EO Mini Pro 3 vs Pod Point Solo 3S: Compact Clever vs Hassle-Free

The Pocket Rocket vs the Safe Pair of Hands

These two chargers sit at opposite ends of the home EV charger philosophy spectrum. The EO Mini Pro 3 is the charger for people who like to tinker — packed with connectivity options, solar diversion out of the box, and smart tariff presets that can shave serious money off your electricity bill. The Pod Point Solo 3S, meanwhile, is the charger for people who just want the job done: one price, one phone call, one installation, and a five-year warranty to forget about it.

If you are choosing between these two, you are probably weighing up whether the EO's smarter features and smaller price tag justify sourcing your own installer, or whether Pod Point's all-inclusive package and longer warranty are worth the premium. Both carry identical 4.4-star ratings and both are OZEV approved, so let us dig into the details that actually separate them.

In a nutshell:

• EO Mini Pro 3 (£699): The smallest charger on the market with solar diversion and smart tariff support included as standard — ideal if you want maximum control and a tiny footprint.
• Pod Point Solo 3S (£999 installed): A completely hassle-free package with professional installation included and an industry-leading five-year warranty — perfect if you would rather not think about it.

Spec Comparison

Smart Tariff Integration

This is where the EO Mini Pro 3 pulls decisively ahead. It ships with smart tariff presets for popular UK off-peak deals like Octopus Go (7.5p/kWh between 00:30 and 04:30) and EDF Go Electric, meaning the charger can automatically schedule your sessions to coincide with cheap overnight electricity. For a typical Tesla Model 3 owner covering 7,400 miles a year, that translates to roughly £150–£200 in annual charging costs on a smart tariff — compared to over £500 on a standard variable rate. The EO makes hitting those savings straightforward.

The Pod Point Solo 3S, by contrast, offers scheduled charging through its app but lacks direct smart tariff integration. You can manually set a timer to start at 00:30 and stop at 04:30, but the charger will not dynamically adjust to half-hourly pricing on a tariff like Octopus Agile. If you are on a simple two-rate tariff like Octopus Go this is workable, but it is an extra step you have to manage yourself. For drivers on variable tariffs, the EO's automated approach is genuinely more useful.

It is also worth noting the EO's British Gas/Hive Power+ integration, which credits back 25% of your charging costs if you are in the Hive ecosystem. electrifying.com highlights that Hive has even offered 100% cashback on charging costs for the first year up to 8,000 miles when linked to a British Gas tariff — a genuinely compelling perk if you are already a British Gas customer.

Solar Diversion and Connectivity

The EO Mini Pro 3 comes with CT clamps as standard for solar diversion, meaning it can detect surplus energy from your solar panels and route it straight into your car rather than exporting it to the grid at a fraction of the price. eocharging.com confirms this is included out of the box with no extra hardware required. On cloudy days, the charger supplements with grid energy automatically. It is not quite as sophisticated as the myenergi Zappi's full eco or eco+ modes, but for most solar PV owners it does the job without any additional spend.

The Pod Point Solo 3S is listed as solar compatible, but the data does not indicate whether CT clamps or equivalent hardware are included, and the integration appears less detailed than the EO's offering. If solar diversion is a priority for you, the EO is the safer bet.

On connectivity, the EO is in a different league entirely. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Ethernet are all built in, with an optional 4G SIM for properties with poor broadband — a genuine consideration for rural homes. The Pod Point relies solely on Wi-Fi. If your charger is installed on a detached garage 20 metres from your router, the EO's Ethernet port or 4G fallback could be the difference between a charger that stays online and one that drops off the network regularly. As electriccarguide.co.uk notes, EO's connectivity options across their range are notably comprehensive.

Build Quality and Design

Size is the EO Mini Pro 3's party trick. At just 215mm × 140mm × 100mm and roughly 2.5 kg, it is genuinely about the size of an A5 notepad — the smallest home charger on the UK market. If you have a narrow driveway pillar, a listed building with planning constraints, or simply prefer your charger to be as unobtrusive as possible, nothing else comes close.

The Pod Point Solo 3S is a more conventional unit at 330mm × 290mm × 112mm. It is by no means enormous, but it is more than twice the footprint of the EO and, in its tethered form, weighs 6 kg — nearly two and a half times as much. Both units carry an IP54 weatherproof rating, so outdoor durability is comparable. The Pod Point's design is clean and inoffensive, but it is not going to win any awards for discretion.

Both chargers come with 5-metre tethered cables. The EO also offers an untethered (socketed) version, and eocharging.com notes that the socketed unit is available with 5m, 7.5m, or 10m cables — handy if your parking spot is further from the charger.

Price and Value

On pure installed cost, the Pod Point Solo 3S is the cheaper option — potentially by a significant margin. At £999 all-in, it undercuts the EO's total installed cost by £100 to £300 depending on your installation complexity. Apply the OZEV grant (available to eligible renters and flat owners) and the Pod Point drops to just £649, which is exceptional value for a professionally installed charger with a five-year warranty.

However, as tinyeco.com points out, the real cost of an EV charger includes what you pay for electricity over its lifetime. The EO's smart tariff integration and British Gas cashback could easily save £100–£200 per year compared to a charger without those features. Over three years, that narrows or even reverses the upfront gap. The trade-off with Pod Point is that you must use their assigned installer — you cannot shop around or vet the contractor yourself, which some homeowners find uncomfortable.

Who Should Buy Which?

Buy the EO Mini Pro 3 if:

• You have limited wall space or want the most discreet charger possible
• You are on (or plan to switch to) a smart tariff like Octopus Go or Octopus Agile
• You have solar panels and want CT clamp solar diversion included at no extra cost
• You are a British Gas/Hive customer and want the Power+ cashback benefit
• You want to choose your own OZEV-approved installer

Buy the Pod Point Solo 3S if:

• You want a single price with no installation surprises
• You value a long warranty — five years is the best in this comparison
• You would rather not research or coordinate with independent electricians
• You are OZEV grant eligible and want the lowest possible installed price (potentially £649)
• You prefer a well-known brand backed by one of the UK's largest charging networks

Our recommendation: For most UK EV owners, the EO Mini Pro 3 is the smarter long-term investment. Its smart tariff presets, solar diversion with CT clamps included, and superior connectivity options mean it will likely save you more money over its lifetime — even though it costs more upfront once installation is factored in. But if you simply want the easiest possible buying experience, the Pod Point Solo 3S's all-inclusive pricing and five-year warranty make it genuinely hard to argue with, especially at £649 after the OZEV grant.

Read our full EO Mini Pro 3 review or Pod Point Solo 3S review.

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