If you are thinking about switching to an electric car, the most lucrative decision you can make is to install a home charger to benefit from significant cost savings.
Cheaper home energy prices mean significantly lower charging costs for EVs with driveways and off-street parking than for those without those features and forced to use the public grid for devices.
Savings from charging nationally can range from £450 to £885.50 a year, depending on which public chargers EV owners can access, according to the AA’s latest charging pricing report.
But which home charging providers and devices are the best? A new survey of 2,176 electric car drivers has provided the answers.
Thinking about making the jump to an electric vehicle? If you can install a home charger to reduce running costs, this survey tells you which brand to choose
While home chargers offer many savings when it comes to running costs, installing one in your property can involve a high initial outlay.
On average, purchasing and installing a home EV charger will cost you around £1,000 to £1,500.
However, some suppliers will offer discounts if you agree to subscribe to one of their energy tariffs.
A comprehensive study conducted by What car? has surveyed current electric car drivers about the devices they have installed and created a league table from best to worst based on a combination of factors including device reliability, value for money, satisfaction with installation and ease of use.
Customers were asked to rate their device and vendor on each parameter using a scale of 1 to 5.
Feedback from electric vehicle drivers puts Norwegian company Easee at the top of the charts.
It was judged to offer the best combination of value for money, reliability and good customer service to earn a five-star rating.
Customers using this carrier said their chargers rarely failed, and when they did have problems, the company fixed the issues quickly and free of charge.
Norwegian company Easee received the highest rating of all. It was determined to offer the best combination of value for money, reliability and good customer service, giving it a five-star rating.
| BRAND | PRICE-QUALITY RATIO | SATISFACTION WITH THE INSTALLATION | RELIABILITY | EASY TO USE | TOTAL SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Easy to use | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| Hypervolt | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| Wall box | 3 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Andersen | 2 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Oh me | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Sheath point | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| My energy | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Rolec | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Indra | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Hive | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Source: What Car? survey of 2,176 EV owners with home chargers | |||||
Hypervolt came in second on the list, also with a 5-star rating. While its chargers had more faults than top-rated Easee, it resolved all issues free of charge.
According to the survey, Wallbox is the third most highly rated provider of home charging devices. It received top marks for installation and ease of use.
The most stylish home wallboxes are from Andersen, which have wood-effect home chargers.
UK-based company Hypervolt came in second on the list of top home charger providers, also with a 5-star rating.
While its chargers had more faults than top-rated Easee, it resolved all the issues free of charge. Half were resolved within 24 hours of the initial complaint filed by the EV owner.
Pod Point received top marks for value for money.
Twenty-five per cent of its chargers were supplied and installed free of charge, and 25 per cent cost less than £500 in total.
Ohme made it into the top 5 best-rated home chargers with a rating of 5 out of 5 for ease of use.
Pod Point received top marks for value for money. Twenty-five per cent of its chargers were supplied and installed free of charge, and 25 per cent cost less than £500 in total.
British Gas’ wallbox business Hive received the lowest satisfaction scores from EV drivers
| TYPE OF LOAD | LOADING SPEED | COST PER KWH | THOUGHTS PER MILE | AVERAGE MONTHLY FREIGHT COST | AVERAGE ANNUAL FREIGHT COST | ANNUAL PREMIUM ON THE USE OF A HOME CHARGER |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home charger | up to 7kW | 24p | 5.42 pp. | £33.44 | £401.08 | n/a |
| Public slow charger | up to 8kW | 41p | 11.53p | £71.14 | £853.22 | £452.14 |
| Public fast charger | 8-49 kW | 56 pages | 12.66p | £78.11 | £936.84 | £535.76 |
| Public fast charger | 50-149 kW | 73p | 16.50p | £101.81 | £1,221.00 | £819.92 |
| Public ultrafast | 150 kW+ | 77p | 17.40p | £107.36 | £1,287.60 | £886.52 |
| Source: Charging costs based on AA Charging Report June 2024 and average annual mileage of 7400 miles | ||||||
Andersen was chosen best for its quality and curb appeal.
Their devices were considered very attractive and also highly customizable with the choice of wood and metal finishes.
It also stands out for its installation, being the only home charger company with its own fleet of installers.
At the other end of the scale, Hive (British Gas’s charging division) left 30 per cent of its customers with unresolved faults and took up to 30 days to fix problems for other EV owners.
What Car’s consumer editor Claire Evans said: ‘Being a great provider of home EV chargers involves much more than just offering high-tech units.
‘It is also important to provide ongoing support to customers to ensure that any issues are resolved quickly and with minimal expense.
‘After all, a home wallbox is expensive to purchase and consumers don’t want to be left without support or, in the worst case, have to replace a unit if it suffers a serious failure.’
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