№ 40 · Cheap, with a five-year warranty · 2026 review
Project EV
APEX
Review verdict
Project EV APEX decision summary
- Unit only
- £322
- VAT included
- Installed estimate
- £722–£922
- derived market estimate
- Warranty
- 5 years
- Grant position
- Approved unit
- Customer and property eligibility is separate
What stands out
Main limitation
The installed range is an estimate. The source date above is separate from the editorial review date.
The budget charger with the long warranty. Project EV is the UK arm of ATESS, a Shenzhen manufacturer, and for four years its "Pro Earth" wallbox — the EVA-07S-SE, a 240 × 380 × 145 mm slab with the PEN protection its name refers to — was the cheap OZEV-approved unit that installers fitted when the customer said "just a charger". That unit is discontinued; wholesalers list it as clearance or gone. Its replacement is the APEX, which keeps the price (£322 for the socket version, the cheapest charger on this site bar the Techtron EV7 and Vorsprung Alpha Max), keeps the five-year warranty, keeps the built-in earthing and the CT clamp, and loses 100 mm of depth and most of the weight. If you searched for the Pro Earth, this is what you'll be sold.
The caveat is the software. The original Project EV app was rated 1.6 out of 5 and owners said the timer could not be trusted; the chargers were then handed to Electric Miles for three years; the APEX now uses Project EV's own app again. Support, by contrast, is unusually well rated — 4.8 on Trustpilot from more than 2,000 reviews, with technicians named — which tells you where the company's effort goes.
Best for: A plain 7 kW socket on a budget, with a long warranty and no need for supplier-led smart charging.
Installation
Fitting the Project EV APEX.
320 × 190 × 144 mm and 2.4 kg, IP65 with an IP54 socket, IK08. PEN fault protection and 6 mA DC detection are inside, so no earth rod; the 30 mA Type A RCD is not, so budget an RCBO at the consumer unit. The CT clamp ships with the APEX-7S for load balancing and solar mode — Project EV's own datasheets have gone back and forth on which models include it, so check the box contents on the quote. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are standard; Ethernet appeared on later stock; the -4G variant adds a modem. A standard fit sits in the £400–£600 band, and because the unit is cheap the installed total is among the lowest here. Full walkthrough in our installation guide.
Specification
- Max Power Output
- 7.3kW single-phase (32A); APEX-22S three-phase 22kW
- Cable Length
- Untethered, or 5 m tethered (APEX-7S-T)
- Connector
- Type 2 socket with cable lock, or tethered Type 2
- Connectivity
- Wi-Fi 2.4GHz, Bluetooth, RFID; Ethernet on later stock; 4G on -4G models
- Dimensions
- 320mm × 190mm × 144mm
- Weight
- 2.4 kg
- IP Rating
- IP65 (socket IP54), IK08
- Protection
- PEN fault protection and 6mA DC detection built in; 30mA Type A RCD required upstream
- Metering
- Internal; MID Class B claimed on one datasheet and absent from the next — treat as not MID
- Certification
- OZEV/EVCG approved (APEX-7S, -7S-T, -4G variants), Smart Charge Point Regulations
Tariff compatibility
What it costs to run.
Schedule-based only. The app sets charging windows for Octopus Go, EDF GoElectric and the other fixed-window tariffs, and Agile is possible with a price-threshold rule. Project EV is on none of the charger-led lists — not Intelligent Octopus Go, not OVO Charge Anytime, not E.ON Next Drive Smart — and never has been. A Tesla or another car on Octopus's vehicle list schedules through the car and the APEX is just the socket. For anything else on a smart tariff, the Ohme ePod at £949 installed does the job properly. More in our smart-tariff chargers guide.
Best pairing
EDF GoElectric
- Off-peak rate
- 6.66p
- Saving / year
- £562
Estimated at 10,000 miles a year against the 26.32p/kWh standard rate.
Compare every tariffPrice
What you actually pay.
The unit is currently £322. £400–£600 is the working installation range, putting a typical installed total at £722–£922. APEX-7S socket at Electric Point (£322.49); Lamplec £355. Replaces the discontinued Pro Earth EVA-07S-SE, which sells on clearance at £330–390.
Five-year total
£1,773
Charger, installation, and five years of electricity on EDF GoElectric, at 10,000 miles a year.
Less £500 if you qualify for the OZEV grant.
Against the field
How it compares.
Against the Rolec EVO, the other cheap five-year-warranty socket: the Rolec costs £34 more, is UK-made, and has the RCD built in; the APEX has the CT clamp and a longer warranty in the box. Against the Techtron EV7 at £289: cheaper still, but a three-year warranty. Against the Pod Point Solo 3S at £999 installed: Pod Point's package is simpler to buy and has a brand people have heard of; the APEX fitted by a local electrician should come in £722–£922 and carries two more years of cover. Against the Ohme ePod at £949 installed: the Ohme is the one to buy if a smart tariff matters. The APEX is for people who have decided it doesn't.
Cross-shopped with
What we loved
- Plus£322 for an OZEV-approved 7.3 kW socket — among the cheapest units on this site
- PlusFive-year warranty, two more than most chargers at this price
- PlusPEN fault protection and CT clamp included; no earth rod, solar mode and load balancing without extras
- PlusSupport is rated 4.8 on Trustpilot from 2,000+ reviews, with technicians named — rare at any price
- PlusSocket or 5 m tethered, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, RFID and OCPP 1.6J
- PlusReplaces the discontinued Pro Earth at the same price in a smaller, lighter body
What we didn't
- MinusNo Intelligent Octopus Go, OVO or E.ON integration — never has been
- MinusApp history is poor (1.6-star original, then Electric Miles, now a third app); onboarding complaints persist in 2026
- MinusType A RCD not built in, so an RCBO at the consumer unit is part of the install
- MinusIK08 and an IP54 socket where rivals offer IK10 and IP65 throughout
- MinusDatasheets contradict each other on the CT clamp and MID meter — confirm with the installer
- MinusWarranty claims reportedly involve weeks of remote troubleshooting before a visit
After the evidence
Ask installers to price this exact charger.
The installation brief carries Project EV APEX as your preference, together with the property and parking details needed for a useful response.
Related reading
Keep going →
Complete Guide to Home EV Charger Installation
Everything about installation — costs, timeline, and finding an installer.
How Much Does It Cost to Charge a Tesla at Home?
Detailed cost breakdown with off-peak tariffs and annual savings.
OZEV EV Charger Grant UK 2026
Who's eligible for the £500 government grant and how to claim.
Solar Panels and EV Charging UK Guide
Can you charge your Tesla for free with solar panels?
Best EV Charger for Solar Panels UK 2026
Ranked comparison of all solar-compatible chargers.
We'll sort the installation — up to three installers selected for postcode coverage, free and no obligation.