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Written and fact-checked by Jacob Whitmore · Published 9 Apr 2026 · How we work
By Look Into · Updated August 2026 · Independently researched, not tested in-house

A home EV charger costs £750 to £1,500 fully installed in the UK in 2026, with most 7.4kW smart units landing between £800 and £1,100. Charging at home on an overnight EV tariff costs around 7.5p per kWh against 65p to 79p at a public rapid charger, which is where the unit pays for itself.

Our pick for most drivers: the Ohme Home Pro, because it reads your energy tariff and moves charging to the cheapest hours on its own. Solar owners should buy the myenergi Zappi instead, and anyone chasing the lowest price on a genuinely smart unit should look at the Wallbox Pulsar Plus.

Prices in this table come from Amazon and are refreshed at least once a day, with the date of the last update under the table. The cost-per-use and running-cost figures on this page use prices Look Into read on 9 April 2026, so they can differ from today's price.

As an Amazon Associate, Look Into earns from qualifying purchases. Product prices and availability are accurate as of 22 October 2026 and are subject to change.

Prices and specs last checked by Look Into on 9 April 2026 · how we picked

Which home EV chargers are worth buying in 2026?

Six home EV chargers dominate UK installs. Prices below are typical installed costs including a standard fit, checked against manufacturer and installer listings in August 2026.

ChargerPowerCableSmart featuresPrice installed
Ohme Home Pro7.4kWTethered 5mSmart tariff, solar, app£850 – £1,100
myenergi Zappi V2.17.4kWTethered or untetheredSolar divert, app, eco modes£900 – £1,200
Wallbox Pulsar Plus7.4kWTethered 5mApp, power sharing£750 – £950
Easee One7.4kWUntetheredLoad balancing, app£800 – £1,050
Pod Point Solo 37.4kWUntetheredApp, Tesco Clubcard£800 – £1,000
Andersen A37.4kWTethered or untetheredApp, premium design£1,100 – £1,500

The six chargers reviewed

1. Ohme Home Pro - best overall

The Ohme Home Pro is the home EV charger to buy if you are on a time-of-use tariff. It talks directly to Octopus Go, Intelligent Octopus and similar tariffs and shifts charging into the cheap window without you scheduling anything. Paired with solar panels it will divert excess generation to the car, and it supports OCPP so it is not orphaned if you switch energy supplier.

Pros

  • Automatic cheap-rate charging on Octopus, OVO and similar
  • Solar diversion built in
  • Compact, unobtrusive design
  • Three-year warranty

Cons

  • Tethered only, so you cannot use your own cable
  • Smart features need Wi-Fi
  • No built-in energy meter

2. myenergi Zappi V2.1 - best for solar owners

The Zappi is the charger solar owners buy, and the reason is its three charging modes. Fast uses the grid, Eco blends solar with grid, and Eco+ waits for surplus generation and charges on solar alone. No other mainstream UK charger matches that level of solar control. It is built in the UK and works alongside myenergi's Eddi and Harvi units.

Pros

  • Best-in-class solar diversion, three modes
  • Available tethered or untethered
  • Built-in energy meter
  • Made in the UK

Cons

  • The most expensive of the mainstream options
  • App is functional rather than polished
  • Solar features need a CT clamp or a Harvi sensor

3. Wallbox Pulsar Plus - best budget smart charger

The Wallbox Pulsar Plus is the cheapest charger here that is still properly smart. The app handles scheduling and consumption tracking, and power sharing lets two units split a supply if you run two EVs. It is the smallest unit of the six, which matters on a narrow porch or a shared wall.

Pros

  • Lowest installed price for a smart unit
  • Compact and light
  • Power sharing across two chargers
  • Scheduling built into the app

Cons

  • No solar diversion
  • Tethered only
  • Support response times are a common complaint

4. Easee One - best for multi-car and tight supplies

The Easee One is an untethered 7.4kW charger with dynamic load balancing, which throttles the car's draw when the rest of the house is pulling hard. That makes it the sensible pick on an older or already-loaded supply, and it is the smallest wall footprint of the untethered units.

5. Pod Point Solo 3 - the safe default

The Pod Point Solo 3 is the untethered charger most UK installers will offer by default. Smart features are basic next to the Ohme, but the unit is well supported, widely fitted, and collects Tesco Clubcard points on public Pod Point charging.

6. Andersen A3 - if the charger has to look good

The Andersen A3 costs £300 to £500 more than equivalent units and buys you a hidden cable and a choice of wood or painted fascias. Functionally it is a 7.4kW smart charger like the rest; you are paying for how it looks on a front elevation.

Tethered or untethered: which should you choose?

A tethered EV charger has the cable permanently attached; an untethered one has a socket and you supply your own Type 2 cable. Tethered suits a single car on a driveway, untethered suits households with more than one EV or a shared parking area.

FeatureTetheredUntethered
CablePermanently attachedBring your own Type 2 cable
ConveniencePlug in and goConnect the cable each time
FlexibilityOne cable length onlyAny cable length you like
TidinessCable always on showCleaner wall when not charging
Best forSingle-car householdsMultiple EVs or shared parking

Is there still a grant for a home EV charger?

Home EV charger grants are worth 75% of the cost, up to £500 per socket, but not to most homeowners. The rate rose from £350 to live price on Amazon (checked 1 April 2026). The grant covers flat owners and renters with off-street parking, households that need a cross-pavement gully because they park on the street, and residential landlords, with a parallel workplace scheme at the same £500 rate.

The group that gets caught out: an owner-occupier of a house with a driveway is not eligible and has not been since the original scheme closed in 2022. If that is you, budget the full installed price. Our EV charger grant guide sets out all five schemes and what each is worth.

What does charging at home actually cost?

Charging an EV at home costs roughly £190 a year on an overnight EV tariff against £1,600 to £2,000 on public rapid chargers, assuming 10,000 miles. Figures use a 3.5 miles per kWh average and the tariff rates below.

Charging methodCost per kWhPer 200 milesAnnual, 10,000 miles
Public rapid charger65–79p£32–£40£1,600–£2,000
Home charger, standard tariff28p£14£700
Home charger, overnight EV tariff7.5p£3.75£190
Home charger, surplus solar0p£0£0

Frequently asked questions about home EV chargers

Can I charge an EV from a normal three-pin plug?

You can charge an EV from a three-pin socket using a granny cable, but it is slow, at eight to twelve hours for a partial charge, and it is not suited to daily use because it loads older wiring for long periods. A dedicated 7.4kW home charger is three to four times faster.

Do I need a new consumer unit to fit a home charger?

Often not. The installer checks whether your existing board has a spare way and enough capacity. A very old board, roughly pre-2006, may need replacing to £600 as part of the job.

How long does a home charger installation take?

A standard home charger installation takes two to four hours. Long cable runs or a consumer unit upgrade can make it a full day. Your installer notifies the DNO as part of the process.

Before you get charger quotes

What to send installers, what actually moves the price, and how to compare what comes back.

How to compare EV charger quotes

Popular guides

lookinto.co.uk publishes dated UK household cost research: what things cost to buy, install and run across home energy, mobility, later-life care and home improvement. The only quote form on the site is for stairlifts and home lifts. Every index states its method, capture date and sources on the page it appears on.