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How much does installing an electric car charger cost?

How much does installing an electric car charger cost?

To really make the most of your electric car experience and get the best value and convenience, you need a home charger. But how do you get one? What’s the electric car charger installation cost? And what’s the cost of charging an electric car at home?

In this article we’ll answer all your questions and power up your understanding of EV home charging. 

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Energy and Charging

All you need to know about chargers and plugs

Can you do a long road trip in an electric car?

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How do I charge my electric car?

Does your driving style affect how far you can drive?

Does it take long to charge an electric car?

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How often do I need to charge an electric car?

When’s the best time to charge an electric car?

The Ultimate Guide to charging an electric car

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Charge up your knowledge

Before we get into the details of costs and how to get a home charger installed, here are a few facts to help you choose your charger.

Charger speed 

The overwhelming majority of UK homes today install the fast 7kW charger and have become the standard option as prices have reduced, and are replacing the slower 3.6kW charger. 7kW chargers are simple to install and have the benefit of being able to be used with a single-phase electricity connection, which is what most UK homes have. 

You may however see rapid 22kW installers advertised, providing around three times faster charging. However, at present these are incompatible with most UK homes since they require a three-phase power supply (found more commonly in commercial buildings).

The easiest way to find out about your home’s power connection is to look at your fuse board. If you have a single-phase connection, you’ll have one main fuse, while three-phase homes have three main fuses.

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Tethered or untethered?

What does tethered and untethered actually mean? In short, tethered comes with a cable and untethered without. 

Tethered (with cable)

  • Plug straight into the inbuilt charging cable
  • Cable wraps around charger for fast, convenient storage
  • No risk of losing or forgetting cable

Untethered (without cable)

  • Use your own connector cable
  • Choose the right cable length for maximum flexibility
  • Replace or upgrade your cable at any time

Smart charging

In 2021, the law changed and all private EV chargers needed to have smart charging functionality that enables scheduled charging and very often includes remote control via a smart device. Furthermore, other smart functions can include remote locking for when you are not at home, energy usage monitoring to provide real-time data and cost tracking to detail a summary of every charging session. 

Plug compatibility

Before you choose a charger, make sure it is compatible with your electric car, by checking the plug your charger comes with and matching it with the type of socket on your car. Thanks to standardisation, this is now quite straightforward, since the vast majority of cars have Type 2 sockets. 

Type 2

These sockets have been mandatory on all new electric vehicles in the EU since 2014. 

Type 1

These sockets are now only found on some older models of Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi PHEV Outlander. 

type 1 (5-pins) and type 2 (7-pins) electric car charger sockets

How much does it cost to install an electric car charger?

The cost of installation will vary depending on a few factors, including the location of your home and the complexity of the installation. So, let’s look at those in more detail.

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Charger

There are lots of different chargers on the market, with different features and price-points. Which you choose will influence the cost. 

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Location

The location of your home will also affect the cost of installation. If your home is located in a difficult-to-access area, such as a narrow street or a gated community, the cost of installation could be higher.

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Difficulty

The complexity of the installation will also affect the cost. If you have a dedicated electricity supply for your home charging point, the installation will be simpler and less expensive. However, if you need to upgrade your electricity supply, the cost of installation will be higher.

Introducing the Indra Smart Pro

Super charge your electric driving with an Indra Smart PRO home charger. Full of the latest features, this innovative charger puts you in the driving seat with cheaper, faster and more advanced charging. 

Find out more
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How much do electric cars cost compared to others?

How much do electric cars cost compared to others?

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The Costs

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How much does it cost to run an electric car?

The Ultimate Guide to Charging

Should you buy or lease an electric car?

Are electric cars more expensive to insure?

Are you ready to go electric?

Want to know if an electric car is the right choice for you?

Join in with our simple online quiz to find out more.

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Are electric cars more expensive than petrol or diesel? 

First, let’s bust the myth that you need a big budget to go electric. For a mid-range new electric model, you might pay around £10k more in the showroom than a petrol or diesel. But you can seriously save on running costs.    

Electric cars are more efficient than petrol or diesel, so you offset that higher price tag quickly. And don’t forget there are second hand electric cars out there, plus great options for leasing where you pay a smaller monthly amount.

Comparing running costs 

When you’ve got your head round the up-front cost, start comparing running costs. Just think of a unit of electricity like a litre of fuel for your car. You’d check the price of a litre of fuel at the garage. And with electric cars you check the price of a unit of electricity. Units of electricity are kilowatt hours (kWh).  

The price of electricity varies just like petrol, depending on where you are (home, supermarket, motorway etc.) and what kind of charge point you’re using. Let’s compare the Volkswagen ID.3 and its equivalent, the bestselling family favourite, the Volkswagen Golf.  

Electric vehicles only parking spaces

Charging your electric car at home 

All electricity companies have tariffs, on an average tariff you’ll pay about 29.9p per unit of electricity, so 29.9p per kilowatt hour (kWh). It costs 6.9p to drive the VW ID.3 for a mile, compared to 16p (with fuel at £1.48 a litre) to drive a mile in the petrol Golf. If you drove 100 miles from Chester to York, it would cost you around £6.90 in a VW ID.3 and around £16 in a Golf. That’s a serious saving.  
 
But it gets better. Plenty of electricity companies charge less at night, some off-peak tariffs like Economy 7 go as low as 9.5p a unit.

Charging your electric car in a public place 

If you charge your electric car in a public place, the cost of a unit of electricity goes up to around 50 – 80p a kWh, pushing your cost of driving a mile to about 13-21p. It’s the most expensive way to charge but look out for discounts and loyalty schemes which make it a bit cheaper. And even at the highest price, it still costs less than petrol or diesel. 

Electric car charge point

No tax and much cheaper maintenance 

You don’t pay tax for your electric car. However, from the 1st of April 2025 car tax will apply to all electric cars. One advantage of electric cars is they don’t break down as much as they are simpler machines than petrol or diesel. Electric cars hardly ever break down. And they rarely need new brake pads because the way you brake causes much less wear.   

What about servicing, MOTs and tyres?

Servicing is usually cheaper for electric cars. But MOTs are similar and wear and tear on tyres is about the same. The environmental benefits of switching to electric are a whole other conversation but they’re worth factoring in when you’re weighing things up. 

What about hybrids? 

We’ve kept the comparison simple, but hybrids roughly compare to petrol and diesel cars for running costs and fuel economy. You’ll pay more for fuel than electric but there’s less wear and tear on your brake pads. 

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