Solo 3S

Pod Point is one of the most established names in UK EV charging — you've seen their units at Tesco and Lidl car parks. The Solo 3S is their latest home charger, and it's sold only as an installed package: £999 buys the unit and a standard fit. No unit-only price. No choice of electrician. Pod Point arranges the survey, assigns a contractor from their network, and delivers a wall-mounted charger at a fixed price with nothing to negotiate.

That's the argument and the counter-argument. Argument: one call, one price, one appointment, charger on the wall. Counter-argument: the person who turns up is whoever Pod Point's network sends that week; you can't read their reviews or swap to someone else. If you'd rather vet the electrician yourself, a Tesla Wall Connector or Ohme Home Pro and a local installer will cost less and give you control. If you'd rather delegate the whole thing, the Pod Point delivers exactly that.

Best for: Buyers who want a hassle-free, installed-and-done package from a brand with a long UK track record — and who aren't fussy about who does the fitting.

Installation

Handled entirely by Pod Point. After you order, they arrange a remote or on-site survey, then schedule the install with one of their contractors. £999 covers the charger and a "standard" fit — typically up to around 15 metres of cable run and no major consumer-unit work. Anything unusual (a longer run, a consumer unit that needs replacing) costs extra and is quoted separately. The tethered version is 6 kg with a 5-metre cable; the untethered version, 3.5 kg. IP54 — fine for sheltered outdoor positions. The convenience is genuine: no juggling quotes from multiple electricians, no coordination between supplier and fitter, no chasing. The trade-off is that you can't pick the installer and won't know who's coming until the week of. Broader overview in our install guide.

Tariff compatibility

Basic scheduled charging through the Pod Point app. Works for fixed-window tariffs like Octopus Go: set the 00:30–04:30 window and the charger draws only during it. No direct supplier API, so no automatic chase of Octopus Agile half-hours or dynamically expanded Intelligent Go slots — the Ohme Home Pro is the charger for that. Adaptive load management is useful (it throttles the car to protect your main fuse) but it isn't tariff optimisation. On a two-rate tariff, the Pod Point is perfectly competent; on anything more sophisticated, you're underusing the capability. Full pattern in our EV tariff guide.

Price

Uniquely, Pod Point don't sell the unit separately, so comparisons against other chargers take arithmetic. Assume a typical £400–£600 install cost, and the implied unit cost is £399–£599 — competitive with the Easee One (£405) at the low end and with the Indra Smart PRO (£599) at the high. The convenience premium is real but not extortionate. Eligible for the £500 OZEV grant for renters and flat owners, which takes the total to £649.

Against the field

Vs Tesla Wall Connector: the Tesla is a better charger — longer cable, better app, Tesla-native scheduling — but you source your own installer. The Pod Point removes that decision. The honest question: is picking your own electrician a burden or a benefit? If a burden, Pod Point. If a benefit, every other charger in this round-up.