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Original poster

EV charging point at home - advice needed please

30 replies

4dayoldribs · 15/09/2025 21:11

I have ordered a hybrid car through work thinking (naively) that organising a charging point for home would be straight forward.

How wrong I was!

Can anyone explain to me in very simple terms what I need to think about, best value and if I can buy the charging station and get an independent electrician to fit it?

I have checked with my council and I am not eligible for any grants or green incentives.

OP posts:
TheFutureFreaksMeOut · 16/09/2025 01:24

I just charge mine through the kitchen window from a normal 3 point plug!

gerispringer · 16/09/2025 01:27

I got mine from Ohme. They sorted all the installation.

GreatWhiteWail · 16/09/2025 01:35

You may need to get your supply equipment upgraded (your distribution network operator will do this for free, but it may involve digging up your garden to access your cable) if your supply equipment is old, before you can get a charger installed. You'll also need a smart meter (to get the cheap overnight tariffs).

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Cars & vehicles
HeadsWinTailsLose · 16/09/2025 06:21

Another ohme customer here, they sorted everything.I had to send them some pictures of the consumer unit and some other stuff beforehand but it all was pretty straightforward.

NellyTimes · 16/09/2025 06:39

Can I ask how much people paid for theirs? We are in a similar situation and need to get something installed.

tanstaafl · 16/09/2025 06:47

When looking at solar and battery for our home, there’s plenty of electricians that have expanded into the battery and EV charging market ( and do Solar ).
We’re NE Wales.

If you see neighbours with chargers or Solar you could ask?

Otherwise go on yellow pages website and search for EV charging.
If they have their own website or insta or Facebook pages with installation pictures the better.

i had three companies visit to size up the job, important with solar fitting on our roof, but also I got a feel for them. Essentially, did I feel comfortable in how they talked to me, where they trying to blind me with science or explain things clearly. How were they reacting to my questions? With impatience or thought.

I asked each about EV charging , they all said about £1000.

greengreyblue · 16/09/2025 06:49

Have you checked with the car manufacturer? We had a Volvo and they paid for it
Have a look on Money Saving Expert.

Bananachimp · 16/09/2025 06:51

Got mine from pod point and it was very simple. They just need needed to know some basics beforehand such as where the fuse box was in relation to installation and what spare capacity it had. Sent them some pictures and booked them in

nodtik · 16/09/2025 06:51

Ohme installed wall charger here. All very straightforward, online survey took a while as had to take lots of photos, but it was clear what you needed to do. Three weeks later, box installed and haven’t looked back since!

EVs are so cheap to run. Have done close to 7,000 miles in my car in seven months, total cost £125!!! 🙌

Bananachimp · 16/09/2025 06:53

Also I wouldn't have thought you could, or would be sensible to, buy and install separately with another electrician. There was a lot of install set up stuff they did after it was fitted. But you don't have to buy from an electric car charging company. Lots of electricians now also specialise in fitting car chargers so you have lots of options

shuffleofftobuffalo · 16/09/2025 06:58

Have a look at the various energy suppliers that do EV tariffs - most will have an option for a free charger and installation alongside signing up to them. Not all chargers are supported by all suppliers .

InsertUsernameHere · 16/09/2025 07:03

We used ChargedEv to install ours, as we have a slightly unusual set up (as the charger is quite a long way from the consumer board) and they offered an in person site survey. They had a wide range of chargers available. We had our house rewired about 10 years ago and as a result we didn’t need the consumer board updating, and our water supply was already earthed). Even if you don’t use them, you might find their website helpful as you can get a sense of whether your installation is standard or not. Installing was a morning’s work and we could use straight way. Then we had a smart meter fitted.

HaughtyAndCold · 16/09/2025 07:08

ohme for us, then octopus EV rate for charging.

SeptemberNCing · 16/09/2025 08:09

HaughtyAndCold · 16/09/2025 07:08

ohme for us, then octopus EV rate for charging.

Another vote for both of these.

Justwingingit2005 · 16/09/2025 08:11

We have an EV.
Used ohme and then octopus power.
Neighbours have a hybrid and they use a 3 pin plug through the window (not sure it's completely safe).

SparrowFeet · 16/09/2025 08:31

used a 3 pin plug at first but seriously it took around 24 hours just to charge to 20 miles so it's definitely worth getting a charge point.
I had to first get an isolated switch fitted as my fuse board didn't have one - but your energy supplier should do it for free if you email them. Then got the charge point fitted. Not all electricians will do it independently so it's best to go 'all in' - I arranged mine through the vehicle manufacturer as they had a deal on but most energy companies do it now so if I was to do it again I'd do through there. The one I got free is a bit temperamental.

PrincessOfPreschool · 16/09/2025 08:41

TheFutureFreaksMeOut · 16/09/2025 01:24

I just charge mine through the kitchen window from a normal 3 point plug!

Used to do that then got a, simple extension put through wall to outside (very cheap) as its just a normal connection. It does take longer to charge (overnight) but I think it's also better for the battery than fast chargers.

Hoppinggreen · 16/09/2025 08:44

Octopus installed ours.
There was a slight issue with the holder and they offered to send someone to fit a new one but DH was capable of fitting it so they posted one.
We get cheap overnight charging and/or if its sunny and they pull it from the grid

tanstaafl · 16/09/2025 18:39

4dayoldribs · 15/09/2025 21:11

I have ordered a hybrid car through work thinking (naively) that organising a charging point for home would be straight forward.

How wrong I was!

Can anyone explain to me in very simple terms what I need to think about, best value and if I can buy the charging station and get an independent electrician to fit it?

I have checked with my council and I am not eligible for any grants or green incentives.

OP, you say hybrid car.
You sure you need a charger?

there’s quite a few hybrids that will run on electric at low speeds but it’s the petrol/diesel engine will charge the battery - you can’t charge the battery for the electric motor separately.

Original poster
4dayoldribs · 16/09/2025 21:18

@tanstaafl it’s a plug in hybrid - I did check 🙂

OP posts:
Original poster
4dayoldribs · 16/09/2025 21:20

lots of advice here - thank you. I’m not going to rush as I know i can just charge through the window initially if need be. it’s a new build so no concerns about old fuse boxes and wiring.
i’m surprised there are very few incentives to go electric but hey ho

OP posts:
CozyCoupe · 16/09/2025 21:29

Another vote for Ohme and Octopus. Ohme sorted all the installation. I think it cost around £1k but I'm not absolutely sure as work paid for it.

TwoBlueFish · 16/09/2025 21:45

Ohme for us (being fitted this week).

FixTheBone · 16/09/2025 21:49

PrincessOfPreschool · 16/09/2025 08:41

Used to do that then got a, simple extension put through wall to outside (very cheap) as its just a normal connection. It does take longer to charge (overnight) but I think it's also better for the battery than fast chargers.

Show quote history

Doesnt really matter at domestic charging speeds - theyre all slow - 2-3kw max for a 3-pin, 7kw on a 30A single phase and 22kw on a three phase

Its the 150-300kw superchargers / commercial charging you want to avoid using all the time.

FixTheBone · 16/09/2025 21:50

What car have you ordered, and how big is the battery? Benefit of a dedicated home charger will be less with a hybrid than a full EV...