Solar EV chargers & installation | Which? Trusted Trader

Get a Solar EV charger with Smart Home Charge

Power your electric vehicle with excess solar energy

We'll be with you every step of the way.

Whether you're brand new to the electric vehicle way of life or a seasoned pro, we make getting a solar EV charger installation easy and seamless!

Quote
1. Quote
Select your preferred charger and answer a few simple questions so we can assess the installation requirements.
Pay
2. Pay
Review your quote and choose from our range of payment options, including finance. Your charger will dispatched the next working day straight to your doorstep.
Install
3. Install
Once your solar ev charger has arrived and we've completed the necessary paperwork, one of our experienced engineers will attend your property to fit your brand new solar EV charger.
Switch & Save
4. Switch & Save
Save £££s on your home EV charging costs using our switch and save tool!

Our range of home solar EV chargers

Vchrgd
Seven
Amazing Value

With installation

Charger only

Pay in full from

£774.89

£444.00

Pay monthly

£10.58

£148.00

Ohme
ePod
Best for Energy Tariff Integration

With installation

Charger only

Pay in full from

£849.60

£575.00

Pay monthly

£11.59

£191.66

Easee
One
Best Seller and Best All Rounder

With installation

Charger only

Pay in full from

£918.00

£499.00

Pay monthly

£12.53

£166.33

Ohme
Home Pro
Best for Energy Tariff Integration

With installation

Charger only

Pay in full from

£936.89

£612.00

Pay monthly

£12.78

£204.00

Simpson & Partners
Home 7
Best for Style at a Lower Cost

With installation

Charger only

Pay in full from

£1031

 N/A 

Pay monthly

£14.08

 N/A 

Hypervolt
Home 3 Pro
Best for App Interface

With installation

Charger only

Pay in full from

£1073

£699.60

Pay monthly

£14.66

£233.19

Easee
Charge
Best for Three-Phase at Lower Cost

With installation

Charger only

Pay in full from

£1300

 N/A 

Pay monthly

£17.75

 N/A 

Andersen
A3
Best for Cable Storage and Finish Quality

With installation

Charger only

Pay in full from

£1374

£1374

Pay monthly

£18.76

£18.76

Andersen
A2
Best for Three-Phase and Style

With installation

Charger only

Pay in full from

£1589

 N/A 

Pay monthly

£21.69

 N/A 

See why customers choose Smart Home Charge

How Much Does It Cost To Charge An Electric Car?

A home EV charger can help dramatically reduce the cost to charge an electric car. This is because smart home EV chargers give you the ability to schedule a charge when the electricity price is cheaper.

What do we mean by cheaper electricity price? EV drivers are able to access EV friendly tariffs, which offer much lower prices (usually overnight) helping to reduce charging costs. In fact, you could recoup the cost of home charger installation in around 18 months with the savings alone.

Discover how much it will cost to charge an electric vehicle with our handy Switch and Save tool.

Compare the best home EV tariffs, as well as public charging point costs.

*Example charging costs are shown for a MINI Electric vehicle using the off-peak rates of intelligent Octopus and based on a 200 mile per week trip (or 10,400 mile per year).
Average UK tariff
£7.99
EV-friendly tariff
£2.28
Save up to £409.19 per year

when you combine one of our smart chargers with an EV-friendly tariff.

Get the right EV accessories

Purchase electric vehicle charging cables, charger faceplates and more on our Accessories page.

FAQs

How does a solar EV home charger work?

It depends on the smart EV charger, but in general EV chargers capable of solar charging will direct surplus electricity generated by your solar panels into a connected vehicle.

Be sure to check out the article below for a more detailed explanation:

Charging Your EV with Solar Panels article

Do all solar EV chargers work in the same way?

In most cases, yes.

A solar EV charger typically uses a device called a CT Clamp to monitor excess energy generated by your solar panels and directs it to your connected vehicle. This is how our current selection of solar-compatible charge points work.

However, some EV chargers operate differently by using advanced software to predict the amount of energy your solar panels are generating. These chargers then adjust the power flow to your vehicle based on the estimated surplus energy available.

