Do I need an electric car charger fitted at home?
The simple answer is no as there are loads of public charging points across the UK. But it is easier to charge an electric car at home with a charger.
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Do I need a charger installed at home to charge my car?
The simple answer is no – but it’s not quite as straightforward as that.
For example our home sockets are designed for kettles and toasters, not to charge an electric car for hours so it’s much safer to have a home charger installed for your electric car.
Discover home chargers with IndraBut I’m renting – so what can I do to charge an electric car?
If you’re renting, you’ll need to speak to your landlord, hopefully they’ll be keen to do it, it’s a great selling point to have a charge point fitted, especially if you offer to pay or contribute to the cost of the installation. Also the Government’s EV charge point grant has a £350 cap for installing a charge point in a flat or rented accommodation so it’s definitely worth asking the question.
I don’t have off-street parking – so where can I charge my car?
As you can see from the density map there are already a lot of public charging points in the UK – over 45,000 as at September 2023, so don’t worry if you don’t have off-street parking. Furthermore, if there isn’t one handy for you, it’s worth a chat with your local council. They can get a government grant to cover 75% of the cost for installing charge points on your street or in a council-owned public car park.
To find the nearest charge point to you in the UK, visit our interactive charger map.
It’s worth mentioning that if you have an electric car energy tariff, it’s normally cheaper to charge at home than to use a public charge point, unless you can get a free charge at your workplace or local supermarket car park.
Electric car drivers may be wondering if now’s the time to change tariffs, switch to smart chargers or change where they charge. But before you make any decisions, it’s important to weigh up the pros and cons, and to make sure any changes suit your lifestyle and EV usage.
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