Andersen A3 vs Simpson & Partners Home 7: British Premium, Two Price Points
Two British Boutique Chargers — But Is the Andersen Worth £346 More?
If you've already decided you want a premium, British-made EV charger that actually looks good on the side of your house, you've probably narrowed your shortlist down to two names: Andersen EV and Simpson & Partners. Both are UK-manufactured, both use anodised aluminium construction, and both offer design-led aesthetics that make the typical plastic wallbox look like it belongs in a multi-storey car park.
But there's a meaningful price gap here. The Andersen A3 comes in at £995 before installation, while the Simpson & Partners Home 7 starts at £649 — a saving of £346 that could cover a good chunk of your installation costs. The question is whether the Andersen's extraordinary design customisation justifies that premium, or whether Simpson & Partners delivers 90% of the experience for two-thirds of the price.
In a nutshell:
- Andersen A3 (£995): The most design-customisable charger in the UK, with 247 finish combinations and a unique hidden cable system that keeps your driveway looking immaculate.
- Simpson & Partners Home 7 (£649): A premium British-built charger with a 10-year enclosure warranty, three-phase capability, and a price that significantly undercuts the Andersen.
Spec Comparison
| Feature | Andersen A3 | Simpson & Partners Home 7 |
|---|---|---|
| Price (unit only) | £995 | £649 |
| Max Power | 7.4kW (single-phase only) | 7kW / 22kW (three-phase capable) |
| Cable | 5.5m tethered (hidden system) | 5m tethered or untethered |
| Smart Tariffs | Octopus Intelligent Go, OVO Charge Anytime | Octopus Go, OVO Anytime, EDF GoElectric |
| Solar | Yes, via app | Yes, compatible |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi |
| Warranty | 7 years | 10 years (enclosure) |
| IP Rating | IP54 | IP54 |
| Type | Tethered only | Tethered or untethered |
| Weight | ~7.5 kg | ~5.5 kg |
| OZEV Approved | Yes | Yes |
Build Quality and Design
This is where the Andersen A3 genuinely earns its keep. With 247 colour and finish combinations — including metals, Accoya wood fascias, and custom paint-to-sample options — no other home charger comes close to this level of personalisation. As heatable.co.uk notes, Andersen is the brand you buy "if you want an EV charger that actually looks like it belongs on your house." The hidden cable system is the standout feature: the 5.5m Type 2 cable tucks away entirely inside the unit, with brushes around the housing that clean leaves and dirt off the cable as you wind it in. As carmagazine.co.uk observed, there's even a magnetic lid with an integrated light so you can find the connector easily at night.
Simpson & Partners fights back with its own anodised aluminium construction and a selection of finishes including Accoya wood and distinctive colours. It's a genuinely attractive charger — but the customisation options simply don't match Andersen's 247-strong catalogue. Where Simpson & Partners does win is on weight (5.5 kg vs 7.5 kg) and on flexibility: you can choose tethered or untethered versions, whereas the A3 is tethered only.
Both chargers are IP54 rated and built to withstand typical British weather, so durability shouldn't be a concern with either.
Power and Charging Speed
On a standard UK single-phase supply — which covers the vast majority of homes — both chargers deliver essentially the same performance. The Andersen A3 outputs 7.4kW while the Simpson & Partners Home 7 delivers 7kW. In real-world terms, that's the difference between charging a typical 60kWh Tesla battery in about 8.1 hours versus 8.6 hours. Both will comfortably fill your car overnight.
The more significant difference is that the Simpson & Partners Home 7 supports three-phase power at 22kW, while the Andersen A3 is single-phase only. If you have a three-phase supply — or plan to upgrade — the Simpson & Partners can charge that same 60kWh battery in roughly 2.7 hours. This is genuinely rare at this price point; you'd normally need to step up to the Andersen A2 at £1,199 to get 22kW from the Andersen range, as noted by electrifying.com. For homes with three-phase power, this comparison isn't even close.
Smart Tariff Integration and Solar
Both chargers support scheduled charging and integrate with popular UK smart tariffs. The Andersen A3 works with Octopus Intelligent Go and OVO Charge Anytime, while the Simpson & Partners supports Octopus Go, OVO Anytime, and EDF GoElectric. Neither charger offers the deep, automated tariff optimisation you'd get from an Ohme Home Pro — where the charger automatically finds the cheapest 30-minute slots on Octopus Agile — but both will let you schedule charging to hit off-peak windows. At 7.5p/kWh on Octopus Go versus the current standard variable rate of around 24p/kWh, that's a saving of roughly £700 a year for an average UK driver doing 7,400 miles in a Tesla Model 3.
Solar compatibility is available on both chargers, allowing you to divert surplus energy from your panels into your car. The Andersen A3 offers solar integration through its app, while the Simpson & Partners is listed as solar compatible. Neither is going to match a dedicated solar diversion setup, but both offer a practical way to make use of excess generation rather than exporting it to the grid for a few pence per kWh.
Connectivity on both is Wi-Fi only — neither offers 4G as a backup, which is worth noting if your Wi-Fi signal is weak at the charger location.
Price and Value
| Cost | Andersen A3 | Simpson & Partners Home 7 |
|---|---|---|
| Unit price | £995 | £649 |
| Typical installation | £400–£600 | £400–£600 |
| Total installed | £1,395–£1,595 | £1,049–£1,249 |
| After OZEV grant (if eligible) | £1,045–£1,245 | £699–£899 |
The numbers tell a clear story. Fully installed, the Simpson & Partners Home 7 could cost you nearly £550 less than the Andersen A3 — and that's before you factor in the longer warranty. The Andersen's 7-year warranty is excellent by industry standards, but Simpson & Partners offers 10 years on the enclosure, which is the longest in the UK market. It's worth noting that the Simpson & Partners warranty specifically covers the enclosure rather than all internal electronics, so do check the fine print.
The Andersen A3 is undeniably a premium product, and andersen-ev.com currently runs a Designer Upgrade Event offering up to £100 off premium finishes. But even with that discount, you're paying substantially more than the Simpson & Partners for comparable electrical performance.
Who Should Buy Which?
Buy the Andersen A3 if:
- Your charger is prominently visible on the front of your house and kerb appeal genuinely matters to you
- You want to match your charger to your front door, window frames, or car colour from 247 options
- The hidden cable system appeals — no dangling cables, no mess, no dirty hands
- You value Andersen's established reputation and larger community of UK owners
- You're happy paying a design premium for what is genuinely the best-looking charger on the market
Buy the Simpson & Partners Home 7 if:
- You want premium British build quality without the Andersen price tag
- You have (or plan to install) three-phase power and want 22kW charging capability
- A 10-year enclosure warranty gives you extra peace of mind
- You prefer the flexibility of choosing tethered or untethered configurations
- You'd rather spend the £346 saving on a smart tariff subscription or solar panels
Our recommendation: For most buyers, the Simpson & Partners Home 7 offers the better overall package. It matches the Andersen A3 on build quality, beats it on warranty length and three-phase capability, and saves you a significant £346. The Andersen A3 remains the right choice if design customisation is your top priority and you're willing to pay for it — but the Simpson & Partners proves you don't have to spend nearly a thousand pounds on the unit alone to get a premium, British-made charger on your wall.
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For the full specs-level breakdown, see our Andersen A3 vs Simpson & Partners Home 7 comparison page.
Read our full Andersen A3 review or Simpson & Partners Home 7 review.
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