Andersen A3 vs Enphase IQ EV Charger 2: Design pride or solar logic?

A £216 gap between two niche chargers

Neither of these is the sensible default. The Andersen A3 at £995 is the most expensive single-phase home charger on the UK market, justified almost entirely by how it looks. The Enphase IQ EV Charger 2 at £779 is a solar-ecosystem component that happens to charge a car — excellent inside its own walled garden, expensive outside it. The £216 between them buys different things for different people, and most buyers would be better served by neither.

• Andersen A3 — 247 finishes, hidden cable, seven-year warranty, anodised aluminium. The charger for a front-of-house wall.
• Enphase IQ EV Charger 2 — solar-surplus charging from 1.38 kW, single-app control with Enphase microinverters and IQ Battery. The charger for an existing Enphase home.

Who the Andersen A3 is actually for

The Andersen exists because most chargers are plastic boxes bolted to brickwork. If your charging point sits on the front elevation — visible from the pavement, from the neighbours, from the estate agent's camera — the A3 is the only unit that earns its position. Anodised aluminium front, 247 colour-and-finish combinations, a cable that retracts into the body so nothing dangles. No other charger on the market does this.

The price is £995 before installation. That is more than twice the Tesla Wall Connector at £478, which delivers the same 7.4 kW to the same car. The Andersen's seven-year warranty — the longest in the UK — goes some way to closing that gap over time, but the software is competent rather than exceptional. It supports scheduled charging and works with Intelligent Octopus Go and OVO Charge Anytime, but it lacks the half-hourly tariff-chasing of the Ohme Home Pro. The 5.5-metre hidden cable is also short; the charger needs to be mounted close to where the car parks, with no option to extend.

For buyers who want the Andersen's build quality but not its price, the Andersen Quartz at £695 is worth a look — though it is not OZEV-approved.

Who the Enphase charger is actually for

The Enphase IQ EV Charger 2 is a strong piece of hardware. IP55, IK10, MID-certified metering accurate to ±1%, OCPP 2.0.1, a 7.5-metre cable, and solar-surplus charging that adjusts in 1A increments every thirty seconds from as little as 1.38 kW of excess generation. On paper, it is one of the most technically capable chargers available.

The catch is context. All of that solar intelligence requires an Enphase IQ Gateway on site to function properly. Without Enphase microinverters — and ideally an IQ Battery — the charger loses its reason for existing and becomes a £779 box with no smart-tariff integration. It cannot talk to Octopus Agile or Octopus Go. Its OZEV approval is unconfirmed, meaning the £500 grant may not apply. And its typical install cost of £900–£1,300 pushes the all-in price toward £1,700 or beyond — a figure that demands a clear payoff.

If you have Enphase solar and want one app for panels, battery, and car, the payoff is real. If you have solar panels from any other manufacturer, the myenergi Zappi GLO at £750 does surplus diversion without locking you into a single ecosystem, and it is OZEV-approved. Our solar charger guide covers this in detail.

The £216 is beside the point

These two chargers do not compete for the same buyer. The Andersen is about what sits on your wall. The Enphase is about what sits on your roof. Comparing them on price alone misses the point — the question is whether your particular situation makes either one worth the premium over the field.

For most people, it does not. The Hypervolt Home 3 Pro at £690 is a better all-rounder than both. The Ohme Home Pro at £535 is smarter on tariffs than both. Either of those leaves hundreds of pounds on the table.

The verdict

Buy the Andersen A3 if:

• The charger will be visible from the street and you care about kerb appeal
• You want the UK's longest warranty at seven years
• You accept that you are paying for materials and finish, not software

Buy the Enphase IQ EV Charger 2 if:

• You already own Enphase microinverters and ideally an IQ Battery
• Single-app control over solar, storage, and EV charging matters to you
• You do not rely on a half-hourly tariff for overnight charging savings

For a reader who fits neither profile — no Enphase system, no front-of-house vanity project — the honest answer is to look elsewhere. The Ohme Home Pro at £535 or the Hypervolt Home 3 Pro at £690 will charge the car just as fast, save more on tariffs, and leave money in the budget for something other than the wall.