How to choose an EV charger
Brought to you by Andersen EV
Last updated: Nov 1st 2024
Looking for EV chargers for your electric car or plug-in hybrid? This guide will offer some tips on how to choose the perfect home EV charger for your home.
What to consider when choosing a home ev charger
Here at Smart Home Charge, we only sell and install the best home EV chargers that we would be happy to have installed at our own homes.
But it's still good to be equipped with the knowledge yourself so you can make an informed decision and select the right product for home electric vehicle charging.
There are five key areas to consider:
Budget
The cost of the electric car charger will be the main consideration for most, particularly after prices have increased somewhat since the electric vehicle homecharge scheme (or OZEV Grant) ceased in March 2022.
We have a range of EV chargers to suit different budgets, starting from £897 including installation. The cost of a home charge point is all relative, though - if you're in the market for a premium charger such as the super stylish Andersen A2 then expect to pay a little more.
Plus, Smart Home Charge offers flexible payment options so you can spread the cost of the charger and installation from as little as around £11 per month.
You can even buy an EV charger on its own from us without installation if that is your preference.
Lower-cost chargers
waEV EV1i - a very capable, but more affordable home EV charger.
Ohme ePod - retains the same great features of the Ohme Home Pro, but does not come with a cable attached.
Mid-range cost chargers
Easee One - a stylish, quality and feature-rich EV charger that offers both tethered and untethered functionality at an affordable price.
Ohme Home Pro - an excellent upgrade to the already excellent Ohme Home without the need for an earth rod.
Premium chargers
Andersen A2 - if you're looking for something of higher quality then the Andersen A2 with its range of stylish finishes is the perfect choice.
Tethered or untethered home charger
The question of whether to purchase a tethered charger or untethered charger is slowly becoming redundant as there are already a handful of products which offer both options interchangeably, such as the Easee One
Since some of the best home electric car chargers are still only available as one or the other, let's run through what on earth tethered and untethered means along with the pros and cons.
Tethered chargers
A tethered EV charger simply means the charging cable is permanently attached to the electric vehicle charger unit. Many customers find this more convenient as the cable is always at hand - you just need to uncoil it and plug it in to your vehicle.
However, it can mean you're restricted to the cable lengths offered by the manufacturer, which is usually five metres as standard, but some manufacturers (such as Andersen) offer a range of cable lengths.
You'll also need to ensure the cable matches your electric vehicle's plug socket. This is because EVs have different plug sockets on them for charging at home - either Type 1 or Type 2 - so you have to make sure the tethered charger will "fit" your electric car in advance.
It's a bit like the different charging connections on an iPhone versus other smartphones. Or VHS and BetaMax if you're old enough to remember those - VHS tapes only work with a VHS player and vice versa with BetaMax.
Luckily, almost all modern electric cars are Type 2 nowadays so this issue does not affect most drivers. However, if you do happen to have a Type 1 electric vehicle (such as the older Nissan Leaf) then you will need to specify a Type 1 charger if you want a tethered unit. Keep in mind that if you have visitors with a Type 2 vehicle or you decide to change your EV in future to a Type 2 vehicle then your existing unit will not be compatible.
For drivers of Type 1 vehicles, an untethered unit may be best for future-proofing charging an electric car.
PROS AND CONS OF TETHERED CHARGERS
Pros
- More convenient
- simply uncoil the cable and plug-in
- More secure: the cable is part of the unit so it's harder to be forcibly removed
- Cable included: May mean you do not need to purchase a charging cable separately
Cons
- Lack of flexibility
- Restricted to charging Type 1 vehicles only or Type 2 vehicles only
- Limited choice of cable lengths
Untethered EV chargers
An untethered EV home charger has no cable permanently attached to the unit itself. Instead, it has a socket, hence why they are sometimes called "socket-only" EV chargers. A good example is the Ohme ePod.
An untethered charge point will require you to plug the car's charging cable into both the home charger and the vehicle.
They don't usually come with a cable as standard, so you will need to source your own cable if your car does not come with one already. To be honest, we'd always recommend purchasing an EV cable anyway to keep in the boot for charging your electric car at public chargers.
Buy EV Charging Cables
Need a new charging cable or a spare. We have plenty to choose from.
You may be wondering why someone would choose an untethered electric car charge point. After all, it sounds a lot less convenient for electric car charging.
An untethered charge point offers more flexibility. It can charge any electric vehicle because the socket is universal and you are also not restricted on cable length - simply measure up and buy a suitably long-enough cable. As mentioned before, off-road parking isn't always simple, so having extra space or the ability to use a longer cable for charging overnight may be useful.
