EV Chargers FAQ

Installations are fully fitted, including the charger, all wiring, electrical testing, and NAPIT certification. Your exact price depends on which charger you choose and how far the cable run is from your consumer unit. If you're eligible for the OZEV grant, up to £500 comes straight off your invoice. Note: the Tesla Wall Connector isn't on the government's approved chargepoint model list, so the grant only applies to our Ohme chargers.

From quote to a working charger is typically around three days. The on-site installation itself takes around half a day for most homes, including mounting, wiring, testing, and certification. We confirm your date upfront and walk you through what to expect on the day.

Everything needed for a safe, certified install: the charger unit, wall mounting, cable run back to your consumer unit (5m or 8m included), a dedicated circuit with RCD protection, full electrical testing, NAPIT certification, and our 2-year workmanship warranty. No hidden extras on a standard install.

Yes. All three chargers use the Type 2 connector, the UK standard for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. The Tesla Wall Connector works with all EV brands, not just Tesla. If you're unsure about your car's socket, check your handbook or tell us the model when you quote.

We install across England, Scotland, and Wales on UK mainland. When you get a quote, we confirm availability in your area and book a date that works for you. We don't cover Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man.

The gap is significant. A typical off-peak EV tariff at home runs around 7-10p per kWh, while public rapid chargers usually sit between 30p and 79p per kWh. On a 60kWh battery, that's the difference between roughly £5 and £45 for a full charge. The UK now has more than 120,000 public chargepoints (Zapmap stats), but home charging stays the cheapest option for daily use. See our EV chargers hub.

For most homeowners, the OZEV Chargepoint Grant of £500 is the main scheme available, and it's limited to renters, landlords, and flat owners (gov.uk OZEV). There's no nationwide alternative for private homes, though a few local councils run small top-up schemes. Businesses can apply separately under the Workplace Charging Scheme. Our grants guide covers the full landscape.

Most home EV charger installations take around half a day on site, typically 3 to 4 hours. The job involves mounting the unit, running the cable back to your consumer unit, fitting a dedicated circuit with RCD protection, testing the system and issuing certification. Complex routes or consumer unit upgrades can push this longer. We confirm the expected timing from your photos before install day. More in our home charger guide.

It's a common issue in older homes. If your consumer unit doesn't have a free slot for the dedicated EV circuit, the installer can usually fit a separate isolator next to it. If the board itself is outdated or non-compliant with current wiring regs, a consumer unit upgrade may be needed before the charger goes in. We confirm this from your photos before install day, so there are no surprises. See the home charger guide.

For a dedicated home charger, yes. The unit needs to be fitted to an external wall or post within cable reach of where the car parks, and the cable must stay on your property. Trailing a cable across a public pavement is not legal in most UK councils without specific consent, and many councils refuse permission outright. If you have no off-street parking, your best option is the growing public network. See our EV chargers hub.

For a standard 7.4kW home charger, no prior approval is needed. The installer submits a G98 notification to your Distribution Network Operator after the work is complete, which is a legal requirement they handle for you. Higher-power installations above 16A per phase (around 11kW and above) require a G99 application before work starts, and the DNO may need to assess your local supply. More detail in our home charger guide.

Yes, with two conditions. You need written permission from your landlord, since the charger is a permanent fixture attached to the property. The good news for renters is that the OZEV Chargepoint Grant of £500 is specifically available to people in rented accommodation, which makes the installation much more affordable. See the gov.uk OZEV page and our grants guide for eligibility.

It comes down to convenience versus tidiness. A tethered charger has the cable permanently attached, so you just unhook it and plug straight into the car. An untethered (socket) charger gives you a neater wall-mounted unit, but you need to fetch and connect your own Type 2 cable each time. Tethered suits drivers who charge daily; untethered suits anyone who wants a cleaner look or might switch cars. See our home charger guide.

Yes, and it's not optional. Under the UK Smart Charge Point Regulations, every new home or workplace charger sold or installed since 30 June 2022 must be smart by default. That means it has to support scheduled off-peak charging, randomised start delays to protect the grid, and remote firmware updates. The benefit is you can charge during cheap overnight tariff hours automatically. Our smart charging guide explains in detail.

Yes, with options. The simplest is one charger used sequentially, plugging in each car overnight in turn. The more flexible setup is two chargers with load-balancing, which splits available power between both units so you don't exceed your incoming supply. Most UK homes have a 60-100A supply, which can comfortably support load-balanced dual charging. We check your supply before install day. See our EV chargers hub.

It's the habit of charging your EV to around 80% for daily use rather than 100%. Lithium batteries age fastest when held at full charge, so most manufacturers recommend the 80% ceiling day to day, saving 100% charges for long trips. A smart home charger makes this automatic: set the target once in the app and it stops at the right point every night.

A 7kW charger draws up to 7 kWh per hour, so the cost is your electricity rate times seven. On a typical off-peak EV tariff around 7p/kWh that's roughly 49p an hour; on a standard rate near 27p/kWh it's about £1.90. Overnight scheduling on the cheap window is where home charging beats public charging several times over.

Yes, legally, but you want an installer with EV-specific competence: the job involves earthing arrangements, load calculation on your consumer unit, and notification to your network operator. And if you're claiming the £500 chargepoint grant, the rules require an OZEV-authorised installer like UKEM; a general electrician can't process the grant for you.