Electric Car Charger Installation Costs UK 2024 Written by Josh Jackman Updated on 12 March 2024 ✔ An electric vehicle charger costs £1,000, on average✔ You’ll typically save £467 per year by charging at home instead of in public ✔ Modern chargers will fully charge your car overnightBuying an electric vehicle (EV) charging point for your home can save you money overtime, and make your life much easier.Charging your EV from home is much cheaper than charging in public. You’ll cut your recharging costs by £467 per year compared to using public chargers – a saving worth making, especially in this cost of living crisis.You can also set some chargers so that they only charge your car at times when electricity is cheapest (during off-peak times), saving you even more money.Plus, by charging at home, is convenient, and can be done overnight from the safety of your driveway. You won't have to deal with driving to a public charging station in the hopes of finding a free spot.It's easy to compare home charger prices, with our help. Simply provide a few quick details, and our expert installers will be in touch with free quotes for you to compare.What’s on this page? 01 How much does it cost to install an electric car charging point? 02 What factors affect the cost of an electric car charging point? 03 A breakdown of electric car charging point costs 04 What government grants are available for EV chargers? 05 How is an EV charger installed? 06 How much does it cost to charge your electric car with a home charger? 07 Is it worth buying a home charger for your electric car? 08 Next steps 09 FAQs How much does it cost to install an electric car charger?It’ll usually cost you between £800 and £1,200 to buy and install an electric car charging point on your property.If you use an installer from the company selling you a charging point, it’ll cost you the same kind of price no matter where you are in the UK.It might be cheaper to hire an independent electrician, but make sure they're familiar with installing EV chargers.Charger typeTime to full batteryPrice with installationPrice without installation3.6 kW19 hours£800£4807 kW10 hours£1,000£60022 kW3 hours£1,200£720As you can see from the chart, there is not a huge difference in installation price between 3.6 kW and 22 kW chargers.The biggest difference is when it comes to charging speed. You’ll fully recharge your car in half the time with a 7 kW charging point than you would with a 3.6 kW model, for a few hundred pounds more.22 kW is the current ceiling for home chargers – but unfortunately, they don’t work in most UK homes, which don’t usually have a three-phase electricity supply.The time it takes for each charger type to reach full battery is calculated with the average electric vehicle capacity of 68.9 kWh in mind.Unable to install a charger at home? See what your other options are on our page: Can You Charge Your Electric Car At Home With No Driveway?The cost of tethered vs untethered chargersUntethered chargers usually cost £20 less than tethered chargers.The main difference between these two types of chargers is the cable. Tethered chargers have fixed cable, whereas untethered chargers have a cable you can detach.Many companies will include a tethered charger in the cost of your installation, without giving you the option of an untethered charger.Because they have a detachable cable, untethered chargers can be used in more situations, but they're also more at risk of theft.Luckily, many now come with security features like cable locking or the option to add a PIN. Get free EV charging point quotes Answer a few quick questions, and our trusted installers will send you bespoke EV charging point quotes – for free. Compare quotes now What factors affect the cost of an electric car charging point?The factors that affect the cost of an electric car charging point are the speed, brand, number of smart features, and aesthetics.Speed: A charger's speed will likely have the biggest impact on price. Slow chargers suit most domestic users, and are usually much more affordable. On average, a rapid charger costs £400 more than a slow chargerBrand: Many companies will charge you more for the same basic product, but some brands are more expensive than others. If it's a brand you trust, it may be worth the extra expense. Read our Best Home EV Chargers guide before making your final decisionSmart features: The more advanced the smart features on a charger are, the more expensive it'll be. Most chargers have optimised charging, only charging at the cheapest possible, but some also have a remote locking feature, or can use solar energy to charge your vehicleAesthetics: If you want your charger to look extra sleek or have a specific colour, it may cost you extra. In contrast, if you don't especially mind how it looks, you can save some money by getting a purely functional machineUnusual extra costs: If your driveway is far away from your fuse box, your installer might charge you extra for the additional cable require to connect your charger to your home's electricity circuit. Additionally, if your home has very thick stone walls, it might take more time, and so cost more, to drill your charger into your wall to secure it in place A breakdown of electric car charging point costs If you buy a 7 kW charging point – which we generally recommend for most drivers – it’ll typically cost you £600 for the charger, and £400 for the installation process.Below we’ll explain why the installation costs £400, but bear in mind that the savings should more than make up for this initial outlay – and that not getting a professional installation could cost you much more in repairs.The first step is a survey to see if your property can house an electric car charging point, and to plan out where it’ll go. This stage is usually free.At a later date, a professional will set up the physical charger in a suitable location – often in a garage or on a driveway – and run up to 10 metres of secure cabling to your fuse box while also fitting a safety cut-off device.These pieces of hardware cost around £100.Some electric charging points also require that an earthing rod be installed, which can make the process more expensive and disruptive. Thankfully, newer models are moving away from this need.And of course, before leaving, the installer will test your new charger to make sure it works.If you’re wondering where the