| Trip technology | Thermal-magnetic (GV2ME/GV2P) or magnetic-only (GV2L) | Thermal-magnetic | Thermal-magnetic or electronic trip unit |
| Operator | Rotary (ME) or toggle (P) | Toggle | Toggle, with programmable front on electronic unit |
| Terminals | Screw, spring on part of range | Screw | Screw, ring-lug, busbar |
| Typical fit | Small pumps, fans, conveyors | Mid-size pumps, compressors | Larger compressors, MCC feeders needing remote status |
The practical decision usually reduces to one number: the motor's FLC, checked against the mid-band of a frame's setting range rather than its extreme end. A 30 A FLC motor sits at the ceiling of a GV2 and the floor of a GV3 — either fits on paper, but the GV3 leaves margin if the motor gets re-rated or replaced with a slightly larger one later.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between GV2ME and GV2P?
Both are thermal-magnetic MPCBs covering the same current range. GV2ME has a rotary dial operator, GV2P has a toggle lever. Protection characteristics are the same; the choice is operator preference and panel layout.
Can a GV2L replace a GV2ME?
Not directly. GV2L is magnetic-only — short-circuit protection and isolation, no thermal overload. It needs a separate LRD or electronic overload relay to provide the FLC-based tripping a GV2ME gives on its own.
When should I choose GV4's electronic trip unit over thermal-magnetic?
Choose electronic when the application needs remote fault signaling, tighter overload tolerance, or programmable FLC without changing a physical dial band. For a standalone motor with no monitoring requirement, the thermal-magnetic GV4 is simpler to commission.
Do GV2, GV3 and GV4 use the same LC1 contactor family?
They pair with LC1 contactors sized to each GV frame, following Schneider's published Type 1/Type 2 coordination tables. The contactor size changes with the GV frame; the coordination Type only holds for the tested pairing.
What happens if I set the FLC dial too high on any GV frame?
The thermal element delays tripping past the point the motor is already overheating. The magnetic (short-circuit) trip threshold doesn't move with the dial — only the thermal setting does — so an over-set dial removes overload protection while leaving short-circuit protection unchanged.
Is GV3P available with spring terminals like some GV2 models?
Spring/cage-clamp terminals are offered on part of the GV2 range; GV3P is standard with screw terminals. Confirm the exact terminal option against the current catalog before specifying a panel.
Conclusion
GV2, GV3 and GV4 are one ladder, not three separate product lines — the setting logic (dial to FLC, fixed magnetic trip) carries across all three, and the decision is mostly about which current band and terminal type the panel needs. GV2L breaks that pattern deliberately, trading the built-in thermal element for a separate overload relay. Whichever frame fits, check it against a published IEC 60947-4-1 standard reference and the matching LC1 coordination table before it goes on the panel. For the broader picture across brands, see the MPCB engineering guide, browse motor protection circuit breakers and contactors for in-stock TeSys and LC1 parts, and check how to select and set an MPCB for the sizing steps in detail.
