How much to install electric car charging station at home

Updated on 7 November 2022

✔ An electric vehicle charger costs £1,000, on average

✔ You’ll typically save £492 per year by charging at home instead of in public

✔ Modern chargers will fully charge your car overnight

Buying 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 never have to worry about frantically searching for charging points – in fact, you’ll rarely if ever have to charge your car in public again.

And by using your new home charging point, you’ll cut your recharging costs by £492 per year compared to using public chargers – a saving worth making in this recession.

If you’re ready to install a home charger, you should shop around to get the best installation quote – and to help you with that process, we’ve created an easy-to-use comparison tool.

Simply provide a few details about your home, and we’ll pass them on to our expert installers.

What’s on this page?

• 01 How much does it cost to install an electric car charging point?
• 02 A breakdown of the costs
• 03 Is it worth it to get a home charger?
• 04 Are there any government grants available?
• 05 Will the costs decrease over time?
• 06 Next steps

How much does it cost to install an electric car charging point?

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 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.

How much does it cost for different charger types?

Speed makes a big difference. Choosing a 7 kW charging point over a 3.6 kW model may well cost you hundreds of pounds more, but you’ll fully recharge your car in half the time.

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 60.4 kWh in mind.

Are electric car charging points cheaper in the US?

Charging points are cheaper in the US.

They cost slightly less to buy and are slightly more expensive to install in the US than in the UK – and a large federal tax credit means they're cheaper overall.

The average home charger in the US costs between $1,000 and $1,200 (£740-£900) to buy and install – but the government offers a grant that can reduce the price.

You can get a federal tax credit that cuts the cost of your new EV charger by 30%, up to $1,000.

That means the average amount you’ll pay in total for a charging point is $800 (£600).

A breakdown of the 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.

Is it worth it to get a home charger?

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 twice as cheap to charge an electric vehicle than to refuel a petrol car over a year, meaning you’ll typically save around £700 per year in running costs by going electric.

Of course, if you have an electric vehicle, you can just use public charging points instead of getting a home charger – except they’re around 50% more expensive to use.

This significant price difference means you’ll save £492 per year, on average, by purchasing a home charging point. So in around two years, you’ll break even on your charger.

Are there any government grants 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).

Will the costs 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 that £350 discount.

Next steps

At 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.

Written by:

Josh has written about eco-friendly home improvements and climate change for the past three years. His work has featured on the front page of the Financial Times; he’s been interviewed by BBC One’s Rip-Off Britain; and he was the resident expert in BT’s smart home tech initiative.