Some customers also think they are neater because there aren't any cables on show when the charger isn't in use. Of course, this does come down to personal preference - would you rather bundle the cable into your boot and get it out each time you use the charger (but have an arguably neater look when not in use) or need to coil/uncoil the tethered cable on each use, but save time plugging in and not needing to place a potentially wet cable into your car?
As we mentioned earlier, some chargers like the Easee One do away with this need to choose by allowing you to have a tethered and untethered unit in one charge point. Plus some tethered chargers, like the Andersen A2, have built-in cable tidies and hide the cable altogether anyway.
Pros
- Works with all electric cars
- No cables permanently on display
- Option to choose your charging cable length
Cons
- Potentially less secure as the charging cable itself is easier to access
- You have to supply your own charging cable
- You need to store the cable somewhere after each use
- The cable may be wet or dirty before storing away
Best of both worlds
The alternative is to avoid the hassle of choosing tethered or untethered altogether – purchase the Easee One and get the best of both worlds.
These products are untethered as standard, but are able to operate as a tethered home charging point by "locking" your cable into place. So you can decide whether to use your smart EV charger as untethered or tethered at any time(though you will need to purchase an additional cable to enable this).
Connectivity
The latest smart home chargers are all built with sophisticated connectivity features that give you greater control when managing and optimising your electric vehicle charging sessions.
Network-connected EV charging stations offer a variety of benefits to help make things like billing, maintenance, energy use, over-the-air updates, adding new features, charge scheduling and status updates slick and easy by linking with a smartphone app.
Smart EV chargers benefit energy suppliers too, due to their ability to track the energy they use.
Wifi
An EV charger with Wi-Fi connectivity piggybacks off your home internet connection, meaning that there's no additional costs involved with connecting.
Wi-Fi generally has a short range of connectivity (although it is possible to extend its reach with boosters). Infrastructure can vary depending on location too. Some home areas might have patchy broadband connectivity speeds and reliability, particularly in more rural areas.
Most WiFi enabled home ev chargers are also 2.5ghz signal only, which is something to consider.
Mobile data
In today's world, a mobile signal can generally be found anywhere making it a great alternative for anyone whose Wi-Fi doesn't reach the location they wish to install their charger.
EV charging stations with mobile data connectivity typically have sim cards pre-installed in the unit that connected to the strongest mobile carrier in the area that it is in.
Some charging points come with a data subscription which could come at a cost.
Currently, none of the chargers we install have a paid data subscription however, there have been talks from some manufacturers that this could change in the future.
If you want to avoid any potential charges for data, Easee has stated that their charge points will have free mobile data for the duration of their lifespan.
Or both...
A lot of the latest smart home chargers come with both WiFi and a mobile data connection combined. This means you get the best of both worlds to make sure you never lose connectivity with your charger.
It's worth checking before you decide on your new charger how strong the WiFi signal and mobile data signal are in the location you're looking to install.
Kerb appeal
Although EV home chargers are functional devices first, there's no shame in wanting something that looks nice. After all, it is very likely going to be on the front of your house for all your neighbours to comment on.
EV chargers come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, ranging from the slick Scandi style of the Easee One to the premium finishes available with the Andersen A2 - including Accoya Wood!
When choosing a charger to suit you and your home, consider:
The style – which types of chargers do you just like the look of?
The location – think about where you'd like your charger to be located. This might affect your choice more than you might imagine – if it's out of sight, then perhaps you won't be so bothered by the looks, but if it's on the front of your house for all to see then maybe you'll want something a bit more stylish when you charge an electric car.
Dimensions – some chargers are larger than others, so consider this alongside the charger location and the ease of access to the power supply.
Unique features
Are there are any specific features you must have, as this could defeat all other considerations before you move ahead with an EV charger installation?
Most smart chargers offer similar functions and features nowadays, such as helping you monitor your charging costs on your energy bills, smart charging and the ability manage your charging schedule, auto power balancing and so on but some still have unique offerings to help you charge an electric car.
Energy tariff integration
Some of the latest smart home chargers have the ability to integrate with money saving EV specific energy tariffs.
The Ohme HomePro and Ohme ePod can integrate with tariffs like Intelligent Octopus and OVO Drive Anytime.
These smart tariffs mean EV drivers can charge at the cheapest and greenest times available, unlocking savings of up to £600 a year.
We have a handy "cost to charge" tool where you can check whether the make and model and home charger combination will help you access the best EV specific energy tariffs.
