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5 of the Best Home EV Chargers - A Beginner's Guide (2023)
For a first time buyer, it can be difficult to know which is the best Home EV Charger on the market for your needs.
As a specialist Electric Vehicle (EV) Charge Point installer with five years experience in the UK market, let us help you.
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The basics of Home EV Charging
Charging Speed
The vast majority of homes are on a single-phase electricity supply, meaning that they can only charge at speeds of up to around 7kW.
This means that all Home EV Chargers on this list, and the wider UK market, will all charge at roughly the same speed (7kW).
kW refers to how much charge can be carried in an hour. So if your EV’s battery is 35kW, it will take 5 hours to fully charge.
7kW is comfortably enough to fully charge your EV overnight, however most EV drivers find that they almost never need to charge from 0 – 100%.
Smart Regulations
As of Summer 2022, all Domestic EV Chargers sold on the UK market must have smart capabilities, including the ability to manage charge speed and schedule.
All of the EV Chargers in this list have smartphone control with their own specially developed companion apps.
1. Easee One
One of the most important factors to consider when purchasing a Home EV Charger is how it will look on your property.
It will likely be at the end of your drive, facing you and anyone who walk by so you’ll want it to look stylish right? Well the Easee One‘s sleek and minimalistic design gives you just that.
Like with all Home EV Chargers on the UK market, the Easee One can be controlled from your smartphone to schedule times and adjust your charging speed.
This is done by connecting your Easee to the internet via Wi-Fi or using it’s built in eSIM for data connectivity.
With Easee One being untethered (no fixed cable), the app gives you the ability to lock your charging cable in place and control who may have access to the unit.
Even better, Easee also give you five options to choose your EV Charger’s colour! From the subtle black and anthracite models, to the bold red, white and blue cases, Easee has the right colour to suit your needs.
2. Ohme Home Pro
Another a key factor to consider before choosing your EV Charger is its ease of use. Depending on your milage, you’ll probably be plugging and unplugging your cable most days.
Tethered (has a fixed cable) units allow the users the most ease in this case as you won’t have unplug the cable and keep it in a safe space.
If you are with Octopus Energy as your energy supplier the Home Pro has the added bonus of being able to directly link with your EV tariff.
As of August 2023, this tariff allows the user to pay just 7.5p per kWh for their EV Charging overnight. Meaning to fully charge your EV it would only cost a few quid!
Granted it may not be as aesthetically pleasing as other untethered units, but if this isn’t a priority for you, the Home Pro will still do everything else you need.
Also with it being a tethered unit, the Home Pro is only compatible with Type 2 EV’s.
Although as the vast majority of EV’s on UK roads are Type 2, this isn’t a massive issue – unless you own a Type 1 of course!
3. Zappi V2.1
British-designed myenergi Zappi gives you the freedom to choose between a tethered and untethered model.
Being the first-ever solar EV Charger of it’s kind, the Zappi is extremely popular with those who own solar panels as the unit can charge an EV with 100% solar energy.
Don’t worry if you don’t have solar panels installed, the zappi will still operate as a standard car charger harnessing power from the grid.
The myenergi app allows you to control the schedule and source of your charge to ensure you are getting the most energy efficient and powerful charge possible.
Zappi is also one of the most secure chargers on the market. A built-in 5 digit security code ensures only authorised people can access the unit.
It is a little pricier than other Home EV Chargers on the list so may not be you first choice if you are looking to keep to a budget.
4. Ohme ePod
Following on from the award-winning Ohme Home Pro, the ePod offers all the same charging technology in a more compact and tidier unit.
For ease of use, the chargers interface on features three buttons – play, pause and stop.
Don’t worry about the lack of detail and information however as your chargers performance can be tracked and controlled through the Ohme app.
The untethered unit is compatible with both Type 1 and Type 2 EV’s, something that can’t be said for the Home Pro.
Just like the Home Pro, the ePod is only uses a built-in SIM card for data connectivity, which Ohme cover for the first three years.
Although unlikely, Ohme is yet to announce for definite wether users would be expected to pay for their own sim once the three years are up.
5. Wallbox Pulsar Max
The Pulsar Max is another well-rounded smart Home EV Charger with smartphone control, WiFi connectivity and even Alexa voice control.
It’s compact design sets it out from the rest however, weighing just 1.3kg and being 20cm tall and wide.
A 22kW version is available for those who are lucky enough to have a three-phase electrical supply too.
Similar to the Zappi, Wallbox also has a solar connectivity option as an added extra that can be installed along with your Charger.
Going one step above Easee, the Pulsar Max is available in six colours, fit for any home.
EV Charging for Your Home
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Or if you think you have an idea of which Home EV Charger you are looking for, you can view our full range on our Home EV Charging Page.