Home EV charging explained: costs, installation and grants

How does home EV charging work?

Charging an electric car at home is pretty straightforward. You plug it into a power source, the battery charges and you’re ready to go. No need to plan your day around finding a public charger. What’s more, charging at home is significantly cheaper than using the public network.

Here’s how it works and what you need to know before getting set up.

Your Electric Vehicle (EV): fully electric or plug-in hybrid?

Not all electric cars work in the same way.

• A fully electric vehicle, also known as a battery electric vehicle (BEV), runs entirely on electricity, so you’ll need to charge its battery to drive it.

• A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) has both an electric motor and a petrol or diesel engine, so you can switch between electric and fuel when needed.

You can charge both types at home, although how often you’ll need to plug in depends on how far you drive and how much of your journey you want to do on electric power.

Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE): your home charger

A home charger transfers electricity from your home’s power supply to your car’s battery. You’ll often hear it called an electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) unit but it’s basically a box on the wall that lets you charge your car safely at home.

Charging speeds can vary depending on the charger and your car. In general, a dedicated home charger will charge your car much faster than a standard domestic socket. How quickly you can charge also depends on how much power your car can accept.

Power supply

Your charger needs a suitable electricity supply to work safely. Most homes already have an electricity connection via a three-pin plug point, and some people do run an EV off the mains. However, it’s incredibly slow and it’s generally not recommended for older properties with aging electrical systems.

Before installing a dedicated EV charger, a qualified installer will check your home’s electrical setup and whether any upgrades are needed. It’s worth getting this checked early so you know what’s involved and whether there could be extra costs.

What do kW an kWh mean?

You’ll come across two terms when comparing home chargers, kW and kWh.

They sound similar but they tell you different things:

• kW (kilowatts) measures charging power and speed – in simple terms, how quickly electricity can flow into your car’s battery.

• kWh (kilowatt-hours) measures energy and capacity – the amount of electricity stored in your battery or used to charge it.

Why does this matter? A charger with a higher kW rating can generally charge your car faster, provided your car can accept that level of power. The number of kWh you need depends on your battery size and how much you’re adding.

Understanding the difference makes it easier to compare chargers, estimate charging times and work out what charging at home might cost.

Types of home EV charger

Home EV chargers come in a few different forms, from a standard plug to a dedicated wallbox with smart features. The right choice depends on your car, your home and how quickly you want to charge.

3-Pin plug chargers

You can charge your EV using a standard 3-pin socket with a compatible charging cable. It’s a simple option, but charging is slow, so it’s not ideal if you want to regularly charge your car.

7kW home wallbox chargers

A 7kW wallbox is a popular choice for home charging in the UK. It charges three times faster than a standard socket and can usually top up your car overnight. If you want to make charging at home easier, a 7kW wallbox is a good place to start.

22kW chargers

A 22kW charger can charge faster, but your home needs the right type of electricity supply (something called ‘three-phase’) and your car has to support that charging speed. Most homes don’t have three-phase power, so a 7kW wallbox is usually plenty for overnight charging.

Tethered vs untethered chargers

The main difference is whether the charging cable is attached. With a tethered charger, the cable is built into the wallbox so it’s ready to use whenever you need it.

An untethered charger has a socket instead, so you plug in a separate cable when you need to charge your car.

The neat thing about having a tethered home charger is that it’s quick and easy to just plug in as soon as you get home. The neat thing about an untethered home charger, however, is that you can take the cable with you and use it on a public charger.

Both do the same job, so really it comes down to whether you’d rather have a cable ready to go or keep it separate when you’re not charging.

How much does it cost to install a home EV charger?

Getting a home EV charger installed typically costs around £1,000, including the charger and installation. The final price depends on the charger you choose and how much work your home needs to get it up and running.

Things like the distance between your charger and the unit, any electrical upgrades or digging needed for cables can all push the price up.

You might also be able to get a government grant to help with the costs. The Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Grant covers 75% of the cost of buying and installing a home charge point, up to £500.

To quality, you need to meet the criteria:

• You rent and live in a residential property, or own and live in a flat.

• You have access to a private, off-street parking space.

• You own or use an eligible electric vehicle.

• You use an authorised installer.

The grant isn’t available to everyone, so check the full eligibility criteria and how to apply before you book your installation.

How much does it cost to charge an EV at home?

The cost of charging your electric car at home comes down to a couple of things – your battery size and how much you pay for electricity.

EV batteries vary in size, but many family cars have batteries of around 50-90kWh. The bigger the battery, the more electricity it takes to charge it up.

So, what can you expect to pay? Pod Point estimates that charging a car with a 60kWh battery from empty to full costs around £15, based on a typical domestic electricity rate. The last bit is quite important – because it’s based on standard domestic electricity rates. However, if you have an electric vehicle, you can usually qualify for much cheaper overnight rates. So, your actual costs will vary and you won’t always need a full charge either.

How to charge an EV at home for the cheapest price

Want to spend less? Some energy providers – namely EDF, Eon Next, and Octopus Energy, offer dedicated EV tariffs. The daytime rate is usually a little higher than a standard domestic tariff, with the main benefit that overnight rates can be as low as a quarter or third of the daytime cost.

So, if you’re on a dedicated EV tariff, charging while you sleep could help bring your bills down. You can schedule your charge to begin at the time your cheaper rate kicks in, so there’s no need to faff about with cables in the unsociable hours of the night. It’s worth mentioning that you do need to qualify for these – but it’s usually as simple as proving you own an electric vehicle.

The neat thing about EV tariffs is that many of them offer cheaper electricity across your home during off-peak hours, not just for charging your car. However, features and eligibility vary between tariffs.

Plus, if you have solar panels, you might also be able to use the electricity they generate to charge your car, bringing your ‘fuel’ costs to near zero. Compare that with what you spend at the pump, and the savings add up pretty quickly.

With all this in mind, home charging can work out cheaper than petrol or diesel, especially if you take advantage of off-peak rates. Any potential savings will depend on your car, driving habits and energy costs, however.

Benefits of home charging

Convenience is the most obvious advantage of home car charging. You can simply plug in your EV whenever it's parked at home, charge it up and you’re ready to go.

Other benefits include:

• Cost savings: Electricity is generally cheaper than petrol and diesel, and some utility companies offer special EV charging rates or incentives.

• Faster charging: A dedicated home wallbox can charge your car much faster than a standard three-pin socket, so you can top up overnight.

• Environmental impact: By changing to an EV (or plug in hybrid) at home, you can reduce your carbon footprint.

Home charging vs public charging

Charging at home can be convenient and cheaper than using public chargers, especially if you can take advantage of things like cheaper overnight electricity tariffs.

Public chargers come in handy when you’re out and about or heading off on a longer journey. Just keep in mind that charging speeds and costs can be notoriously expensive on the public network – not dissimilar to the how putting fuel in your car on a motorway petrol station is more expensive than your local petrol station.

For both, costs will naturally vary, depending where you plug in when you’re out and about, and the tariff you’re on when charging at home.

If the upfront cost of installing a home charger is putting you off, there are options. For example, you could look at funding it through a remortgage or further advance.

This means borrowing more against your home though, so it’s worth weighing up the pros and cons before you decide. A mortgage adviser can help you understand your options and work out if the extra borrowing makes sense for you.