Andersen A3 vs NexBlue Point 2

The charger you see versus the charger that sees the future

These two have almost nothing in common beyond their 7.4kW output and IP54 rating. The Andersen A3 at £900 is an object — anodised aluminium, 247 colour-and-finish combinations, a cable that retracts inside the body so nothing dangles from your wall. The NexBlue Point 2 at £534 is a proposition — V2G-ready hardware, OCPP 2.0.1, lifetime 4G, and tariff automation packed into a 2.1 kg socket unit that most visitors won't notice at all.

The £366 gap between them is not a feature gap. It is a question about what you value.

• Andersen A3 — the charger as architecture. Hidden cable, seven-year warranty, built to look right on a period-property wall for a decade.
• NexBlue Point 2 — the charger as infrastructure. V2G-ready, OCPP 2.0.1, 4G eSIM, CT clamp included. Designed to stay useful as the grid changes around it.

What the Andersen's £366 buys — and what it doesn't

It buys materials. The A3's front panel is anodised aluminium, not moulded plastic. It comes in finishes that range from charcoal to oak veneer to bespoke colour-matched options. The hidden cable system — unique among UK home chargers — means no coiled black rubber hanging off the wall between sessions. For a Georgian terrace or a visible driveway, this matters more than any spec sheet can capture.

It also buys the longest warranty on the UK market: seven years, two more than the NexBlue's five.

What it does not buy is software sophistication. The A3's app handles scheduling, and it works with Intelligent Octopus Go and OVO Charge Anytime — competent, not exceptional. It connects over Wi-Fi only, so if your router is at the far end of the house, you may need an extender. There is no 4G fallback, no OCPP support, no V2G pathway. The 5.5-metre hidden cable is shorter than most tethered rivals, meaning the unit must sit close to where you park.

For £900, the electrical job is the same 7.4kW as a charger costing a third of the price. The premium is entirely physical.

The NexBlue's bet on what comes next

The Point 2's feature list reads like a charger from 2028 priced in 2026. ISO 15118 and OCPP 2.0.1 mean it is ready for vehicle-to-grid energy trading — not as a software update promise, but as hardware already in the box. The included CT clamp handles dynamic load balancing and solar surplus diversion without extra accessories (though the optional NexBlue Zen accessory extends solar functionality further). A built-in 4G eSIM with lifetime-free connectivity means the charger stays online even if your Wi-Fi drops.

EcoPilot, NexBlue's tariff integration, supports Octopus Agile, Intelligent Go, and other variable tariffs — chasing the cheapest half-hour slots automatically. On Agile, where rates shift every 30 minutes, that automation pays for itself over months rather than years.

The honest caveat is provenance. NexBlue is a newer entrant to UK homes, with a smaller installer network and less long-term reliability data than established names. The five-year warranty provides a backstop, but if brand maturity matters to you, the Ohme Home Pro at £539 offers comparable tariff smarts from a more established stable — though without the V2G hardware. For a closer look at that pairing, the Ohme Home Pro vs NexBlue Point 2 comparison spells out the trade-offs.

Tethered versus untethered — a practical note

The A3 is tethered: a Type 2 cable lives inside the unit, ready to pull out and plug in. The NexBlue is untethered: a Type 2 socket, requiring you to carry and store your own cable. For many drivers this is a minor inconvenience — most EVs ship with a cable. But if you want one-handed, grab-and-charge simplicity on a dark January evening, the A3 delivers it and the NexBlue does not. There is no tethered NexBlue option.

Which to buy

Buy the Andersen A3 if:

• Your charger is visible from the street or front of the house, and appearance matters to you
• You want a tethered cable that disappears when not in use
• A seven-year warranty and aluminium build quality justify paying £900

Buy the NexBlue Point 2 if:

• You want V2G-ready hardware now, without paying again when the grid catches up
• You are on Octopus Agile or another variable tariff and want automated half-hourly optimisation
• Your charger sits in a garage, side wall, or anywhere aesthetics are secondary to capability

For most buyers — the ones whose charger lives around the side of the house, or in a garage, or anywhere visitors won't linger — the NexBlue Point 2 at £534 is the better purchase. It does more, costs less, and is built for a grid that hasn't arrived yet. The Andersen A3 is for the smaller number of people whose wall is the point. If that's you, nothing else in the catalogue comes close.