Electric Car Charger Installation Costs UK 2023 Written by Josh Jackman Updated on 1 August 2023 ✔ An electric vehicle charger costs £1,000, on average✔ You’ll typically save £447 per year by charging at home instead of in public ✔ Modern chargers will fully charge your car overnightBuying an electric vehicle charging point for your home can save you money, ensure you always have a fully charged battery, and make your life much easier.You’ll cut your recharging costs by £447 per year compared to using public chargers – a saving worth making, especially in this cost of living crisis.And it's easy to compare home charger prices, with our help. All you have to do is provide a few quick details, and our expert installers will be in touch with free quotes for you to compare. 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 now 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 How much does it cost to charge your electric car at home? 05 Are there any government grants for EV chargers available? 06 How is an EV charger installed? 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?Charger typeTime to full batteryPrice with installationPrice without installation3.6 kW19 hours£800£4807 kW10 hours£1,000£60022 kW3 hours£1,200£720It’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 may be cheaper to hire an independent electrician – but they almost certainly won’t be as accustomed to the technology, making this a risky option.The worst outcome would be to buy a charging point that’s rendered useless by a sub-par electrician.Unable to get a home charger? See what your other options are on our page: Can You Charge Your Electric Car At Home With No Driveway?How much does it cost for different charger types?Speed makes a big difference. 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, but it'll typically cost you hundreds of 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. 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 Tethered vs untethered chargersUntethered chargers are cheaper than tethered chargers. An untethered cable will usually cost around £20 less than a tethered version.Since they're detachable, you can also use an untethered charger in more situations.However, many companies will include a tethered charger in the cost of your installation, without giving you the option of an untethered charger.Untethered chargers are more at risk of theft, though many now come with security features like cable locking or the option to add a PIN. What factors affect the cost of an electric car charging point?The main factors affecting the cost of an electric car charging point are its speed, brand, smart features, and aesthetics.Speed: The charger's speed you choose will likely have the biggest impact on what you'll pay. Slow chargers suit most domestic users, and are usually much more affordable. On average, a rapid charger costs £400 more than a slow charger.Brand: Many companies will charge you more for the same basic product, but 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 decision.Smart features: Some chargers genuinely have special abilities, from only charging at the cheapest possible rate to remote locking and using solar energy to charge your car.Aesthetics: 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 machine.Unusual extra costs: Your installer should come with around 15 metres of wire, so there shouldn't be any additional charges if your consumer unit (also known as a fuse box or distribution board) is far from your charger. And unless you own a castle, your installer shouldn't have any difficulty drilling into your wall to secure the charger 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. How much does it cost to charge your electric car at home?It costs £582 per year to charge your electric car at home, on average. 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.On average, you'll pay less by charging your electric car at home than at a public charging station.The average cost of electricity at home is 27.35p per kWh, whereas at a charging station it's around 77% more expensive, though some supermarkets offer cheaper prices.At home, you can charge up any time you like for just 9p per mile, instead of 15p per mile at a public charging point – a gap in pricing that's unlikely to change any time soon.To charge your electric car at home though, you will need to by a home charger, which cost around £1,000. But this is a one-time expensive which will pay in just two years.By charging your car at home, you'll spend £582 per year on average, compared to the typical cost of charging in public, which is £1,029 per year. Loading Are there any government grants for EV chargers available?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 also write to your council to encourage local politicians to install more 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 – 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?Your EV charging point should only be installed by a trained professional.Doing it yourself could injure you, or worse – not to mention cost you a great deal, since one electrical accident could ruin your shiny new charger forever.And your industry-standard three-year warranty almost certainly won’t be valid if you don’t recruit a professional to install the charger.Very occasionally, it’s possible to install an EV charger by yourself, though we would still only recommend doing so if you’re a qualified electrician.If you’re set on going down the DIY route, read the instructions carefully – and then consider once again whether doing it is worth voiding your warranty, and potentially harming yourself and your charger. Is it worth buying a home charger for your electric car?Yes. Your average annual savings should more than make up for the up-front expense, which is £1,000, on average.Our calculations show it’s 45% cheaper to charge an electric vehicle at home than to refuel a petrol car over a year.Of course, if you have an electric vehicle, you can just use public charging points instead of getting a home charger – except that charging in public is around 77% more expensive.This significant price difference means you’ll save £447 per year, on average, by purchasing a home charging point. So in around two years, you’ll break even on your charger.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.