CTEK Chargestorm Connected 3 vs Enphase IQ EV Charger 2: Ecosystem hardware, different ecosystems

£1,086 and £779 — and both need an ecosystem to justify the spend

These are expensive chargers by UK standards. The CTEK Chargestorm Connected 3 at £1,086 is built for three-phase supply and open-protocol commercial deployments. The Enphase IQ EV Charger 2 at £779 is built for homes already running Enphase solar and battery storage. Rip either one from its intended context and the value proposition collapses — you are left paying a premium for capabilities you cannot use.

• CTEK Chargestorm Connected 3 — three-phase native, 22kW, OCPP 2.0.1, built-in Type B RCD and MID meter. Overkill on single-phase. £1,086.
• Enphase IQ EV Charger 2 — 7.4kW tethered, solar-surplus charging from 1.38kW, AI source selection with Enphase battery. Dear without the ecosystem. £779.

The CTEK on single-phase: paying for hardware you cannot use

The Chargestorm Connected 3 weighs 24 kg and supports up to 22kW across three phases. On a standard UK single-phase supply — which is what the overwhelming majority of homes have — it delivers 7.4kW. The same as the Enphase. The same as the Easee One at £405. The same as the Ohme Home Pro at £535.

What the CTEK does offer on single-phase: a built-in MRCD Type B (saving £100–£150 on the consumer unit), MID-approved metering, IP54/IK10 build quality, and OCPP 2.0.1 with ISO 15118 readiness. These are legitimate features. They are also features that matter more to a small business with a car park than to someone charging a Model 3 on the drive.

If you have three-phase supply — or a firm plan to upgrade — the CTEK competes with the Zaptec Go 2 at £500 and the Wallbox Pulsar Max at £536, both of which also offer 22kW three-phase. The CTEK's built-in Type B RCD and MID meter close the price gap somewhat once you factor in what an installer would otherwise add to the board. But £1,086 is still a lot of charger for a residential wall.

The Enphase without Enphase: an expensive 7.4kW box

The IQ EV Charger 2's party trick is solar-surplus charging that reacts in 1A increments, drawing from as little as 1.38kW of excess PV. Paired with Enphase microinverters and an IQ Battery, it lets the app orchestrate panels, battery and car from one screen — choosing when to pull from solar, when from stored energy, when from grid. That integration is genuinely tight.

Without the rest of the Enphase system, the charger loses its defining feature. It becomes a 7.4kW tethered unit with a 7.5-metre cable, a good build (IP55, IK10, operating down to -40°C), and not much else to show for £779. The Zappi GLO at £750 does solar diversion without locking you into one inverter brand and is OZEV-approved. The Hypervolt Home 3 Pro at £690 adds smart-tariff scheduling and solar CT clamp compatibility. Both cost less. Both are more versatile.

There is also the OZEV question. The Enphase IQ EV Charger 2 is not confirmed on the current OZEV-approved list, so the £500 grant is not guaranteed. The CTEK is approved. For eligible buyers — renters and flat owners — that is a material difference: £1,086 minus £500 is £586 for the CTEK, while the Enphase stays at £779 until its approval status changes.

Neither charger talks to your tariff

A shared weakness. Neither the CTEK nor the Enphase integrates directly with Octopus Intelligent Go, Octopus Agile, or OVO Charge Anytime. The CTEK relies on third-party OCPP back-ends — Monta is the usual recommendation — for scheduling. The Enphase has its own app with basic scheduling but no half-hourly tariff awareness.

For anyone on a time-of-use tariff, this is a notable gap. An Ohme Home Pro at £535 handles Octopus Go and Agile natively. At this price level, the absence stings.

Which to buy

Buy the CTEK Chargestorm Connected 3 if:

• You have three-phase supply and want 22kW charging at home
• You value open-protocol hardware (OCPP 2.0.1, ISO 15118) and plan to manage it via Monta or similar
• You want built-in Type B RCD and MID metering without extras on the consumer unit

Buy the Enphase IQ EV Charger 2 if:

• You already run Enphase microinverters and an IQ Battery and want single-app control over the whole system
• Solar-surplus charging from low thresholds (1.38kW) matters more to you than tariff integration
• You prefer a lighter, tethered unit with a long 7.5-metre cable

For most UK households — single-phase, no Enphase ecosystem, on a smart tariff — neither charger is the right answer. The Ohme Home Pro or the Hypervolt Home 3 Pro will do more for less. If you are one of the few with three-phase supply and a preference for open standards, the CTEK is serious kit. If you are an Enphase household adding an EV, the IQ EV Charger 2 slots in neatly. Outside those two specific contexts, the £307 gap between them matters less than the gap between either of them and the rest of the market.