Charger options
Choosing the Right Home EV Charger
If you are an Exeter homeowner deciding which home charger to buy, the useful questions are practical ones: how you park, how you drive and how you want to pay for your electricity. Here is the plain-English version.
Start with the car and the way you drive
Most people massively overestimate how much charging they need. If you drive twenty miles a day and park at home overnight, a standard home charger will refill that several times over while you sleep. Long weekly mileage, a large battery or two vehicles sharing one charger are the situations worth planning around.
Tethered vs untethered chargers
Tethered — cable attached
- The charging cable is permanently fixed to the unit
- Nothing to fetch from the boot — plug in and walk away
- Cable length is fixed at the point of purchase
- The coiled cable is visible on the wall between charges
Why most UK home chargers are commonly 7kW
Most homes have a single-phase supply, and 7kW is the practical ceiling for that. Higher-power units generally need three-phase, which is uncommon in domestic properties in and around Exeter. For overnight charging, 7kW is comfortably enough for the great majority of households.
Smart scheduling and off-peak tariffs
Charging overnight on an EV tariff is where most of the running-cost saving comes from. Chargers vary in how well they integrate with specific energy suppliers — some talk directly to the tariff, others simply run to a timer you set. Smart scheduling and solar integration may reduce charging costs, depending on your tariff, generation, vehicle, charger and household use.
Solar-compatible charging
If you already have panels, some chargers can use available excess generation rather than exporting it. This needs compatible equipment and a proper look at your setup. More detail on our solar and smart charging page.
Charger apps and connectivity
The app is what you live with. Look at how it handles scheduling, whether it reports energy use clearly, and how the unit connects — Wi-Fi alone can be unreliable at the far end of a driveway, so units with a mobile connection can be worth it.
Cable length and storage
Measure from the charger position to your car’s charging port with the car parked as you would normally leave it — then allow a little slack. Think about where the cable sits between charges: a hook, an integrated holster or a bag in the boot.
Appearance and mounting position
Height, side of the door, and whether the unit sits in view from the street all matter more than people expect. A charger mounted a little further along a wall can make the cable route far tidier.
Load balancing
Load balancing lets the charger reduce its draw when the house is busy, so the incoming supply is not overloaded. On properties with limited spare capacity, it can be the difference between a straightforward installation and one needing supply work.
Future-proofing for another EV
If a second EV is likely, say so early. Position, cable length and load management are far cheaper to plan for now than to retrofit later.
Questions to ask before choosing
- Where exactly will the car sit, and where is its charging port?
- Do I want the cable on the wall or in the boot?
- Which energy tariff am I likely to be on?
- Do I have, or plan to have, solar or a battery?
- Is a second EV likely within a few years?
- How visible is the wall from the street?
Charger-choice guide
Seven quick questions. The result is a general steer on charger features — not a product prescription.
Final charger suitability depends on the vehicle, property, electrical supply and installation assessment. You can also read our charger brands comparison.
Talk it through with someone local
Tell us the car, the parking position and what matters to you, and we’ll narrow the options down sensibly.