What do the different solar "modes" mean?

In most cases, the different "modes" of a solar EV charger allow you to control the amount of power that the charger pulls from the grid.

Most chargers will have a variation of the following two modes:

Solar Only

This mode uses only surplus solar energy to charge a connected vehicle. It’s ideal for times when your car is parked at home during daylight hours, allowing you to charge using free electricity generated by your solar panels.

However, keep in mind that during cloudy days, the energy being fed into your car may fluctuate or even stop throughout the day.

Solar and grid

This mode uses a combination of grid energy and surplus solar energy to charge your vehicle. The charger takes any available surplus solar energy and supplements it with grid energy to maintain a charging rate of at least 1.44kW.

As your surplus solar energy approaches 1.44kW, the charger reduces its reliance on grid energy, ensuring efficient use of solar power while keeping your car consistently charging.

Is there a minimum amount of excess solar energy I need to charge my EV?

Yes, most EVs require a minimum charging rate of 1.44kW. This means your solar panels must generate at least this amount of excess energy before the charger can start charging your EV.

Excess solar energy refers to the energy left after your home or other connected appliances have met their energy requirements. If the remaining energy is less than 1.44kW, the solar EV charger will not begin charging.

However, some solar EV chargers can draw additional energy from the grid to meet this threshold. For instance:

  • If your solar PV system generates 1kW of surplus energy, certain EV chargers can supplement this with 0.44kW from grid electricity to meet the 1.44kW minimum and start charging your vehicle.

Your electricity supplier will bill you for any energy drawn from the grid, but you’ll still benefit from using your solar-generated energy. As a result, it should save money compared to relying solely on grid electricity.

Is a "solar powered" EV charger worth it?

Whether a "solar powered" electric car charger is worth it or not depends on the individual and whether you think it will help reduce your energy costs. We recommend asking yourself these questions before you buy a solar EV charger:

  • Where is your EV typically parked when your solar panels are generating the most amount of energy? Can it be plugged in during these times?

  • How much excess electricity do your solar panels generate?

  • Are you better off exporting your solar energy (see FAQ below for more detail)?

Will the extra cost of a solar charger provide a return on investment?

Learn more here

Do solar EV chargers work with battery storage systems?

Most solar compatible EV chargers should work with a home battery storage system but it's important to check with both the manufacture of the battery and charger before getting them installed.

How many solar panels do I need to charge my EV?

A solar panel EV charger requires at least 1.44kW of excess electricity (energy generated after your household's energy needs have been met) to charge a car via solar energy alone.

With this in mind, you will need enough solar panels to generate enough energy to meet the demand of your household with an excess of at least 1.44kW.

To determine this, we recommend you speak to the company installing solar panels at your property, so they understand you wish to generate enough electricity to power both your home and generate surplus for your EV.

How quickly can you install my solar EV charger?

Typical lead times from point of payment are 1-4 weeks. Lead times will vary from region to region and, of course, how busy we are in your area at the time.

While there are some elements out of our control, such as the DNO Notification, which can delay your installation, you can help speed up the process by:

Completing your home charging survey quickly
Most of our customers get an Instant Quote without needing to do the Online Site Survey first, but you’ll need to do one before your installation can be booked so we can gather some crucial information and confirm any other requirements. The sooner you complete your survey, the better!

Which EV charging point should I choose?

It ultimately comes down to personal preference (and budget!). But we have some useful guides and tips below which might help your decision:

  1. CHECK OUT OUR EV CHARGER REVIEWS

    We have written and video reviews on all our chargers after extensive testing by our editorial team.
     
  2. SEE WHAT OTHER CUSTOMERS SAY

    On each product page, you’ll find scores and comments from customers who have already purchased that product. See what they have to say.
     
  3. READ OUR CUSTOMER STORIES

    We have a range of in-depth testimonials from customers who discuss their EV journey, including which car and charger they chose and why.
     
