EV Charger Installation Cost UK: Pricing Guide 2024

Quick Answer: A UK EV charger installation prices at £950-£1,400 for a standard 7kW wall-mounted charger with up to 10m cable run, £1,400-£2,200 for installations requiring a consumer unit upgrade or trenching, and £2,200-£3,800+ for installations needing a DNO supply upgrade. Domestic customers can no longer access the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS) grant (closed March 2022) unless they are flat residents or rental tenants — the £350 grant applies to landlords and EVHS-eligible cases only. Charger installation is notifiable under Building Regulations Part P.

Summary

EV charger installation is the fastest-growing electrical sub-trade in the UK. Domestic charger installations grew from ~15,000 per year in 2018 to 240,000+ in 2024 and continue rising as EV registrations climb. Pricing is well-understood at the volume retail end (Pod Point, Octopus Energy, BP Pulse offer fixed-price installations from £900) but highly variable for bespoke and complicated installations.

The pricing variables are: (1) cable run from CU to charger position — every additional metre over the 10m baseline adds £18-£35; (2) consumer unit capacity — old CUs without a spare way need either a new way fitted or full board replacement; (3) earthing arrangement — TT systems need an earth electrode rod; (4) supply capacity — older 60A supplies need upgrade for 7kW charging; (5) wall fixing complexity — solid brick is easy, render needs lintel detection, timber-clad cladding needs specialist mounting; (6) trenching for detached garage or driveway charging point.

Charger choice matters less than installation complexity. The bulk of installation cost is labour and ancillary parts, not the unit itself. A £400-£900 charger is fitted at the same labour rate as a £200 charger — and most retail installers fit OZEV-approved units to maintain grant eligibility for the qualifying minority. For consumer unit replacement see consumer unit replacement pricing guide; for full rewires see full rewire pricing guide.

Key Facts

Charger (supplied) costs

Cable and ancillaries

Labour and ancillary costs

Grant (where applicable)

Quick Reference Table

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Install Scenario Cable Length CU/Supply Work Labour Total Range (Regional) Total Range (London)
Standard install (CU adjacent to wall) <5m None 3-4 hr £850-£1,200 £1,000-£1,400
Standard with 6-10m run 6-10m None 4-5 hr £950-£1,400 £1,150-£1,650
Long internal run 10-20m None 5-7 hr £1,200-£1,700 £1,400-£2,000
New CU way fitted 6-10m New RCBO way 5-6 hr £1,200-£1,650 £1,450-£1,950
Full CU upgrade 6-15m New RCBO board 6-9 hr £1,650-£2,500 £1,950-£2,950
Detached garage (SWA trenched) 10-25m SWA + trench 8-12 hr £1,800-£3,200 £2,200-£3,800
DNO supply upgrade required Any New supply + CU Multi-visit £2,500-£4,800 £3,000-£5,800

Subtract £350 if EV Chargepoint Grant eligible (flats / renters only post-March 2022).

Detailed Guidance

Pre-survey — the essential first step

EV charger installation cannot be sensibly quoted without a pre-visit survey. The required survey items:

  1. Supply capacity check — record main fuse rating (60A typical pre-1990, 80A typical 1990-2010, 100A typical post-2010). A 7kW charger draws 32A; combined with other loads (electric shower, induction hob), an old 60A supply may not cope.
  2. Earthing arrangement — record PME (TN-C-S) or TT (own earth rod). PME has specific requirements for EV chargers per BS 7671 Reg 722. Many EV chargers include PEN fault detection but some installations require an earth electrode rod regardless.
  3. Consumer unit spare ways — count empty ways. Charger needs a dedicated 32A or 40A RCBO (Type A or Type B depending on charger).
  4. Cable route — measure from CU to proposed charger position. Internal cable, external SWA, or buried SWA.
  5. Charger position — wall material (brick, block, render, timber), height (1.0-1.5m typical), tethered vs untethered (untethered needs nearby socket for plugging the customer's cable).
  6. Vehicle position — confirm parking spot and that the lead reaches without crossing a footpath (footpath crossing is allowed but requires careful management).
  7. WiFi coverage — most smart chargers need WiFi at the install point. Check signal strength.

Survey time: 30-60 minutes. Underwrites a fixed-price quote. Most retail installers do a "virtual survey" via photos and questionnaire — riskier but acceptable for simple installations.

The volume retail model

Pod Point, Octopus Energy, BP Pulse, ChargePoint Services and a handful of others offer fixed-price installations from £900-£1,300 for standard installs. This is the volume model:

Trade installers compete by being cheaper for complex installs, faster for emergency work, and flexible on charger brand. The retail model wins on price for the simple 80% of installs; the trade installer wins on the complex 20%.