Intelligent Octopus Go
Octopus Energy has been a pioneer in the smart EV tariff space and offers prices as low as 7.5p/kWh
The energy supplier says it is possible to save up to £800 a year when compared to using a standard energy tariff. Customers can smart charge an EV overnight and will also get six hours of low cost energy for their whole home between 11:30pm and 5:30am.
The Intelligent Octopus Go tariff is compatible with electric cars, with the Ohme Home Pro and Ohme ePod, as well as 280 EVs, including models from Tesla, Ford, Volkswagen, Jaguar and Land Rover.
The energy through Intelligent Octopus Go is also 100% renewable, so that's another added bonus of switching to this tariff.
Find out more about Intelligent Octopus Go in our review.
Ohme Home Pro Review
Interested in the Ohme Home Pro but want to know more? Be sure to check out our editor’s review
OVO Charge Anytime
The concept for this tariff is all in the name. You don't have to charge overnight, so this rate offers pricing from 7p/kWh and there are no restrictions on when you plug in.
This makes it a really good option for EV owners and drivers that are on shifts and may be charging their EV during the day.
OVO customers can set when they want their EV to be charged by and then the energy provider sorts out the rest, making sure that electric vehicles are topped up when the most renewable energy is available from the grid.
The Charge Anytime tariff is compatible with a wide range of EVs from Audi, BMW, Cupra, Ford, Jaguar, Mini. Porsche, Renault, Seat, Skoda, Tesla, Volkswagen and Volvo.
Customers who own a vehicle that's not on OVO's compatibility list can still sign up to Charge Anytime if they have an Ohme ePod or Home Pro.
Solar charging
EV drivers can potentially drive down energy and vehicle running costs even further over time by investing in a solar PV (photovoltaic) array at their home or business.
The solar panels can be connected through a smart home charger that has the compatible functionality. Most brands are either adding this functionality or have versions of their products that enable solar connectivity.
There are also a few caveats before looking to invest. There needs to be enough space on your roof in the first place to fit an array. The energy yield from the panels will also be affected depending on which direction the roof is facing.
Those homeowners that have a South facing home which is unshaded are in luck, as this is the ideal set-up to reach maximum electrical output.
Houses that are East or West facing can still produce a good level of performance, but North facing homes are not recommended for solar panel installation.
When comparing chargers, check whether the one you're looking at has solar functionality.
For those looking to take their home energy management a step further, it's also possible to invest further in a battery storage system that will take that solar energy and save it up for use in the evenings. This means that solar energy collected during the day can then be put to use to charge your car overnight.
There is clearly an upfront cost for all of this, so investing in solar and battery storage is only going to start paying off over multiple years, rather than straight away, so it's more of the long game with this one.
Customise your charger
There are multiple home chargers that feature the option to customise the look and feel.
Easee One
There's a choice of five different faceplate cover colours, including blue, red, black, white and anthracite grey.
There's an additional charge of £60 for customers looking to have something more unique than the black, which is included with the standard price.
Find out more about the Easee One
Tesla Wall Connector
Likewise, the Wall Connector has five different faceplates to choose from.
White is standard, but customers can also choose from Red Multi-coat, Solid Black, Deep Metallic Blue and Midnight Silver Metallic for an additional £95.
Find out more about the Tesla Wall Connector
Andersen A2
Things start to kick up a notch when looking at models like the A2.
Design and customisation are a key focus for the brand and there are nine different front faceplate metals to choose from, four different wood faceplate finishes and even a carbon fibre limited edition version too.
The body of the charger can even be customised itself, with the choice of nine colours.
The front faceplate in metal and body colours can all be customised as part of the base price with the A2.
There's an additional cost of £200 for the wood faceplate finishes and a £320 additional cost for the carbon fibre option.
Find out more about the Andersen A2
Simpson and Partners Home 7 and Home 7+
There are up to 107 different colour combinations available with the Home 7 series.
The base model comes with the choice of three different colour options for the faceplate.
The Home 7+ and Home 22+ are both available with a wider choice of 13 different faceplate colour combinations.
These faceplate colour options can be combined with four different wooden lids, or four different metal lids to create something truly unique.
Find out more about the Simpson and partners Home 7
To conclude...
For most of us, it will be a combination of all the above factors that will help whittle your choice down to select the best EV charging point for home installation that best suits your needs.
However, prior getting your car charging point installed, have a chat to use to see what cost effective option might work best for you.
Last updated: Nov 1, 2024
