Indra Smart PRO vs Sync Energy Wall Charger 2

£5 apart, different savings

The Indra Smart PRO costs £395. The Sync Energy Wall Charger 2 costs £400. A £5 gap — the price of a mediocre sandwich. The unit prices are almost identical, so the decision rests entirely on what each charger brings to the install and to daily life on the wall.

• Indra Smart PRO — £395, 6-metre cable, surge protection device and CT clamp included. The charger that quietly shrinks your electrician's invoice.
• Sync Energy Wall Charger 2 — £400, 7.5-metre cable, built-in PEN fault protection, IP65 + IK10 build. The charger that reaches further and shrugs off weather.

Both are 7.4 kW single-phase, both OZEV-approved, both carry three-year warranties. The interesting differences are hiding in the install and in the details.

The Indra's hidden discount

The Indra Smart PRO ships with a surge protection device in the box. That matters more than it sounds. Current regulations mean your installer needs an SPD somewhere in the circuit — and if it is not in the charger box, it goes on the bill. Typical cost: £100–£150 in parts and labour. The Indra also includes a CT clamp for solar diversion, saving another £50–£100 that other chargers charge as an accessory. Add those up and the effective cost of the Indra, relative to a charger that ships without either, drops to somewhere around £150–£250.

That is a significant number. If your installer confirms they would otherwise need to supply an SPD and a CT clamp separately, the Indra is one of the cheapest smart chargers you can put on a UK wall — cheaper in practice than the EVEC VEC03 at £349 or the Rolec EVO at £356, once install extras are counted.

The trade-off: a 6-metre cable, an app that is functional but basic, and a smaller installer network than the bigger names.

The Sync Energy's longer reach

The Sync Energy Wall Charger 2 has a 7.5-metre tethered cable — the longest of any home charger on the UK market. Longer than the Tesla Wall Connector at 7.3 m, and 1.5 metres more than the Indra's 6 m. If your charge port sits on the far side of the car, or if the consumer unit forces a less-than-ideal mounting position, that extra cable length solves problems that no amount of software can.

Build quality leans commercial. IP65 plus IK10 impact resistance means it handles rain, dust, and the occasional bump from a wheelie bin. Built-in PEN fault protection often removes the need for a separate earth rod — another line item your installer may not need to add.

The Sync Energy also offers OCPP 1.6J support, which means it can talk to third-party energy management platforms. For most domestic buyers that is academic, but it is a useful insurance policy if you later add a home battery or want to switch management software.

The weak spots are known: Wi-Fi connectivity has drawn mixed reports from owners, and the app platform has changed once already — from Monta to Sync Energy's own. If the charger sits far from your router, the 4G variant is worth specifying. And tariff automation, via TariffSense, handles fixed-window tariffs like Octopus Go or Intelligent Go competently, but cannot follow Octopus Agile's half-hourly prices. For that, the Ohme Home Pro at £539 remains the upgrade — a comparison explored further on the Ohme vs Sync Energy page.

Grant-eligible buyers pay almost nothing for the unit

Both chargers are OZEV-approved and priced below £500. For eligible renters and flat owners, the £500 grant covers the unit price outright and chips into the install. At £395 and £400 respectively, neither charger leaves much for the buyer to find — the grant does the heavy lifting on the hardware, and installation is the main remaining cost.

The verdict

Buy the Indra Smart PRO if:

• Your installer would otherwise charge separately for an SPD — the included device saves £100–£150 on the install bill
• You have solar panels and want the CT clamp included at no extra cost
• A 6-metre cable comfortably reaches your charge port

Buy the Sync Energy Wall Charger 2 if:

• You need the longest possible cable — 7.5 metres solves awkward parking and mounting positions
• Your install site is exposed to weather or accidental knocks — IP65 + IK10 is a step above the Indra's IP54
• Built-in PEN fault protection matters for your earthing arrangement

For most driveways, the Sync Energy Wall Charger 2 is the one to fit. The cable length advantage is permanent and practical — it cannot be replicated later without re-running wiring. The Indra's SPD saving is genuine and substantial, but it is a one-time install discount rather than a daily-use benefit. If both cables reach your charge port comfortably, let your installer's quote settle it: whichever charger removes the most extras from their bill is the one that costs least on the wall.