  4. HOW TO CHOOSE A CHARGER GUIDE

    Tips on what to look out for in an EV charger, such as whether to choose a tethered or untethered charger.
     
  5. BEST HOME EV CHARGERS GUIDE

    A round-up of the best EV chargers.

How much does it cost to install a solar electric car charger at home?

It’s best to budget upwards of £800 for the charger including install. Select Request a Quote on your preferred charger to get an Instant Quote.

Learn more in our INSTALLATION COST GUIDE

Can I compare charger features side by side?

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Yes! Head over to our Compare Chargers tool for snapshot view and see the best features for our range of electric car charging points.

Will my property need works or upgrades to the electricity supply?

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Many customers will not need any upgrades to their electricity supply before having an EV charger installed.

All installers are however required to notify the local Distribution Network Operator (DNO) of any EV charger installations, who will advise you and us if an upgrade to your property’s main fuse is necessary.

This depends on your property’s “maximum demand” estimate, (which is submitted by our in-house technicians to your DNO as part of our process), the size of the main fuse or if your property is on a looped supply (connected to your neighbour).

Any potential works will be handled by your DNO and they will contact you directly if this is the case.

Do you install EV charge points in my area?

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Smart Home Charge is a nationwide installer, covering England, Scotland and Wales.

We have experienced engineers covering all major cities and regions, but there might be the odd nook or cranny we can't get to quickly.

Find out if we install EV chargers in your area with our location checker.

Will you set up my charge point app?

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Yes.

Our engineers will complete the initial setup and pairing of the charger app via Wi Fi or 3G (depending on the product) with the charge point itself as this is considered as part of the installation.

Which chargers are compatible with solar panels and battery storage?

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In a way, all electric car chargers are compatible with solar panels in that they will consume electricity just like any other appliance - and if you are generating from solar at the same time then there's a chance that solar energy makes it to your car.

But there's the rub - it's just a chance and you have no real way of knowing if and how much solar is making it into your electric vehicle.

What most people mean by this question is, can I divert any surplus solar energy into my electric vehicle to do solar charging? To do this, you'll need a charging point that is capable of detecting any surplus and start charging your electric cars before the excess solar is lost to the grid.

Learn more about this in our solar electric vehicle charging article.

Battery storage is a little more technical, so it's worth speaking direct with the manufacturer or a battery storage installer for their recommendation first.

Do all EVs work with all electric car charging points?

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More or less, yes. If you choose an untethered (or socket only) EV charging point, then it will work with every electric vehicle - you just need to use the correct charging cable for your car.

However, if you choose a tethered electric car charger for home then you'll need to be a little more selective. This is because the cable is attached to the charge point in this case, so you'll need to ensure it "matches" your vehicle.

Luckily there are only two "types" of cable for charging at home - Type 1 and Type 2 - and even then almost all recent and new electric cars are Type 2. So the vast majority of electric cars work with all modern chargers.

Do I need a smart meter to have an EV charging point installed?

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No, you don't need a smart meter in order to have an electric vehicle charger installed.

However, if you intend to take advantage of the many EV friendly tariffs available and save hundreds per year on your via smart charging, then you will likely need a smart meter to access them.

Check out our energy tariff comparison tool to learn more.

Do I need off-street parking?

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No.

You can still have an electric vehicle charger installed even if you don't have off-street private parking, but it can make an electric car charger installation more complicated and costly depending on the situation, the cable run and layout.

When will I know my install date?

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We understand you want to know when we will be installing your EV charger as soon as possible. There are a number of mandatory steps that must be completed before we can give you a firm date (see below), but fortunately our lead times are short in all but the furthest corners of the UK.

Key steps we must complete before giving you a firm date include ordering the charge point, which is ordered as soon as you pay, completing the remote site survey, and completing the DNO notification (which can sometimes lead to delays if your DNO wants to carry out works).

We do this so we can provide a firm date knowing all the required steps are completed, helping to avoid delays.

We think this is a fairer and more transparent way of doing things, rather than making false promises about a date at the start and having to change this later.

Need help with finding the right charger?

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