myenergi Zappi GLO vs GivEnergy EV Charger: Solar Rivals Compared

The Solar Specialist vs the Battery Champion

If you've got solar panels on your roof — or you're planning to install them — you've almost certainly narrowed your charger shortlist down to these two. The myenergi Zappi GLO and the GivEnergy EV Charger both promise to charge your Tesla using free, home-generated energy rather than expensive grid electricity. But they approach the problem from fundamentally different angles, and the right choice depends entirely on the renewable setup you have at home.

The Zappi GLO is the latest evolution of the UK's original solar-diverting EV charger, refined over seven years and now sporting a sleeker, screen-free design. It excels at diverting live surplus solar energy directly into your car. The GivEnergy EV Charger, meanwhile, is a more affordable unit that really comes alive when paired with a home battery — letting you charge your EV from energy stored earlier in the day, not just from what the panels are producing right now.

Both are OZEV-approved, both use the universal Type 2 connector that works with every UK Tesla, and both are IP65 weatherproof. But the £301 price gap and their differing strengths make this a comparison worth digging into properly.

In a nutshell:

• myenergi Zappi GLO (£779): The gold standard for live solar diversion, with three charging modes and deep ecosystem integration via the myenergi app.
• GivEnergy EV Charger (£478): A budget-friendly charger that uniquely supports battery-to-EV charging, ideal if you already own a home battery system.

Spec Comparison

Solar Diversion: Two Very Different Approaches

This is where these chargers diverge most sharply. The Zappi GLO offers three distinct charging modes that give you granular control over how your solar energy is used. Eco+ mode charges your EV entirely from surplus solar generation — if the panels aren't producing enough, the car simply waits. Eco mode blends solar surplus with a minimum grid draw to keep things moving. Fast mode ignores solar altogether and pulls full power from the grid. This flexibility is genuinely best-in-class, and as electriccarguide.co.uk notes in their review, the Zappi scores a 9.5 out of 10 for ease of use and smart features.

The GivEnergy EV Charger also offers a solar divert mode for direct panel-to-car charging, but its real party trick is battery-to-EV charging. If you have a home battery — whether it's a GivEnergy unit or another brand — the charger can pull stored energy into your Tesla. This is a genuine advantage over the Zappi GLO, because it means solar energy captured at midday can charge your car at midnight. With a typical UK solar array generating most of its energy while you're at work, that stored energy flexibility can be transformative.

That said, myenergi does offer its own battery storage product, the libbi, which integrates with the Zappi GLO through the myenergi ecosystem. But that's a separate (and significant) purchase, whereas the GivEnergy charger works with battery systems you may already own.

Smart Tariff Integration

For the many Tesla owners who don't have solar panels, smart tariff compatibility is arguably more important than solar features. Here, the Zappi GLO has a clear advantage. It's fully compatible with Intelligent Octopus Go, which offers rates as low as ~7p/kWh during off-peak hours — compared to the current average standard rate of around 24p/kWh. As autochain.co.uk highlights, the Zappi is among the top recommended chargers for Octopus Energy tariffs, and myenergi.com confirms seamless integration with all popular low-cost tariffs.

The GivEnergy EV Charger has limited smart tariff integration by comparison. It offers scheduled charging, so you can manually set it to charge during off-peak windows like the 00:30–04:30 slot on Octopus Go. But it lacks the deep, automated integration with Intelligent Octopus that the Zappi GLO provides — the kind where the energy supplier dynamically controls your charging sessions to find the cheapest half-hour slots across the night.

If you're on a smart tariff without solar panels, this difference alone could save you meaningful money over a year. Charging a Tesla Model 3 doing average UK mileage (~7,400 miles at ~3.5 miles/kWh) requires roughly 2,114 kWh annually. At 7p/kWh on Intelligent Octopus Go versus 24p/kWh on a standard tariff, that's a saving of around £359 per year — and the Zappi GLO makes accessing those rates effortless.

