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Original poster

Electric car query - Do we need an ultra-fast home charger?

79 replies

Pipsquiggle · 25/03/2026 11:46

My DH needs a new car, his current one is knackered.
We are considering going electric.
His car is mainly for his hour commute each way to work - circa 90 miles each day. Or local journeys.
We had an electrician out who informed us that the electricity supply to the garage can't support an ultra fast charger.
My DH is saying he now doesn't want an electric because we HAVE to have an ultra fast charger.
My question is do we really need an ultra fast electric charger at our home? - any examples of why an ultra fast charger is or isn't necessary would be great.
TIA

OP posts:

Cric · 26/03/2026 08:31

wracky · 26/03/2026 07:26

I was wondering about what happens if you don't have a drive. Can you just leave a cable strung out across a pavement for hours, or do you need to cover it so it's not a trip hazard for passers by? I always think our cable is quite a trip hazard especially in the dark, but on our own drive at least we know it's there.

Show quote history

We park at the back of a house in a car park, so it isn’t a path that the public walk through. We have a trip hazard cable cover thing and spoke to our neighbours to check they were happy with us using it before we went ahead and got it. They were all quite happy with the situation.

OhDear111 · 26/03/2026 08:35

I think cables over pavements are not allowed (check with your council) and I’d worry about causing a trip hazard and being financially liable for compensation. Most people use public chargers and avoid this but there are lamppost chargers in some areas. Certainly in London.

Imdunfer · 26/03/2026 08:37

Justploddingonandon · 25/03/2026 11:52

No. You do need something more than a 3 pin socket, but unless you have a need to charge the car fully in less than an hour you don't need an ultra fast charger. My milage is less but I've never had a problem with just charging mine for a few hours overnight.

You don't, actually. Most cars except the top end ones will change slowly on a3 pin socket with a granny cable.

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FernandoSor · 26/03/2026 08:41

Oblahdeeoblahdoe · 25/03/2026 18:48

Octopus have written to us to say they are reducing their nighttime tariff to 5.2p. It will cost just over 1.5p a mile.

Show quote history

Yep, kicks in at start of April. Will reduce our entire electricity bill to under £40 a month (we have solar and battery). Used to spend more than that per week on petrol alone. Even if it’s a grey day and you don’t make much solar power, running the whole house off the battery that charged on cheap overnight power is a huge cost saving.

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