If you’re new to electric vehicle ownership, one of the easiest ways to top up your car is to have a home EV charger installed.
Not only does it make charging more convenient, but it also gives you access to cheaper electricity rates, making the experience even more cost-effective.
So, if you’re in the market for a second-hand EV and you want to have a home charger installed, we’ve answered some of the most frequently asked questions regarding the installation process.
Where can I get a charger installed?
You can have a charger installed at your house. (PA)
If you’re lucky enough to own a property with a driveway, ideally, you can have it installed on the wall or down the side of your house. This will enable the charging lead to reach your car without any issues. However, if you live in a flat, this can be trickier to sort out, but there are incentives for flat owners to help with the cost of installation.
If you’re renting a property, you are still eligible to have a charge installed, but you’ll need to speak to your landlord first to make sure that they are happy for you to proceed with the installation.
What type of charger do I need?
There are tethered and untethered chargers available. (Andersen EV)
The most common type is a standard home wallbox 7kW AC charger, which allows you to charge the car up overnight at a much cheaper off-peak electricity rate. Plus, they’re usually simple to install.
If you need more power, there are faster home chargers available, with charging speeds of up to 22kW, which can fully-charge an EV in around five hours; however, the downside is that you’ll need a three-phase power supply, which most UK homes don’t have, meaning you’ll have to upgrade your home energy supply, which then adds onto the cost of the charger installation.
Also, there are two types of chargers that you need to know about. The first is a tethered, where the charging lead is permanently attached to the wallbox. The main advantage of this is that it saves you time from using your car’s own cable, and instead, you can rely on the standard lead attached to the wallbox. The downside to a tethered unit is that it tends to be larger, as they have to carry the bulk of the charging lead.
The second is an untethered unit, which allows you to use your car’s charging lead to plug and unplug from the charger. This means the charger doesn’t have a cable within the unit, so they can be a lot more compact, making them more discreet when installed on your house. However, they are not as convenient as a tethered unit, as you have to use your own charger every time.
Installation
Installation includes an engineer assessing your property to see where the best location for the charger will be. (PA)
So, what about the installation process? Once you’ve found your ideal charger, the provider can guide you through the process of installation. In most cases, you will need to provide your home’s dimensions and the location where the charger is going to be positioned.
Before the charger is installed, the provider will send over an engineer to assess your property and see how they’re going to fit the unit. As a home charger requires an armoured and upgraded cable, this will need to be run off your home’s consumer unit through to the outside area where the charger is located. This could mean the engineer will have to drill through the wall or run cables under the floorboards, but you can ask the installer to guide you on the process and how it might affect your home.
Finally, once your house has been given the green light, the charger can be installed. The charger will tend to arrive in the post separately, and depending on the size of your property or even where the main electrics are, a typical installation will take around four hours.
Just bear in mind that the engineer may have to shut off your home’s electricity supply for a while in order to install the charger.
Picking an energy provider
Many energy providers will offer EV incentives. (PA)
If you want to, you can continue using your current energy provider; however, there are many energy providers that give great incentives towards EV owners. There are even EV-friendly tariffs, which allow you to charge at off-peak times, meaning the typical EV will cost a lot less to charge up overnight.
Make sure that if you do want to switch to another energy provider, you do your research and work out which is best suited for you.
How much does it cost?
A typical installation cost will vary from £500 to £1,000. (PA)
If you’re buying a new EV, some car manufacturers will throw in a free EV charger installation. Unfortunately, it’s a lot less common for the same deal to happen with used examples.
So, if you can’t have a home charger installed for free, how much does it cost? We recommend you put aside around £500 to £1,000 for the installation and charger. Most charger providers will work out the total cost for you, to make it simpler to understand. For example, Octopus Energy EV chargers cost from £899 for an installation. Just remember, there may be some additional costs if you have a larger house, as there will need to be extra cabling installed.
Thinking about making the switch to an electric vehicle? We've got loads of examples available to look at here at V12 Sports and Classics, so check them out today.