Choosing an EV Home Charger in Great Britain: A Practical Guide
Home charging is how most EV owners do most of their charging. Getting the right charger isn't just about speed — the smart features built into modern home chargers can save you hundreds of pounds per year by automatically charging at the cheapest, greenest times of day.
This guide covers everything you need to make the right decision for your home, your car, and your tariff.
Why Charge at Home?
Around 80% of EV charging in Great Britain happens at home. The reasons are practical:
- Cost: Home charging costs 8–35p/kWh depending on tariff and time. Public rapid chargers typically cost 55–80p/kWh
- Convenience: Plug in when you get home; wake up to a full battery
- Control: You choose when and at what rate to charge — unlocking smart tariff savings
- Carbon: With a smart charger and a time-of-use tariff, you can consistently charge during the lowest-carbon windows
Public charging is important for long journeys, but for daily use, home charging is cheaper, greener, and more convenient.
Charging Speeds: What Do You Actually Need?
Home chargers come in two main power levels:
| Type | Power | Range added per hour | Full charge time (60 kWh) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-pin plug (emergency only) | 2.3 kW | ~8 miles | ~26 hours |
| 7 kW home charger (standard) | 7 kW | ~25 miles | ~9 hours |
| 11 kW three-phase | 11 kW | ~38 miles | ~6 hours |
| 22 kW three-phase | 22 kW | ~75 miles | ~3 hours |
For most households, a 7 kW single-phase charger is the right choice:
- Adds 175+ miles overnight in 7 hours
- Compatible with all Type 2 EVs (the standard in GB)
- Single-phase supply — no need to upgrade to three-phase
- Competitively priced (£700–1,100 installed with OZEV grant)
Three-phase supplies (11/22 kW) are worth considering only if your home already has three-phase (unusual for UK domestic), your car charges faster at 11 kW, and you have a genuine need to charge a large battery quickly.
Note: Most EVs cap their AC charging speed regardless of the charger. A Tesla Model 3 Long Range charges at 11 kW AC maximum. A Nissan Leaf charges at 6.6 kW maximum. A 7 kW charger will always be limited by the car's onboard charger rate.
The OZEV Grant
The UK government's Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS) provides a £350 grant towards the cost of a home charger installation. To qualify:
- You must own, lease, or have ordered an eligible plug-in vehicle
- The charger must be OZEV-approved (all major brands qualify)
- The property must have off-road parking
- You can only claim once per address
Most installers apply the grant automatically and discount the invoice. Always confirm this upfront.
Smart vs. Basic Chargers
A basic charger plugs in and charges at a fixed rate whenever plugged in. A smart charger connects to your home Wi-Fi and allows:
- Scheduled charging: Set a start time (e.g. 11pm) manually
- Tariff integration: The charger reads your energy tariff's pricing and charges automatically during cheapest periods
- App control: Start, stop, or change schedule remotely from your phone
- Solar integration: Charge from your own rooftop solar surplus, reducing export and grid import
- Energy monitoring: Track exactly how much energy you've charged and at what cost
Smart features are strongly worth paying for. The additional cost is typically £100–200 over a basic charger, and the annual savings from better scheduling can be £300–800 depending on tariff and mileage.
Key Chargers on the UK Market
Ohme Home Pro — Best for Octopus Agile Users
The Ohme charger has the most sophisticated Agile integration available. It connects directly to your Octopus Agile account, reads tomorrow's half-hourly prices, and automatically schedules charging to the cheapest slots while ensuring you have a full battery by your target departure time.
- Set your target SOC and departure time
- Ohme does the rest — charges during the 5 cheapest overnight half-hours
- Also integrates with Intelligent Octopus Go
- Cost: ~£800–1,000 installed (after OZEV grant)
Zappi — Best for Solar Owners
The myenergi Zappi is purpose-built for homes with solar panels. It has three modes:
- Fast mode: Charges at full 7 kW from grid as standard
- Eco mode: Prioritises surplus solar; supplements from grid as needed to maintain minimum charge rate
- Eco+ mode: Charges only from surplus solar — the car charges when solar is generating more than the home is consuming, and pauses when it isn't
For solar households, Eco+ mode means the car can charge essentially for free on sunny days from surplus that would otherwise be exported at a low SEG rate.
- Compatible with myenergi hub for whole-home energy management (Eddi, Libbi battery)
- Cost: ~£900–1,100 installed (after OZEV grant)
Pod Point Solo 3 — Reliable Everyday Charger
Pod Point is one of the most widely installed chargers in the UK. The Solo 3 offers:
- App scheduling (though less sophisticated tariff integration than Ohme)
- Solid reliability record
- RFID card access option
- Good installer network across GB
A good choice if you want a reliable charger with basic smart features but don't need deep Agile or solar integration.
- Cost: ~£750–950 installed (after OZEV grant)
Indra Smart Pro — V2G Ready
The Indra Smart Pro is one of the few UK home chargers offering bidirectional (V2G) capability. If you have a compatible V2G vehicle (currently Nissan Leaf via CHAdeMO, with CCS V2G coming), this allows the car to discharge back to the home or grid.
- V2G capable with compatible vehicles
- Smart scheduling and tariff integration
- App-controlled
- Cost: ~£1,000–1,300 installed (after OZEV grant, V2G premium applies)
Easee One — Compact and Flexible
The Easee One is compact, weather-resistant, and has a growing UK presence:
- Load balancing to prevent tripping the main fuse
- App control and scheduling
- Dynamic power sharing if multiple chargers installed
- Cost: ~£750–950 installed (after OZEV grant)
Installation: What to Expect
A home charger installation typically takes 2–3 hours and involves:
- Survey: Installer checks the incoming supply, fuseboard capacity, and best cable route to the parking spot
- Cable run: Cable routed from fuseboard to the charger location (inside via trunking, or through the wall)
- Charger mounting: Wall-mounted or post-mounted on the drive
- Commissioning: Charger powered up, tested, app connected
- DNO notification: Your installer is responsible for notifying your Distribution Network Operator (the local grid company) — this is a regulatory requirement for chargers above 3.68 kW
If your fuseboard is old (rewireable fuses, no RCD protection), the installer may recommend an upgrade before fitting the charger. Budget an additional £300–600 if this is needed.
Pairing Your Charger With the Right Tariff
| Your situation | Best charger | Best tariff |
|---|---|---|
| EV only, flexible overnight | Ohme Home Pro | Octopus Agile or Intelligent Octopus Go |
| Solar panels + EV | Zappi | Octopus Flux or Agile + smart export |
| Solar + battery + EV | Zappi + Libbi | Octopus Flux |
| V2G-capable EV (Nissan Leaf) | Indra Smart Pro | OVO Drive+Shift or Octopus V2G |
| Simple setup, reliable charger | Pod Point Solo 3 | Octopus Go or E.ON Next Drive |
Summary
- For most households, a 7 kW smart charger is the right choice — charges a typical EV overnight
- Apply the £350 OZEV grant — all major brands qualify
- Smart charger features save £300–800/year through better scheduling — worth the premium
- Ohme is the standout choice for Agile users; Zappi for solar owners; Indra for V2G
- Pair your charger with a time-of-use tariff for maximum savings
- The 48-hour carbon forecast shows the greenest charging windows for planning your schedule