With electric vehicles becoming increasingly mainstream in the UK, a home EV charger is fast becoming as essential as a broadband connection. Relying on a 3-pin plug socket to charge your car is slow, inefficient and can place unnecessary strain on your home's wiring. A dedicated charge point transforms the EV ownership experience.
How Much Faster Is a Dedicated Charger?
A standard 3-pin plug provides around 2.3kW, which would charge a 60kWh battery from empty in around 26 hours. A dedicated 7kW home charger cuts that to around 8–9 hours — typically overnight. This means you leave home every morning with a full battery.
What Types of Home Charger Are Available?
7kW Single-Phase (Most Common)
The most popular option for domestic properties. Uses a single-phase 32A supply and charges most EVs overnight. Compatible with all major EV brands. Requires a 32A MCB in your consumer unit.
22kW Three-Phase
Much faster, but requires three-phase electricity supply to your property (less common in domestic settings). Charges most EVs in 1–3 hours. Check whether your property has three-phase supply before specifying this.
Tethered vs Untethered
- Tethered — cable permanently attached to the charger. Convenient but you're tied to one cable type
- Untethered — socket-only unit, you use your own cable. More flexible if you drive more than one EV type
Smart Features Worth Having
Modern EV chargers offer useful smart features:
- Scheduled charging — charge overnight on cheaper off-peak tariffs (e.g. Octopus Go)
- Solar integration — prioritise charging from your solar PV system
- Load balancing — prevents the charger from overloading your supply
- App control — start, stop and monitor charging remotely
Installation Requirements
A home EV charger installation requires:
1. Assessment of your consumer unit capacity (a 32A spare way is needed)
2. A dedicated 6mm² twin and earth cable from consumer unit to charger location
3. The charger mounted securely to a wall (garage, driveway or exterior wall)
4. Registration with OZEV (for grant eligibility, if applicable)
How Much Does Installation Cost?
A typical home EV charger supply and installation costs between £500 and £1,200 depending on the cable run length, charger specification and any required consumer unit work. Onyx Electrical Solutions provides free surveys and fixed-price quotes.
Call 07000 000000 to arrange an EV charger installation in Greater Manchester.