App and Connectivity

Neither charger is going to win awards for having the slickest app on the market — that honour still goes to Ohme and Tesla — but the myenergi app is the stronger of the two. It offers real-time energy monitoring, charging schedules, solar generation tracking, and control over the Eco/Eco+/Fast modes. The Zappi GLO has dropped the on-unit LCD screen that the older Zappi 2.1 had, so the app is now your sole interface. Some users miss that screen, but as myenergi.com explains, the screen-free design keeps things simple while retaining all smart features through the app.

The Zappi GLO also connects via both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, giving you a local fallback if your home broadband drops. The GivEnergy charger is Wi-Fi only. The GivEnergy monitoring portal does offer whole-home energy management views, which is excellent if you're already embedded in the GivEnergy ecosystem with their inverter and battery. But as a standalone charger app experience, it's more basic.

One practical note: neither charger has built-in 4G connectivity. If your charger is mounted in a garage or outbuilding with poor Wi-Fi signal, you may need a Wi-Fi extender for reliable smart features on either unit.

Power and Charging Speed

The Zappi GLO is available in both 7kW (single-phase) and 22kW (three-phase) versions, while the GivEnergy charger is 7kW only. For the vast majority of UK homes on single-phase power, this makes no practical difference — you'll be charging at 7kW either way, which adds roughly 30 miles of range per hour and fully charges a 60kWh Tesla battery in about 8.5 hours.

However, if you're one of the small percentage of UK homes with a three-phase supply, or if you're installing at a commercial premises, the Zappi GLO's 22kW option drops that full charge time to around 2.7 hours. The GivEnergy charger simply can't compete here.

Cable length is another practical consideration. The Zappi GLO's 6.5-metre tethered cable gives you an extra 1.5 metres of reach over the GivEnergy's 5-metre cable. That might sound trivial, but if your charge point is mounted on a side wall and your Tesla's charge port is on the far side, those extra metres can be the difference between a comfortable reach and a frustrating stretch.

Price and Value

The £301 price difference is significant — that's nearly 40% more for the Zappi GLO. If you have solar panels and want best-in-class diversion with smart tariff integration, the premium is justified. If you have a home battery and want to charge your Tesla from stored energy, the GivEnergy charger delivers a unique capability at a genuinely competitive price. As evergy.co.uk lists, installed Zappi GLO packages start from around £1,004 ex VAT, confirming the higher total outlay.

Who Should Buy Which?

Buy the myenergi Zappi GLO if:

• You have solar panels and want the best live solar diversion available, with Eco+ mode charging entirely from surplus
• You're on Intelligent Octopus Go or another smart tariff and want seamless automated integration
• You want the option of an untethered version or a 22kW three-phase model
• You're building a myenergi ecosystem with eddi or libbi for whole-home energy management
• You need RFID access for multiple users on a shared driveway

Buy the GivEnergy EV Charger if:

• You already have a home battery system and want to charge your Tesla from stored solar energy
• You're on a tighter budget and want a capable solar-compatible charger for under £500
• You're already in the GivEnergy ecosystem with their inverter and battery
• You want a compact, lightweight unit and don't need three-phase power
• You're comfortable with a more basic app experience and manual scheduling

Our recommendation: For most UK Tesla owners with solar panels, the myenergi Zappi GLO is the better all-round charger. Its superior solar diversion modes, excellent smart tariff integration, and broader ecosystem make it the more future-proof investment — even at £779. However, if you already have a home battery (especially a GivEnergy system), the GivEnergy EV Charger's battery-to-EV charging capability is genuinely unique and saves you £301 upfront. It's a brilliant specialist tool at a very fair price. Without either solar or a battery, frankly, neither charger is the optimal choice — you'd be better served by something like the Ohme Home Pro for pure grid-based smart charging.

For the full specs-level breakdown, see our myenergi Zappi GLO vs GivEnergy EV Charger comparison page.

Read our full myenergi Zappi GLO review or GivEnergy EV Charger review.

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