Home charging is what makes owning an EV genuinely cheaper than petrol — but only if it is set up properly. Pay full daytime electricity rates and an EV is roughly comparable in fuel cost to a frugal hybrid. Pair a 7kW charger with a smart overnight tariff and the same car costs a third as much per mile. This guide covers chargers, tariffs, grants and running costs in 2026.
Almost every UK home gets a 7kW charger, which adds about 30 miles of range per hour and fully charges most EVs overnight. 22kW chargers require three-phase electricity supply, which most domestic homes do not have. Upgrading to three-phase typically costs £3,000 to £8,000 and rarely pays back unless you have very high daily mileage.
Pick a 'smart' OCPP-compliant unit (Ohme, Zappi, Hypervolt, Wallbox Pulsar Plus and similar). These integrate with smart tariffs to charge automatically during the cheapest half-hour windows, and most include solar diversion if you also have PV panels. Untethered units (no built-in cable) are slightly cheaper and let you swap cables.
The £350 OZEV EV chargepoint grant is no longer available to homeowners with off-street parking but remains available to people in rental accommodation and flats. Landlords can claim up to £350 per chargepoint installed at residential properties they rent out. There are also separate workplace and on-street grants.
If you own a house with a driveway, the grant simply does not apply — but charger prices have fallen enough that a fully installed unit now runs £700 to £1,200, similar to the post-grant cost from 2022.
Octopus Intelligent Go, EDF GoElectric, OVO Charge Anytime and similar tariffs offer 6 to 8.5p/kWh during off-peak hours (typically 11.30pm to 5.30am, sometimes wider). At 7p/kWh and 4 miles per kWh, that is 1.75p per mile — roughly a quarter of the cost of petrol at 145p per litre.
Daytime rates on these tariffs are usually slightly higher than standard rates (28 to 32p/kWh), so they only pay back if most of your charging genuinely happens overnight. Smart chargers automate this — you plug in when you get home and the unit waits until the cheap window starts.
Get three quotes from OZEV-approved installers even if you don't qualify for the grant — the certification means proper electrical training and DNO notification. The installer will check your main fuse rating (most homes have 60 to 100 amps), the capacity of your consumer unit and the cable run from meter to parking spot.
Most installs are under £400 in labour on top of the unit. Expect surcharges for cable runs over 10 metres, consumer unit upgrades, or trenching across driveways. A site survey (often free) avoids surprise costs on install day.
Rapid public charging averages 65 to 85p/kWh — roughly 17 to 21p per mile, often more expensive per mile than petrol. Used occasionally on long trips this is fine; relied on daily it kills the EV cost case entirely.
If you cannot install a home charger (no off-street parking), check your local council's on-street chargepoint rollout (the LEVI fund) and slow workplace charging options before committing to an EV. The economics depend heavily on at-home or near-home cheap charging.
Almost never for a wall-mounted charger. Listed buildings, conservation areas and pedestal-mounted units may need consent.
Yes, an electrician can decommission and reinstall, typically £150 to £300 each end. The unit itself is portable.
Vehicle-to-grid is rolling out slowly. Compatible cars and bidirectional chargers exist but remain expensive in 2026.
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