PME and earthing considerations

PME (Protective Multiple Earthing) is the standard UK supply earthing arrangement post-1980. Most newer houses are PME. The concern with EV charging on PME is "open PEN" faults — if the supply neutral conductor fails, the metal casing of the vehicle becomes live at mains voltage, electrocution risk to anyone touching it.

BS 7671 Reg 722.411.4.1 requires one of:

  1. Open PEN detection — built into modern chargers (Pod Point, Zappi, Hypervolt etc. all include this) — disconnects the supply if open PEN is detected
  2. Earth electrode rod — independent earth via copper-clad rod (1.2m minimum) bonded to charger casing
  3. TT conversion — convert the charger circuit to TT (its own earth rod, isolated from supply earth)

Most modern chargers include open PEN detection — check the charger's installation manual to confirm. If the charger does NOT include open PEN detection, an earth electrode rod or TT conversion is mandatory.

Cable sizing and routing

The default cable for a 7kW (32A) charger is 6mm². Longer runs (>20m) may need 10mm² to manage voltage drop. The cable type depends on route:

Cable route planning is the single biggest variable in install pricing. Best practice is:

  1. CU to outdoor isolator (inside, short run)
  2. Outdoor isolator to charger (external, SWA or trunking)
  3. Charger fixing point (rigid, frost-protected, signal-receivable for smart units)

Long runs through ceiling voids or wall cavities add 30-90 minutes per route segment. Buried SWA runs in trenches (driveway garages) are the highest-cost installations — trenching, cable, reinstatement.

Charger choice — tethered vs untethered, smart vs basic

The customer's first question is usually "which charger?". The answer depends on use case:

Solar-integrated chargers (Zappi, Hypervolt) are the premium home option for households with PV. The installation is more complex (CT clamp at meter, sometimes specific consumer unit positioning) and the labour is +1-2 hours.

Hidden costs and risk premium

The five most-missed cost lines in EV charger installation are: (1) consumer unit upgrade if no spare way and the existing board is not RCBO-protected; (2) WiFi extender or hardwired ethernet if charger location has weak signal (£60-£180); (3) cable routing through cavity walls — sometimes requires specialist tooling and dust extraction; (4) wall material discoveries — pebble-dash, cladding, render with no clear lintel position; (5) DNO supply upgrade if 60A supply on older property.

Risk premium of 5-10% is standard on complex installations (long runs, awkward CU position, PME issues). Premium of 15-25% for installations requiring DNO supply upgrades — long lead-time and uncertain DNO costs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the £350 EV charger grant still available?

Not for owner-occupier homeowners — the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS) closed for owner-occupiers in March 2022. The £350 EV Chargepoint Grant is still available for: (1) flat residents with off-street parking, (2) renters with a written tenancy agreement, (3) landlords installing for tenants (under the EV Infrastructure Grant, up to £500 per parking space + £500 per chargepoint). Workplaces have a separate Workplace Charging Scheme (£350 per socket up to 40).

Do I need to be OZEV approved to install EV chargers?

Yes, if you want to install for grant-eligible customers (flat residents, renters, landlords, workplaces). OZEV approval requires: NICEIC/NAPIT/ELECSA Part P registration, EV-specific training (typically City & Guilds 2919-01 or equivalent), insurance, and OZEV-specific paperwork. For non-grant-eligible installations (most homeowners), Part P competent person status alone is sufficient.

What is "open PEN" and why does it matter?

Open PEN is a fault condition in PME supplies where the protective earth/neutral conductor fails between the property and the substation. With an EV plugged in, the vehicle chassis can rise to dangerous voltage (50-230V) because the protective earth path is broken. Modern EV chargers include open PEN detection that monitors voltage between earth and a reference, disconnecting if a fault is detected. Always confirm the charger's open PEN protection in the installation manual.

Can I install a 22kW (three-phase) charger at home?

Only if the property has a three-phase supply. Most UK domestic supplies are single-phase 230V; only larger detached and rural properties have three-phase. The DNO supply upgrade from single to three-phase is £2,000-£8,000 typically and takes 8-16 weeks. Most homes are limited to 7kW single-phase chargers. Vehicles that support 11kW or 22kW will simply charge at 7kW on a single-phase supply.

How long does a typical EV charger install take?

3-5 hours for a standard install (single-phase 7kW, existing CU has spare way, <10m cable run, simple wall fixing). Add 1-2 hours for a new CU way, 2-4 hours for a full CU upgrade, 3-6 hours for buried SWA trenching to a detached garage. Total on-site time rarely exceeds 8 hours; multi-day installs are usually due to DNO supply upgrade waiting times.

Regulations & Standards