Indra Smart PRO vs Pod Point Solo 3S: Smart Savings or Hassle-Free Install?

The DIY Saver vs the All-In-One Package

These two chargers represent fundamentally different philosophies about how to sell a home EV charger. The Indra Smart PRO gives you a feature-packed unit at a competitive price and lets you choose your own installer. The Pod Point Solo 3S bundles everything into one tidy package — charger, installation, and a longer warranty — but takes the decision-making (and flexibility) out of your hands.

If you're the kind of person who researches everything, gets three quotes, and wants to optimise every penny, you'll gravitate towards the Indra. If you'd rather just click "buy" and have someone turn up to sort it all out, Pod Point's proposition is genuinely appealing. But as we'll see, the real question is whether that convenience is worth an extra few hundred quid.

In a nutshell:

• Indra Smart PRO (£599): A British-made smart charger with included surge protection and smart tariff integration, keeping your total installed cost impressively low.
• Pod Point Solo 3S (£999): A hassle-free all-in-one package with installation included and a market-leading 5-year warranty, backed by one of the UK's biggest charging brands.

Spec Comparison

Smart Tariff Integration: A Genuine Differentiator

This is where the Indra Smart PRO pulls meaningfully ahead. It offers smart tariff integration with major UK energy providers, meaning you can set it to automatically charge during the cheapest off-peak windows. If you're on Octopus Intelligent Go at roughly 7p/kWh or Octopus Go with its 7.5p off-peak slot between 00:30 and 04:30, the Indra can schedule charging to exploit those rates without you lifting a finger. As topcharger.co.uk notes in their review, the tariff mode lets you input your tariff details so your car starts charging automatically when the cheap rate kicks in.

The Pod Point Solo 3S, by contrast, offers scheduled charging through its app but lacks dedicated smart tariff integration. You can manually set a timer to coincide with off-peak hours, but there's no automatic tariff-aware optimisation. For a driver covering the UK average of 7,400 miles per year in a Tesla Model 3 (roughly 2,114 kWh annually at 3.5 miles per kWh), the difference between charging at 7p/kWh on a smart tariff versus a standard rate of around 24p/kWh could save you approximately £360 a year. Both chargers can technically charge at off-peak times, but the Indra makes it significantly easier to get it right consistently.

Solar Compatibility

Both chargers support solar PV systems, but the Indra Smart PRO comes with a CT clamp included as standard — that's the sensor that clips around your meter tails to measure how much surplus solar energy your panels are generating. This means the Indra can divert excess solar power directly to your car without any additional hardware purchases. electriccarguide.co.uk highlights the solar power matching as one of the charger's standout smart features.

The Pod Point Solo 3S is listed as solar compatible, but the data doesn't indicate whether additional hardware is required. If you've already got solar panels on your roof — or you're planning an installation — the Indra's included CT clamp is a genuine cost saver and removes a layer of complexity from the setup process. For households generating decent solar output during summer months, free sunshine miles are one of the most satisfying perks of EV ownership, and the Indra makes accessing them straightforward.

App and Connectivity

Neither charger is going to win awards for having the most sophisticated app on the market — both are described as functional but basic compared to leaders like Ohme. However, they take different approaches to connectivity. The Indra Smart PRO offers both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, while the Pod Point Solo 3S relies on Wi-Fi alone. It's worth noting that earlier versions of the Indra Smart PRO required Ethernet or a USB dongle for connectivity, but the current model — as listed on indra.co.uk — supports Wi-Fi as standard.

The Indra app provides smart scheduling, solar mode control, tariff integration, and RFID lock management. The Pod Point app covers scheduled charging and basic monitoring. Both do the job, but the Indra offers more depth for users who want to fine-tune their charging behaviour. The Indra also includes an RFID lock for physical security — handy if your charger is on a front driveway where anyone could plug in.

Installation Considerations

Here's where the comparison gets genuinely interesting from a cost perspective. The Indra Smart PRO includes a surge protection device (SPD) as standard — a component that UK regulations now require for EV charger installations. If your consumer unit doesn't already have one, your electrician would typically charge £100–150 to supply and fit it. With the Indra, that cost is already baked in.

The Pod Point Solo 3S takes a completely different approach: its £999 price includes professional installation. You book through Pod Point, they assign a contractor from their network, and someone turns up to do the work. The upside is simplicity — no sourcing quotes, no vetting electricians. The downside is that you have no say in who installs it, and you can't shop around for a better installation price. If your home requires only a standard installation (short cable run, no consumer unit upgrades), you might find the bundled price competitive. But if you've already got a trusted local electrician who'd do it for £400, you're effectively paying a premium for Pod Point's convenience.

Price and Value

On paper, the Pod Point looks like a clear winner on total installed cost — £999 all-in versus a potential £999–1,199 for the Indra. But there are important caveats. First, the Indra's included SPD effectively shaves £100–150 off the installation bill, bringing the realistic total closer to £849–1,049. Second, if you're eligible for the OZEV grant (available to qualifying renters and flat owners), both chargers drop by up to £350, making the Indra potentially as low as £649 fully installed.

The Pod Point's 5-year warranty versus the Indra's 3 years is a genuine advantage — two extra years of cover provides meaningful peace of mind, especially given that EV chargers live outdoors in British weather. However, the Indra delivers more features per pound: smart tariff integration, included CT clamp for solar, RFID security, and Bluetooth connectivity. You're getting a more capable charger for less money, even if you have to organise installation yourself.

Who Should Buy Which?

Buy the Indra Smart PRO if:

• You're on a smart energy tariff like Octopus Go or Intelligent Go and want automatic off-peak charging
• You have solar panels (or plan to install them) and want the CT clamp included at no extra cost
• You prefer to choose your own installer and potentially save on installation costs
• You want a British-made charger with RFID security and dynamic load balancing
• The included SPD matters to your installation — it genuinely saves money

Buy the Pod Point Solo 3S if:

• You want a completely hassle-free experience with installation sorted for you
• A 5-year warranty matters more to you than smart tariff features
• You don't have a smart energy tariff and don't plan to get one
• You'd rather not deal with sourcing and vetting your own electrician
• You value the reassurance of a major, well-established UK brand

Our recommendation: For most Tesla owners reading this site, the Indra Smart PRO is the smarter buy. The smart tariff integration alone could save you hundreds of pounds a year on charging costs — savings that dwarf the price difference between these two chargers. The included SPD and CT clamp sweeten the deal further. The Pod Point Solo 3S is a perfectly decent charger with a genuinely appealing all-in-one proposition, but paying more for fewer smart features is a tough sell when the Indra exists. The only scenario where we'd steer you towards Pod Point is if you truly want zero hassle and don't care about optimising your energy costs — and frankly, if you're reading detailed comparison articles, that probably isn't you.

Read our full Indra Smart PRO review or Pod Point Solo 3S review.

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