Types of Home EV Chargers Explained: Choosing the Best One for You
Are you considering an electric car through a salary sacrifice scheme or already own an EV? One of the most important decisions you’ll make is how to charge it at home. With the electric vehicle market booming in the UK, understanding the different types of home EV chargers is essential for maximising convenience and cost savings.
What is a Home EV Charger?
A home EV charger is a dedicated unit installed at your property that provides a safe, efficient way to charge your electric vehicle. Unlike standard household sockets, purpose-built EV chargers offer numerous advantages:
Convenience
Having your own charger means waking up to a fully charged car every morning. No more detours to public charging stations or planning your day around charging stops. For EV owners, home charging typically accounts for 80% of all charging sessions, making it the backbone of the electric car ownership experience.
Cost Savings
Charging at home is significantly cheaper than using public chargers. By charging your electric car at home, especially when taking advantage of off-peak electricity tariffs, you can reduce your per-mile cost to a fraction of petrol or diesel prices. With today’s energy prices, most EV owners save 60-80% on fuel costs compared to traditional vehicles.
Speed
A dedicated home charger delivers power much faster than a standard household socket. While a regular 3-pin plug might add just 8-10 miles of range per hour, even a basic home charger can deliver 15-30 miles of range in the same time.
Smart Features
Modern home chargers come with intelligent functions that allow you to schedule charging during off-peak hours, track energy usage, and even integrate with solar panels or home energy systems.
What Your Home Needs for Installation
Before purchasing a home charger, consider these installation requirements:
- Off-street parking – You’ll need a dedicated parking space where the charger can be installed
- Electrical capacity – Your home’s electrical supply must have sufficient capacity; most homes can support a 7kW charger
- Consumer unit/fuse box access – Installation requires connection to your consumer unit
- Wi-Fi signal (for smart chargers) – Check signal strength where you plan to install the charger
- Cable run distance – Longer runs between your consumer unit and charger location increase installation costs
Installation must be carried out by a qualified electrician with specific EV charger installation credentials. Most reputable charger suppliers will handle this as part of the package.
Final Thoughts on Choosing Your Home EV Charger
When selecting a home EV charger, consider your daily driving habits, your vehicle’s charging capabilities, and your home’s electrical setup. For most UK drivers, a 7kW smart charger offers the optimal balance of charging speed and installation practicality.
Remember that home charging is not just more convenient but also significantly more cost-effective than relying on public chargers. With electricity costs currently much lower than petrol or diesel prices, home charging is a key factor in realising the financial benefits of EV ownership.
The Charge Scheme: The Most Cost-Effective Way to Power Your EV
Want to make charging your electric vehicle even more affordable? The Electric Car Scheme offers The Charge Scheme – a salary sacrifice add-on specifically for EV charging. Similar to how our EV salary sacrifice programme saves drivers 20-50% on their electric vehicles (with the current Benefit-in-Kind rate at just 3%), The Charge Scheme helps you save on your charging costs through salary sacrifice.
By combining an electric car through salary sacrifice with The Charge Scheme, you can maximise your savings while enjoying all the benefits of home charging. Contact us today to learn how you can take advantage of the UK’s most cost-effective way to drive and charge an electric vehicle.
Looking for more information on managing your EV? Check out our guide to the best EV charging apps in the UK to optimise your charging experience both at home and on the go.