How do I set up electric car charging at home?
Deciding whether a home chargepoint makes sense, what the installer needs to know, and the practical decisions about cable, position and tariff.
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Time
- 1 hr
- Read
- 4 min
- Safety
- restricted
Short answer
Get a dedicated wall-mounted chargepoint installed by a qualified installer — typically 7kW on a normal domestic supply. Never charge through an extension lead. Position it so the cable reaches whichever way the car parks, and move to an EV tariff so the cheap overnight rate does most of the charging.
Home charging is where an electric car makes financial sense, because the overnight rate on an EV tariff is a fraction of a public rapid charger. The installation itself is straightforward; the decisions around it are what people get wrong.
Safety
What you'll need
- Off-street parking
- A qualified EV chargepoint installer
- Proof of vehicle ownership or order for grant schemes (optional)
Step by step
- Confirm you have somewhere to install it.A home chargepoint needs off-street parking with the car parked adjacent. Running a cable across a public pavement is not permitted in most places and creates an obvious hazard.
- Understand what speed you actually need.A 7kW chargepoint on a normal single-phase domestic supply adds enough range overnight for almost every daily use. Faster home charging generally needs a three-phase supply, which most homes do not have.
- Get quotes from qualified installers.The installer must be competent in EV installations and will notify the work. Several quotes are worth having — prices for the same job vary considerably.
- Ask about the supply and the earthing arrangement.The installer will check the incoming supply capacity and the earthing. Some installations need additional protection or a supply upgrade, which is why a survey comes before a price.
- Check whether a grant applies to you.Government support has narrowed over time and now focuses on flats, rented property and on-street solutions rather than houses with driveways. Check the current scheme before assuming either way.
- Choose tethered or untethered deliberately.Tethered has a permanently attached cable, which is convenient day to day. Untethered takes any cable, which suits shared use, future cars and keeps the unit tidier.
- Think hard about position.Consider which side the car's socket is on and both possible parking directions. Also think about cable management, so a heavy cable is not left lying in a puddle.
- Confirm it is a smart chargepoint.New domestic chargepoints sold in Great Britain are required to have smart functionality. This is also what lets it schedule charging into the cheap overnight window automatically.
- Move to an EV tariff.This is where the savings actually come from. Overnight EV rates are a fraction of the standard rate, and scheduling the car to charge in that window is usually a one-off setup in the app.
- Set the car and the charger to agree.Both the car and the chargepoint can schedule charging, and if both are set they can conflict. Pick one to control it and leave the other permanently ready.
- Keep the granny cable for emergencies only.A three-pin cable draws a large current for many hours. Use it only into a known-good socket, directly, never through an extension, and treat it as an occasional backup.
- Register the installation paperwork.Keep the electrical certificate and the chargepoint documentation. It matters for warranty, for insurance and when you sell the house.
Tips
- Ask the installer to show you where the isolator is and how to reset the unit. Most faults are cleared by a reset.
- A slightly longer cable than you think you need solves a lot of parking arguments.
- Tell your home insurer about the installation. It is usually a non-event but it should be declared.
Common mistakes
- Charging through an extension lead or a cable reel — The sustained high current involved is exactly the load that overheats extension leads and reels, and it is a well-documented cause of fires. Charge cables plug directly into a fixed socket or a chargepoint.
- Installing without checking the tariff first — Most of the financial benefit of home charging comes from an overnight EV rate. Installing the hardware and staying on a standard tariff throws away the majority of the saving.
If it doesn't work
Charger stops mid-session
Cause: Protective device tripping, or a scheduling conflict between car and charger — Fix: Check whether both the car and the charger have schedules set. If it trips repeatedly, call the installer — repeated tripping is a fault, not a nuisance.
Charging much slower than expected
Cause: The car's onboard charger limit, not the chargepoint — Fix: Check the car's maximum AC charging rate. A 7kW chargepoint cannot exceed what the car will accept.
Cannot reach the socket on the car
Cause: Chargepoint positioned for one parking direction only — Fix: A longer cable is the easy fix. It is worth planning for before installation rather than after.
App will not connect to the chargepoint
Cause: Weak wifi at the parking position — Fix: Most units also work without connectivity. A wifi extender or a powerline adaptor near the charger usually resolves it.
Questions people ask
Can I charge an electric car from a normal socket?
Occasionally, using the manufacturer's three-pin cable plugged directly into a sound socket. It is slow and it is not intended as a daily method — the sustained load is significant and a dedicated chargepoint is the proper answer.
How long does a home charge take?
On a 7kW chargepoint, most cars add enough for a typical day's driving in a few hours and charge from low to high overnight. The exact time depends on the battery size and the car's own charging limit.
Is home charging much cheaper than public charging?
Substantially, particularly on an overnight EV tariff. Public rapid charging is convenient and priced accordingly, which is why home charging is where the running cost case is made.