other £300 comes from, it’s the cost of labour – which is more than reasonable, considering the installer’s expertise is protecting you against disaster. What government grants are available for EV chargers?There are a few government grants available for EV chargers, although most are for businesses and local authorities.These include the Workplace Charging Scheme and the On-street Residential Chargepoint scheme.For home EV chargers, renters and people who own a flat can use the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS).This government grant reduces the cost of a new charging point by 75%, up to £350 (including VAT).You can find out more about all the EV charging grants on our page.Even if you aren't personally eligible for most of them, you can always write to your council or workplace to encourage them to use grants to install electric vehicle chargers in your area. How is an EV charger installed?Your installer will attach the EV charger to the wall of your choice with a drill, screws, and possibly silicone sealant, and run a length of cable to your consumer unit (fuse box) – either through the wall or round the outside – before connecting up all the electrics.The installer will talk you through the potential locations for your charger beforehand, bearing in mind it needs to be at least 2.5 metres away from any metal object connected to your electricity supply.It also legally needs to be at least two metres away from a public highway, monument, or listed building, though that comes up less often.Can I install my own EV charging point?While you can technically install an EV charger yourself, it's best not to, unless you're a trained electrician.If you don't have the correct skills and experience, installing a charger yourself could result in an injury, an unsafe charging set up (you could unintentionally create a fire hazard), or a charger that doesn't work.Plus, the industry-standard three-year warranty most EV chargers have might not be valid if you don’t recruit a professional to install the charger. How much does it cost to charge your electric car with a home charger?It costs £610 per year to charge your electric car at home, on average, compared to the typical cost of charging in public, which is £1,077 per year.The total figure will of course vary depending on how much you drive, the type of electric car you have – newer models cost less to drive – and the cost of electricity on your home tariff.The average cost of electricity at home is 28.62p per kWh, whereas at a charging station it's around 77% more expensive, though some supermarkets offer cheaper prices.Although you will spend on average £1,000 on a home charger, you will likely make this back over 1-2 years, depending on how much you drive your car and your energy prices.Keep in mind that when you use a home charger, you can take advantage of charging when you want, for example, overnight, when energy prices are cheapest. Loading Is it worth buying a home charger for your electric car?Yes, it's definitely worth buying a home charger if you have a driveway or garage that can accommodate one.You should breakeven on your £1,000 expense – the average price of installing a charger – in around two years, through savings.That's because charging in public is around 77% more expensive than charging at home.This significant price difference means you’ll save £467 per year, on average, by purchasing a home charging point.Plus, our calculations show it’s twice as expensive to refuel a petrol car than it is to charge an electric vehicle at home over a year.You'll also be joining a growing number of households buying green technology. 47% of Brits have purchased low-carbon tech in the past 12 months, according to our National Home Energy Survey. Next stepsAt this point, you’re ready to save money, help the climate, and make your life more convenient by getting a home charger.But of course, it makes sense to weigh up different installation quotes for your perfect EV charging point.Thankfully, we’ve created an easy-to-use comparison tool to make that process straightforward. Simply provide a few details about your home, and we’ll pass them on to our expert installers. FAQs How much does it cost to install an electric car charger at work? The cost of electric car chargers for businesses is usually between £700 and £1,000 per charger.Find out everything else you need to know with our guide to electric car charging points for businesses. Can any electrician install a car charger? Any electrician might be able to competently install a car charger, but you shouldn't take that risk. Choose an installer who's registered with the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles instead.You'll get an accredited electrician, and you'll be eligible for any government grants that exist at the time. Do I need permission to install an EV charger? In most cases, you do not need permission to install an EV charger.You can install a charger that's less than 1.6 metres tall without planning permission, as long as it's installed more than two metres from a highway, thanks to the Town and Country Planning Act of 2015.This includes practically all slow and fast charging points. However, some rapid chargers are taller than 1.6 metres, and therefore do require permission. Can you plug a car charger into a normal socket? You can plug your car into a standard domestic socket, and it will charge up – albeit slowly.We wouldn't recommend this, though. Using a dedicated EV charger is quicker, safer, and cheaper, as most products can now charge your car when electricity is cheapest. Will the costs of a home EV charger decrease over time? The cost of any technological innovation tends to come down over time, and we can expect the same to be true of electric vehicle home chargers.It’s already hundreds of pounds cheaper to buy a 3.6 kW charger than it was just a few years ago – and as 7 kW and 22 kW chargers become increasingly common, prices should fall even further.Unfortunately, the EVHS grant ended for house owners in March 2022, which removed a £350 discount. Written by: Josh Jackman Lead Writer Josh has written about eco-friendly home improvements and climate change for the past four years. His work has been displayed on the front page of the Financial Times, he's been interviewed by BBC One's Rip-Off Britain, and he regularly features in The Telegraph and on BBC Radio.