Simpson & Partners Home 7 vs Enphase IQ EV Charger 2

£401 and an ecosystem between them

These two chargers are not competing for the same buyer. The Simpson & Partners Home 7 costs £649, is OZEV-approved, and works as a capable standalone smart charger for any EV. The Enphase IQ EV Charger 2 costs £1,050 and exists, candidly, as a peripheral for an Enphase solar-and-battery system. Without that system behind it, it is an expensive 7.4 kW box with a long cable.

• Simpson & Partners Home 7 — UK-made, anodised aluminium, 10-year enclosure warranty, smart tariff scheduling, tethered or untethered. £649.
• Enphase IQ EV Charger 2 — 7.5-metre cable, 1A-increment solar chase, MID-certified metering, single-app control of panels, battery and car. £1,050 — but only coherent inside an Enphase ecosystem.

The Enphase's case — and its narrow window

The Enphase does things other chargers cannot. It tracks solar surplus from as little as 1.38 kW, adjusting current in 1A steps roughly every 30 seconds. Pair it with Enphase IQ microinverters and an IQ Battery, and its AI-led source selection decides whether your car drinks from the roof, the battery, or the grid — all visible in a single app. The 7.5-metre tethered cable is among the longest on the market, and the built-in MID-certified meter gives you ±1% accuracy without a separate CT clamp.

The problem is price and context. At £1,050, the charger alone costs more than many rivals installed. Typical installation runs £900–£1,300 on top, pushing total outlay past £2,000. OZEV approval is not confirmed, so the £500 grant cannot be relied upon. And the charger has no direct integration with Octopus Intelligent Go, Octopus Agile, or any other half-hourly UK tariff. If you do not already own Enphase solar hardware, there is no rational reason to start here.

The Simpson & Partners Home 7 as the simpler, cheaper answer

At £649, the Simpson & Partners Home 7 costs £401 less. It is OZEV-approved — eligible renters and flat owners can claim the £500 grant, which covers the unit outright and chips into the install. The 10-year enclosure warranty is the longest on the UK market, though the electronics beneath are covered for three years only. The anodised aluminium body comes in finishes including Accoya wood and Cotswolds Green — a nod towards the Andersen A3 market, at £251 less than the Andersen's £900 price.

Smart tariff support is competent. The charger works with Intelligent Octopus Go for direct scheduling, and runs on a timer for Octopus Go and EDF GoElectric. The app is functional rather than polished — nobody would confuse it with the Ohme Home Pro's half-hourly tariff optimisation — but for fixed off-peak windows, a timer does the job.

The caveats are real. Simpson & Partners has a smaller installer network than the household names, so you should confirm a local fitter is comfortable with the unit before ordering. And the 5-metre tethered cable is 2.5 metres shorter than the Enphase's, which matters if your parking spot is a stretch from the consumer unit. If cable reach is the deciding factor, the Enphase wins that one measure outright.

Solar buyers without Enphase kit

If you have solar panels but not an Enphase system, neither of these is the obvious pick. The Simpson & Partners lists solar compatibility, but it lacks the granular diversion logic of a dedicated solar charger. The Enphase is built for solar diversion — but only its own brand's solar. For a non-Enphase PV setup, the myenergi Zappi GLO at £599 handles solar surplus natively, costs £451 less than the Enphase, and is OZEV-approved. That comparison is covered in more detail on the Zappi GLO vs Enphase page.

The verdict

Buy the Simpson & Partners Home 7 if:

• You want a well-built, UK-made charger at a fair price with the market's longest enclosure warranty
• You charge on a fixed off-peak tariff and need reliable scheduled charging
• You are eligible for the OZEV grant and want it to cover the unit price entirely

Buy the Enphase IQ EV Charger 2 if:

• You already own Enphase microinverters and an IQ Battery and want single-app control
• Granular solar-surplus charging from 1.38 kW matters to your daily driving pattern
• You need a 7.5-metre cable and value MID-certified metering built in

For the large majority of UK buyers — including those with solar panels from any other manufacturer — the Simpson & Partners Home 7 is the more sensible purchase. It does the core job, costs £401 less, and carries OZEV approval the Enphase currently lacks. The Enphase is a fine piece of hardware, but it is a fine piece of hardware designed for a specific ecosystem. If you are not already in that ecosystem, you are paying a premium for integration you cannot use.