renewables
EV charger installation
A 7kW home charger costs £800 to £1,400 fitted, and takes half a day. The chargepoint grant is £500 a socket from 1 April 2026, and it is worth knowing before reading any advert that it is not available to owner occupiers of houses: it is for flat owners and for renters.
What this covers
What it costs. A 7kW home charger is £800 to £1,400 fitted including the unit. Full cost breakdown.
What the job covers
- Fitting a 7kW wall charger on a dedicated circuit
- Load assessment against the main fuse and existing demand
- Earthing arrangements on a PME supply, with a rod where needed
- Notifying the installation to the network operator
- Workplace and multi bay charging with load management
What is involved
The install itself is short. A dedicated circuit runs from the consumer unit to the charger position, usually in 6mm or 10mm cable, with its own protective device and a type A or type B residual current device depending on what the unit has built in. The charger is fixed to a wall or a post within reach of where the car parks, commissioned, and connected to the owner's phone app. Most of the variation in price is cable length and how hard it is to get from the board to the parking space.
Two technical questions decide whether a straightforward job stays straightforward. The first is the earthing arrangement. Most UK supplies are protected multiple earthing, and a fault on the supply neutral can put a dangerous voltage on anything earthed outdoors, including a car on charge. That is handled either by a charger with open PEN detection built in, which almost all now have, or by driving an earth rod. The second is the main fuse and the existing load. A 60 amp supply feeding an electric shower and a 32 amp charger needs load management, and the honest answer is sometimes a 32 amp charger rather than a supply upgrade.
The installation is notified to the distribution network operator wherever you are. In England and Wales it is also notifiable building control work, because it is a new circuit; Scotland and Northern Ireland reach the same place through their own building standards. A registered installer handles both through their scheme. Workplace and multi bay installations add load management across the chargers and a decision about billing, and those are priced per project rather than per socket.
Choosing someone for the job
Ask what cable size and route the quote assumes and what a longer run costs, because that is the line that moves. Ask whether the charger has open PEN detection or whether an earth rod is priced in. Ask what the main fuse rating is and whether load management is needed. If you are claiming the grant, the installer has to be OZEV authorised and has to claim it on your behalf.
Common questions
Can I get the grant if I own my house?
No. The chargepoint grant is for flat owner occupiers and for renters in any residential property, with off street parking, and a landlord's written consent where the property is rented. Owner occupiers of houses have not been eligible for several years.
Do I need a supply upgrade?
Usually not. A 7kW charger draws 32 amps, and most modern supplies carry it alongside normal household load, particularly with load management that backs the charger off when the shower is on. A 60 amp fuse and an all electric house is where it becomes a real question.