Two Chargers Built for Different Energy Setups
This comparison comes down to a single question: where does your cheap electricity come from? If it comes from a smart tariff, the Ohme Home Pro is purpose-built to exploit it. If it comes from a battery on your wall, the GivEnergy EV Charger is one of the few chargers that can actually use it.
They're both tethered, both single-phase, both IP65 rated, and both carry a 3-year warranty. The similarities end there. These are specialist tools aimed at different households.
In a nutshell:
- Ohme Home Pro (£535): The smart tariff champion. Automates off-peak charging across Octopus, OVO, and others. Best for anyone without a home battery.
- GivEnergy EV Charger (£478): The battery ecosystem charger. Charges your Tesla from stored solar or off-peak energy. Best if you already own a home battery.
Is the Ohme Home Pro Worth £57 More Without a Battery?
Absolutely. Strip away the battery-to-EV trick and the GivEnergy charger is a fairly basic 7kW unit with Wi-Fi connectivity and a limited app. The Ohme, by contrast, gives you direct smart tariff integration that automatically finds the cheapest half-hour slots to charge — no manual scheduling, no fiddling.
Pair the Ohme with Octopus Intelligent Go and you're looking at around 7p/kWh. That's roughly £2.50 to add 100 miles to a Model 3. The Ohme also includes 4G connectivity with a 3-year SIM, so it works even if your Wi-Fi doesn't reach the garage. The GivEnergy relies on Wi-Fi alone.
The colour display on the Ohme is a small thing, but a nice one — you can see charging status at a glance without pulling out your phone. The GivEnergy has no on-unit display.
For the average Tesla owner on a smart tariff, the Ohme pays back that £57 difference within the first month or two of automated off-peak charging. It's not even close.
Does the GivEnergy Charger Make Sense Without a Home Battery?
Not really. The battery-to-EV feature is the entire reason to pick this charger. Without it, you're buying a 7kW charger with basic scheduling, RFID security, and an app that reviewers consistently describe as functional but underwhelming compared to competitors.
At £478, it's cheaper than the Ohme — but if you don't have a battery, you'd be better served by looking at our cheapest EV charger guide or stepping up to the Ohme for proper smart features. The GivEnergy occupies an awkward middle ground for battery-free homes: not cheap enough to be a pure budget pick, not smart enough to compete with the Ohme or Hypervolt.
Battery-to-EV Charging: The GivEnergy's Unique Trick
Here's where the GivEnergy earns its place. If you have a home battery — GivEnergy's own or any compatible system — this charger can draw stored energy to charge your Tesla. That means solar energy captured at midday can charge your car at midnight. Or cheap off-peak electricity stored in your battery at 2am can top up your Tesla at 7am before you leave for work.
The Ohme has solar diverting, which is useful if you're home during the day and your panels are generating. But it can't tap into stored energy. For households with a full solar-plus-battery setup, the GivEnergy charger integrates into the monitoring portal and gives you genuine whole-home energy management. Your battery, your panels, your EV — all visible and controllable in one place.
If you've already invested thousands in a home battery system, spending £478 on a charger that actually uses it is a straightforward decision. Check our best EV charger for solar guide for more options in this space.
Which Should You Buy?
Buy the Ohme Home Pro if:
- You're on a smart energy tariff or plan to switch to one
- You want automated off-peak charging without manual schedules
- Your Wi-Fi is patchy near your parking spot (built-in 4G)
- You want detailed per-session cost tracking
Buy the GivEnergy EV Charger if:
- You have a home battery system (GivEnergy or otherwise)
- You want to charge your Tesla from stored solar energy
- You're already in the GivEnergy ecosystem and want unified monitoring
- You prioritise the lowest upfront cost and don't need smart tariff features
For the majority of Tesla owners reading this — those without a home battery — the Ohme Home Pro is the clear pick. It's smarter, better connected, and its tariff integration will save you far more than the £57 price difference. The GivEnergy charger is a brilliant niche product, but that niche requires a home battery to make any sense. If you've got one, it's excellent. If you haven't, look elsewhere.