Indra Smart PRO vs Rolec EVO: which British-built charger wins?

Two British-built chargers, £150 apart

Both are made in England. Both are 7.4kW, single-phase, OZEV-approved, with a CT clamp in the box for solar. The Indra Smart PRO costs £599 with a tethered 6-metre cable. The Rolec EVO costs £449 untethered, and throws in a longer warranty and more built-in electrical protection.

The shortest version:

• Indra Smart PRO — £599, tethered, surge protection included, 3-year warranty. The cable is the reason to buy it.
• Rolec EVO — £449, untethered, PME fault detection and RCD built in, 5-year warranty. The value pick, if you don't mind supplying your own cable.

Where the £150 actually goes

On paper the Indra's premium buys two things: the tethered 6-metre cable, and a surge protection device that typically adds £100–£150 to an install. If your electrician was going to fit an SPD anyway, the Indra's effective cost drops close to the Rolec's. If they weren't, you're paying for the cable.

The Rolec EVO answers this differently. It ships with built-in PME fault detection — which skips a separate PEN device or earth rod and saves £100–£250 on install — plus a Type A RCD and surge protection, all on-unit. The install savings aren't theoretical; they come off the electrician's quote directly. That's how a £449 charger ends up cheaper than an Easee One once the wall is live.

One honest caveat on the Rolec: no tethered option exists, full stop. If you want a cable permanently hanging from the wall, this comparison ends here — pay the £150 and buy the Indra.

Software, warranty, and the boring stuff that matters later

The Indra Smart PRO integrates with Octopus Intelligent Go, Octopus Go, OVO Charge Anytime, and EDF GoElectric. The app is functional rather than polished — if tariff automation is the single most important thing, the Ohme Home Pro is the cleaner pick at £535.

The Rolec's app is younger and still being refined through OTA updates, which is a fair warning. But the hardware underneath is serious: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, and Ethernet (a rarity at this price), OCPP 1.6J for third-party platform compatibility, IP54 plus IK10 for impact resistance, and — crucially — a five-year warranty from a manufacturer that has been building commercial EV chargers since before most home brands existed. The Indra's 3-year warranty is standard; Rolec's five is not.

Neither charger has 4G cellular fallback, so if your garage Wi-Fi is flaky, look at the Cord Zero instead. Neither has an on-unit display. Both do dynamic load balancing properly.

Solar: closer than the spec sheets suggest

Both include a CT clamp. The Indra has a straightforward Solar mode. The Rolec offers Eco and Eco+ surplus-only modes — Eco+ being the stricter "charge only from genuine solar surplus" setting that solar purists want. For most households the difference is academic. For serious solar buyers with larger arrays, the myenergi Zappi GLO or the Ohme vs Zappi GLO comparison is the more relevant read.

Which to buy

Buy the Indra Smart PRO if:

• You want a tethered 6-metre cable and aren't willing to supply your own
• Your electrician would otherwise charge £100–£150 for a separate SPD
• You're on a smart tariff Indra supports and want it British-built

Buy the Rolec EVO if:

• Untethered is fine (or preferred for a tidier wall)
• A 5-year warranty matters more than app polish
• You want the lowest all-in installed cost from a British manufacturer

If we were putting one on a wall today, the Rolec EVO goes up. £150 cheaper, two more years of warranty, and enough built-in electrical protection to knock a meaningful chunk off the install quote. The Indra is the right choice for a specific buyer — the one who needs a tethered cable — but on pound-for-pound value, the Rolec wins cleanly. If tariff automation is the priority and neither fits, the Ohme Home Pro is the charger to look at next.