According to Checkatrade, the average cost of a 3kW electric car charger is £375, while the average cost of a 7kW charger is £625. The price also depends on which company you choose to install the charging point for you.
The combined cost of buying the charger and having it installed starts from £449, after the deduction of the Government grant, for those eligible. Without a Government grant, the average cost to install an electric car charger is £1,000.
There are several factors that will affect the cost of your EV charger installation:
Your home’s age and construction. Older, stone walls will be much more difficult to drill through to install the charger. You may need to update your home’s electrics if it has been years since it was last updated.
The location of your internal electricity distribution board. The board needs to be close to where the charger is being installed – having to drill additional holes and add extra wiring will bump up the price.
The brand and any additional extras. Obviously, extras will cost more – and some brands will cost more than the average.
In the UK, the Government will pay up to 75% (or £350) of the installation cost for some home charging points.
Until April 2022, this took the form of an application to the OZEV (Office for Zero Emission Vehicles) Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS). From April 2022, the EVHS changed and became the EV chargepoint grant.
It used to be open to everyone but homeowners who live in single-unit properties, such as bungalows, and detached, semi-detached and terrace housing – up until March 31st, 2022.
The scheme remains open to homeowners who live in flats and people in rented accommodation. If you’re not eligible for the Government grant, you will have to pay the full installation cost yourself.
Since the 15th of June 2022, all new homes and buildings are required to have an EV charging point fitted as standard. This also applies to existing buildings undergoing a ‘large-scale renovation’. This will make new build properties even more appealing to electric car drivers.
If you live in Scotland, the Energy Saving Trust will fund a further £300 of the cost of your electric car charger. If you live in one of the most remote parts of Scotland, you may also be entitled to an extra £100 funding.
There are plenty of reasons why you would install an electric car charger at home. Here are a few of the most compelling:
With a home charging point, you can wake up to a fully charged electric car every morning (if you so wish). Even if you only plug it in when needed, overnight charging means that your car is always ready to use whenever you need it.
Home charging points run off your standard electricity tariff. The average cost per kWh (kilowatt hour) in the UK is 28.6p.
What’s more, there are many electricity tariffs designed for electric car drivers which make it even cheaper to charge your vehicle overnight (during ‘off-peak’ hours). For example, EDF’s GoElectric Overnight tariff costs 8p per kWh (off-peak), allowing you to fully charge an electric car for under £5!
A home charging point is the safest method of domestic charging. While you can use a standard plug socket or extension cable, this should be reserved for emergencies only. What’s more, it takes much longer to charge an electric car this way and it is recommended that you watch your car the whole time for safety.
A wall-mounted charging point is much faster than a 3-point pin. According to the RAC, even the cheapest 3.6kW home charger is 1.6 times faster than a standard wall socket. The average charging time for a 3.6kW home charger is 17 hours, which almost halves to 9 hours for a 7kW charger.
In contrast, a 3-point pin can take well over 24 hours to fully charge an electric car.
It is not recommended that you charge your car using a regular plug socket. This is because they are not designed for such large loads of electricity over a long amount of time. It will take much longer to charge than using a charging point – over 24 hours to charge in full – and you will end up with a huge energy bill at the end of the month.
If your wiring is old, you run the risk of damaging the wires or even starting an electrical fire. It is worth considering having an electric car charging point installed or charging your car using public charging points.
Using the average price of electricity in the UK (28p/kWh), the approximate cost of charging your electric car at home will be between £15 and £17.
Of course, many factors play into this cost – if you have an EV with a larger battery, or a more expensive energy tariff, it will cost you more.
If you’d like to read more about the cost of electric car charging, you can do so here.
Every electric car can use a standard 3-pin charging cable, but these take a very long time to charge your car. You should use a type 2 charger for best results.
Most electric cars are designed to use this type of charger which allows you to charge at Slow and Fast charging points, both at home and in public. Find out how to charge an electric car here.
There are several things that you should consider before you have a home charger installed. You may have to factor these into the cost of your home charger installation, so it is good to be aware of them before you decide to go ahead.
Is your fuse box suitable? You may have to upgrade or replace your fuse box to cope with the additional electricity consumption if yours is particularly old.
How safe is your driveway? You may want to consider lighting and security cameras by your home charger to ensure that your EV doesn’t become subject to theft or damage since they are expensive.
Do you need to buy an additional rapid-charge cable? These can come in handy when you’re away from your home charger.
The installation process can take between 3-6 weeks, but much of this is taken up with paperwork. Installers must complete a range of background safety checks and get permission from local grid operators before installing any charger. This is to ensure it is safe to install an electric car charger at your house.
From a consumer point of view, the installation process is actually very simple:
Choose a provider. There are plenty of options, so make sure you find the best one for you before you begin.
Fill out a form.
A quick video call with an engineer to discuss the technical details of your installation. This may be an optional step.
You will then be given an installation date. You need to be at your house during this process. Make sure you can work from home on this day or rearrange any plans you may have. A charging point installation takes between 2-4 hours, and the technician will also show you how it works while they’re there.
When you choose an approved installer and you are eligible for the grant, they will fill out the EVHS paperwork to do with securing the grant.
In the long run, it is worth having a charger installed if you own an electric car. Public charge points are significantly more expensive to use than charging your car with your own electricity, especially if you have an EV tariff.
Since a regular wall socket will take as long as two days to charge your EV fully and is not as safe – three pin plug sockets are not designed to handle the heavy draw of electricity – it will be beneficial for an EV driver to install a charger in their home.
Home charging points are all well and good, but what if you can’t park your car in a secure location by your house? This article will answer any questions you may have about whether you can charge an electric car without a driveway.
A home charger may be cheaper to use than public charging points, but by how much? And is the saving worth it when you consider the benefits of Rapid and Ultra-Rapid charging points? Find out how much it costs to charge an electric car in the UK here.
If you can't afford to install an electric charge point at home, a portable electric car charger may be a more affordable option to keep you moving. We discuss some of the biggest electric car charger companies and the portable chargers they sell in this handy article.
If you are based in Scotland and are interested in owning an electric car, there may be more financial help available to you. Read this article to find out how you can drive an EV.