What do I need to know about getting an EV charger installed at home?
Having an EV charger installed at home makes electric car ownership cheaper and more convenient, but what else do you need to know?
The Cazoo editorial team
Published on 18 September 2025 | 1 min read
Buying an electric vehicle can be a daunting and nerve-wracking process if you don’t have a home charger.
By having an EV home charger, it makes electric vehicle ownership easier, cheaper and much more cost-effective.
If you’re in the market for a second-hand EV, there are plenty of used examples through Cazoo. But what if you want a home charger installed - what else do you need to know?
We’ve compiled a list of all the main factors when it comes to having an EV charger installed at home.
Where can I get a charger installed?
The best scenario is if you have a driveway as you’ll be able to have the charger located at the front or down the side of your house. The benefit to this is that you’ll have easier access to the cable reaching your car to charge it up.
If you live in a flat, you might find it trickier as there is limited access, and if there is permission for a charger to be installed, it won’t be located directly near your vehicle. Thankfully, there are incentives for flat owners to help with the cost of installation.
And, it’s not a problem if you’re renting a property, either. Just make sure that you speak to your landlord first to get their permission before you go ahead with the installation process.
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What type of charger do I need?
There are several different types of home chargers, but the most common and reliable type is the standard 7kW AC wallbox. The upside to these chargers is that it allows you to top-up your car overnight at off-peak rates, meaning charging your EV can cost as little as 7p per kilowatt, and they’re usually simple to install.
If you want a more powerful charger, then there are faster 22kW units available on the market, which will top-up your EV in around five hours. But, the issue with these types of units is that they will only be compatible if your house has a three-phase power supply, which a lot of households in the UK don’t have. The only option you will have is to upgrade your energy supply, which then bumps up the overall cost for the charger installation.
Don’t forget about the different charging leads, as well. The first is tethered which is where the lead is permanently fixed within the charger unit, which looks a bit like a wall-mounted hosepipe. The benefits to these are that you don’t have to rely on your car’s charging lead and you can simply plug the car in using the wall-mounted cable. But, the leads tend to be a lot heavier and are a lot more noticeable when they are stowed away at the front or side of your house.
The second type is the untethered, which is a more compact charger without any cables, and instead, you rely on your car’s own charging lead to top-up the vehicle. The advantages to untethered units is if you’re someone who doesn’t want a big and ugly wallbox stuck on your house, the untethered options are a lot more discreet and can be customised by certain companies to be painted the same colour as your house or feature a brick-like pattern to make them blend in. The downsides to them are that you have to use your own car’s charger every time you want to top-up, meaning it takes longer and isn’t as convenient in poor weather conditions.
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Installation
Like with an installation in your home, once you’ve found the right charger that suits your lifestyle and vehicle, you need your house to be examined for its dimensions and location of where the charger will be positioned.
Before the installation process goes ahead, the company of the charger will provide a routine visit by one of its engineers to assess your property on where, how and when they can fit the charger. All home chargers will need to use a larger and armoured cable, which will have to be run from your home’s consumer unit to the outside area when the charger will be located. In some circumstances, the engineer may need to drill a few holes in the walls and run the cables underneath the floor boards in order for all the connections to meet the charger unit.
At the end of your home’s examination, if the engineer is happy, then the charger installation can go ahead. The charger will be sent to you directly in the post, with which the engineer will return to fit the unit to your house, with a typical installation time taking around four hours for an average-sized property.
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Picking an energy provider
Always pick an energy provider that gives you the best deals as many of them give incentives out to EV owners.
One of the biggest perks are the EV-friendly tariffs, which allow you to charge at off-peak times, meaning the average EV can be topped-up overnight at a much cheaper rate.
You can always stick with your current energy provider, but look into whether it offers any deals and incentives towards electric vehicles, as these benefits can help you save a lot of money long-term.
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How much does it cost?
If you’re looking into buying a second-hand EV, you will more than likely have to purchase a home charger, as lots of car manufacturers are only offering new electric vehicles with a free home charge installation.
The average home charger installation will set you back anything between £750 and £1,000, depending on the type of charger you’re having installed, the size of your house, the type of house, flat or rented property you live in.
Most energy suppliers will work out a total cost, to make it easier to understand before you go ahead with the purchase.
For example, an Ohme ePod home charger installation will cost you £949 and an ePod Pro costs £999.
Just to bear in mind that if you own a larger home, a typical installation may cost you even more due to the greater number of cables that will need to be used.
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