NexBlue Point 2 vs Andersen Quartz: £165 for a prettier wall

£165 buys you a finish, not a feature set

The NexBlue Point 2 costs £530 and packs V2G-ready hardware, tariff automation across multiple suppliers, lifetime 4G, and an included CT clamp for load balancing and solar diversion. The Andersen Quartz costs £695, comes in eleven finishes with optional Accoya and carbon inserts, carries a seven-year warranty — and does less.

That is the tension. One charger is built for the grid of 2030. The other is built for a front wall you'd rather not spoil with a white plastic box.

• NexBlue Point 2 — £530, OZEV-approved, V2G-ready, broadest tariff support, untethered only. The spec-sheet winner by a distance.
• Andersen Quartz — £695, not confirmed OZEV-approved, seven-year warranty, IP65, tethered or untethered, eleven colour options. The one your architect would pick.

Where the NexBlue earns the price gap back — and then some

The feature gulf is wide for £165. The NexBlue Point 2 supports OCPP 2.0.1 — the current standard for vehicle-to-grid and Plug & Charge — along with ISO 15118 compliance. When V2G tariffs and services arrive in the UK, this unit is ready without a swap. The Andersen Quartz has no stated V2G pathway and no OCPP support.

On tariffs, the NexBlue's EcoPilot integrates with Octopus Agile half-hourly pricing, Intelligent Octopus Go, and other time-of-use tariffs. The Quartz added Intelligent Go support in September 2025 and works with OVO Charge Anytime, but it cannot chase Agile's half-hourly slots. If you are on Agile — or plan to switch — the NexBlue does something the Andersen simply cannot.

Then there is connectivity. The NexBlue includes a built-in 4G eSIM with lifetime-free data, so it stays online even if your home Wi-Fi drops. The Quartz relies on 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi alone. For a charger mounted on an outside wall at the far end of a terraced house, that distinction matters.

The case for the Andersen Quartz

Not everyone buys a charger on a spreadsheet. The Quartz is — by any measure — a better-looking object. Eleven standard finishes, the option of natural wood or carbon inserts, and compact dimensions (286 × 172 × 110 mm) that sit more quietly on a period property than most competitors. If your driveway faces the street and you care what visitors see, the Andersen earns its premium on aesthetics alone. No other charger under £700 offers this range of finishes; the nearest equivalent is the Andersen A3 at £995.

The seven-year warranty is also meaningful. The NexBlue offers five years — good for the price — but two extra years of cover on an outdoor electrical appliance is not trivial. And the Quartz's IP65 rating edges the NexBlue's IP54, making it the better pick for a wall fully exposed to driven rain.

Finally, the Quartz offers a tethered option with cables up to 8.5 m. The NexBlue is untethered only — you supply your own Type 2 cable. For some buyers that is flexibility; for others it is an extra £100–200 on a decent cable and something else to coil and store.

The OZEV question

The NexBlue Point 2 is OZEV-approved. The Andersen Quartz is not confirmed on the current eligible-chargepoint list. For grant-eligible buyers — renters and flat owners — that £500 grant brings the NexBlue's effective cost well below the unit price, covering it outright and chipping into the install. The Quartz, at present, offers no such route. If you qualify for the grant, this alone may close the argument.

Which to buy

Buy the NexBlue Point 2 if:

• You want the broadest tariff support now and V2G readiness for later
• You are OZEV-eligible and want the grant applied without ambiguity
• You prefer to spend £530, not £695, and put the £165 toward install costs or a good Type 2 cable

Buy the Andersen Quartz if:

• Wall aesthetics are a genuine priority — you want a finish that matches your front door, not a white box
• You value a seven-year warranty and IP65 weatherproofing over future-grid features you may never use
• You want a tethered charger with up to 8.5 m of cable, ready to plug in without sourcing extras

For most buyers reading this page, the NexBlue Point 2 is the better charger. It costs £165 less, does more with your tariff, and carries hardware that will still be current when the Quartz's feature set looks dated. The honest caveat is that NexBlue is a young brand — limited long-term reliability data, a smaller installer network. If that uncertainty bothers you and smart tariff support matters, the Ohme Home Pro at £535 is the proven alternative at almost the same price. But if you are comfortable backing a newcomer with a five-year warranty and a spec sheet that embarrasses chargers costing far more, the NexBlue is the one to fit.