Indra Smart LUX vs Rolec EVO

£190 separates two British-built chargers — and most of it buys a cable

Both the Indra Smart LUX and the Rolec EVO are manufactured in England, both deliver 7.4 kW on single-phase, and both pack built-in PEN fault detection, RCD, and surge protection into the unit — saving your installer time and you money. The real gap is simpler than the spec sheets suggest: the Indra is tethered with a 6-metre Type 2 cable and costs £546. The Rolec is untethered with a Type 2 socket and costs £356. The £190 difference buys you a permanently attached cable and a chassis 34 mm thinner.

• Indra Smart LUX — £546, tethered, 78 mm deep, IP67, three-year warranty. The thinnest smart charger on the UK market.
• Rolec EVO — £356, untethered, 112 mm deep, IP54 + IK10, five-year warranty. The strongest value proposition from a British manufacturer.

What the Indra's £190 premium actually gets you

Strip away the shared ground — solar PV diversion, dynamic load balancing, OCPP 1.6, RFID, app scheduling — and three things remain on the Indra's side of the ledger.

First, the tethered cable. If you want to walk up, plug in, and walk away without fetching a cable from the boot, the Smart LUX does that and the EVO does not. For households with a single EV and a charger near the parking spot, this is a genuine convenience. For households sharing a cable between two cars or charging at different locations, untethered can be the better arrangement — you already own the cable.

Second, the profile. At 78 mm deep, the Smart LUX sits almost flush against a wall. The Rolec, at 112 mm, is still compact by any standard, but the Indra is noticeably slimmer. On a narrow side return or a garage wall where every centimetre matters, that difference is real. Elsewhere, it is aesthetic.

Third, IP67 versus IP54. The Indra is rated submersible; the Rolec is rated against splashing water. Both carry IK10 impact resistance. For a sheltered wall under a carport, IP54 is more than adequate. For an exposed coastal or north-facing wall with no overhang, IP67 offers measurable extra peace of mind. Most installations fall somewhere in between, and IP54 has protected commercial chargers on pub car parks for years.

The Rolec's quiet advantages

The EVO costs £190 less and comes with a five-year warranty — two years longer than the Indra's standard three. Extending the Indra to five years costs another £100, which widens the effective gap to £290.

Connectivity is another quiet win. The Rolec ships with Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, and an Ethernet port. The Indra ships with Wi-Fi; adding 4G costs roughly £250 extra. If your charger sits within range of your home router — and most do — this is irrelevant. But if your Wi-Fi drops at the far end of the drive, the Rolec's Ethernet port is a cheaper fix than the Indra's 4G module.

On install costs, the Rolec's built-in Type A RCD and surge protection mirror the Indra's approach: both chargers save your electrician from fitting external devices, trimming £100–£250 off a typical job. The Rolec's quoted install range of £400–£600 is slightly higher than the Indra's £300–£500, but total outlay — unit plus install — still favours the EVO by a comfortable margin.

Solar buyers: both work, neither leads the field

Both chargers include a CT clamp and offer solar surplus diversion. The Rolec's Eco and Eco+ modes handle this; the Indra routes surplus via its app. Neither matches the granularity of the myenergi Zappi GLO or the ecosystem integration of the GivEnergy EV Charger. If solar is the primary reason you are buying, those comparisons — Zappi GLO vs Rolec EVO or Zappi GLO vs Indra Smart LUX — will serve you better. For households where solar is a bonus rather than the driving requirement, either charger here handles it capably enough.

Grant-eligible buyers get an obvious answer

Both chargers are OZEV-approved. For eligible renters and flat owners, the £500 grant covers the Rolec EVO's £356 unit price outright and chips into the install. The Indra Smart LUX at £546 is nearly covered too — just £46 beyond the grant. Either way, the grant narrows the effective gap, but the Rolec remains cheaper in every scenario.

Which to buy

Buy the Indra Smart LUX if:

• You want a tethered cable and the convenience of not handling a loose lead
• Your wall space is tight and 78 mm depth matters
• The charger sits fully exposed to weather with no shelter, and IP67 gives you confidence

Buy the Rolec EVO if:

• You want the lowest total cost from a UK manufacturer with a five-year warranty
• You prefer untethered — sharing a cable between vehicles or keeping it in the boot
• You value Ethernet connectivity and do not want to pay £250 for 4G

For most buyers, the Rolec EVO is the right charger. It costs £190 less, warranties two years longer, installs with the same labour savings, and matches the Indra on every smart feature that matters day to day. The Indra Smart LUX earns its premium only when the tethered cable or the ultra-slim profile is non-negotiable — and for those buyers, nothing else on the market is as thin. Everyone else should keep the £190.