Rolec EVO vs Andersen Quartz

£356 against £672 — and both do the same electrical job

The Rolec EVO and Andersen Quartz sit at opposite ends of the home-charger pricing spectrum while sharing a surprising amount of engineering common ground. Both include a CT clamp for solar diversion. Both have built-in PEN fault detection, removing the need for a separate earth rod or PEN device on most installs. Both deliver roughly 7 kW to a single-phase home.

The difference is £316. That is not a small sum — it is more than the Rolec EVO itself costs. The question is whether the Quartz's finishes, longer warranty, and tethered cable option justify it.

• Rolec EVO — £356, untethered, OZEV-approved, five-year warranty, built-in RCD and surge protection, Eco+ solar modes. The value play.
• Andersen Quartz — £672, tethered or untethered, seven-year warranty, eleven colour finishes, Intelligent Octopus Go integration. The design play.

What the Rolec EVO's install savings do to the real gap

On paper, £316 separates these two. In practice, the gap widens further.

The Rolec EVO ships with built-in Type A RCD, 6 mA DC protection, and surge protection. Most installers can skip the separate consumer-unit components that other chargers require — a saving that typically runs £100–£250 depending on the board. The Andersen Quartz also includes PEN fault detection, which helps, but it does not bundle the same breadth of internal protection. Andersen's own installation network tends to price above independent NICEIC fitters, too — the Quartz's install estimate runs £435–£800 versus £400–£600 for the Rolec.

Add those install savings to the unit price and the effective gap between the two can reach £400–£500. That is Ohme Home Pro money. It is enough to buy a second charger entirely — a VCHRGD Seven Pro or an EVEC VEC03 — and still have change.

Where the Quartz earns some of its premium

Two things the Andersen Quartz offers that the Rolec cannot: a tethered cable option (up to 8.5 metres) and genuine design range. Eleven standard finishes, optional Accoya wood and carbon-fibre inserts, and a compact 286 × 172 mm footprint that sits neatly on a period property. If your home's front elevation faces the street and you care what sits on it, the Quartz is one of a very small number of chargers that look considered rather than industrial. The Andersen A3 does this better still — with its hidden cable drum — but at £900.

The seven-year warranty is also meaningful. The Rolec's five years is solid; the Quartz's seven matches the Simpson & Partners Home 7 as the joint longest in the catalogue. For a product bolted to an outside wall in British weather, two extra years of cover has real value — though whether it has £316 of value is another matter.

The Quartz also supports Intelligent Octopus Go and OVO Charge Anytime integration, meaning it can accept half-hourly slot assignments from those suppliers. The Rolec EVO's app handles scheduling, so it works fine on fixed-window tariffs like Octopus Go or EDF GoElectric, but it lacks the direct API tie-in for Intelligent Go's dynamic slots. If you are on Intelligent Go and want the charger to respond to Octopus's server, the Quartz has a functional edge here — though so does the Ohme Home Pro, at £539, and the Wallbox Pulsar Max at £513.

The OZEV question

This matters more than it might seem. The Rolec EVO is OZEV-approved. The Andersen Quartz is not confirmed on the current eligible-chargepoint list. For renters and flat owners — the only groups still eligible for the £500 grant — the Rolec's grant status means the £500 covers the £356 unit outright and chips into the install. The Quartz, without confirmed approval, offers no such route. That turns a £316 gap into something closer to £816 in effective cost for grant-eligible buyers. The decision, at that point, is over.

The verdict

Buy the Rolec EVO if:

• You want the lowest total cost of ownership — unit, install, and protection hardware included
• You are grant-eligible and want the £500 OZEV contribution to cover the unit and part of the install
• You have solar panels and want Eco+ surplus-only charging without paying a premium for it

Buy the Andersen Quartz if:

• Kerb appeal matters and you want a charger that matches your front door
• You need a tethered cable — the Rolec is untethered only
• You are on Intelligent Octopus Go and want native API integration with a seven-year warranty

For most buyers, the Rolec EVO is the more rational purchase. It does the same electrical job, includes more protection in the box, costs £316 less before install savings widen the gap further, and qualifies for the OZEV grant. The Andersen Quartz is a charger for people who have decided they want an Andersen — and at £672, it is the more affordable way to get one. But if aesthetics are not the primary driver, the Rolec is the charger to put on the wall.