Home charging options

You have two options when charging at home: using a domestic three-pin plug socket or a dedicated wall box.

While a domestic socket is fine for occasional use, a wall box will deliver faster and safer charging for EV owners. Without one, it could take longer than a day to charge an electric car with the biggest battery. We obviously recommend a dedicated wall box.

Battery size (kWh) ÷ Charger power (kW) = Charging time (hours) 

3-pin plug EV chargers use a standard domestic socket to charge your electric car at a maximum of 2.3kW 

All dedicated wall box chargers we install are 7.4kW so can charge more than 3x faster than a standard 3-pin

Again you have two options for the type of charger you choose.

A tethered cable is one that is hardwired to an EV charging point. All public, rapid chargers are tethered, while public fast chargers, and home wall boxes, can be tethered or untethered.

An untethered cable means a charger has a socket into which a charging cable can be plugged in.

Check the cable length you require as they vary.

Where your internal electricity distribution board is. If the desired location for the charge point is a long way from this, the extra wiring and/or drilling through multiple internal walls will push up costs.

Your home’s construction. If, for example, you live in an old house with three-foot-thick exterior stone walls, the time, care and effort these will take to drill through will affect installation costs. 

Your house’s electrical system. Homes that haven’t had their electrics updated in a fair few years may require additional work before the system can handle the high demands placed on it by a charger.

The charger being installed. Some chargepoints are harder to install than others, taking more time and effort.

Any additional options. Perhaps you want a floodlight installed at the same time as the charger; clearly this will increase the cost.

A lot will depend on personal preference, see the 'useful links' tab for more information on the best chargers available and their price ranges.