Sync Energy Wall Charger 2 vs Rolec EVO

£44 and a cable — the real gap between these two

Both the Sync Energy Wall Charger 2 and the Rolec EVO sit at the budget end of the UK smart charger market. Both deliver 7.4 kW single-phase. Both include solar diversion, dynamic load balancing, and built-in PEN/PME fault protection. Both are OZEV-approved. The Sync costs £400; the Rolec, £356 — a £44 gap.

Strip away the spec sheets and one question decides this: do you want a tethered cable, or not?

• Sync Energy Wall Charger 2 — £400. Tethered with a 7.5-metre cable. Three-year warranty. Nine fascia colours if you care about kerb appeal.
• Rolec EVO — £356. Untethered only. Five-year warranty. Built-in Type A RCD and surge protection that trim your install bill further.

The Rolec EVO's install advantage is real

On paper the Rolec is £44 cheaper. In practice the gap widens. The EVO packs a Type A RCD and surge protection inside the unit. Most other chargers — the Sync included — need these fitted separately in or near the consumer unit. That typically adds £100–£250 to install labour and parts.

Factor that in and the Rolec's total fitted cost can land £150–£300 below the Sync's, depending on your electrician and board. For a charger already priced at £356, that is a substantial difference. The five-year warranty (versus the Sync's three) reinforces the value argument. Rolec has been building commercial charging hardware in Boston, Lincolnshire for over a decade — this is not a white-label newcomer.

When the Sync Energy earns its £44

The Sync's case rests on its tethered cable. At 7.5 metres it is the longest of any charger in our catalogue — longer even than the Tesla Wall Connector at 7.3 metres. If your parking spot is awkward, or you simply prefer grabbing a permanently attached cable rather than fetching one from the boot, the Sync is one of the cheapest ways to get it.

The Rolec has no tethered option at all. You supply your own Type 2 cable, which means an extra £50–£120 upfront and a loose cable to store somewhere. For some drivers that is a non-issue. For others — especially households where multiple people charge — it is a daily irritation.

The Sync also offers interchangeable fascia plates in nine colours, if aesthetics matter to you. The Rolec is a compact 260 mm square box. Handsome enough, but you get one finish.

Software and tariff smarts

Neither charger is an Ohme Home Pro. Both handle schedule-based charging — set a window, charge during off-peak hours on Octopus Go or EDF GoElectric — and both support Octopus Intelligent Go integration. Neither can chase Octopus Agile's half-hourly price slots autonomously. If Agile optimisation matters to you, the Ohme Home Pro at £539 is the upgrade from either.

The Sync's app migrated away from Monta to its own platform, which caused early confusion. User reports of patchy Wi-Fi persist — Sync sells a 4G variant for sites with weak signal, which is worth specifying. The Rolec's app is newer and still maturing through OTA updates, but its Wi-Fi 6 and Ethernet connectivity is a cut above the Sync's Wi-Fi and Ethernet stack on paper. Neither app is as polished as Tesla's or Ohme's. At this price, that is the trade-off.

Both chargers offer solar diversion — the Sync via SolarCharge, the Rolec via Eco and Eco+ modes — with CT clamps included. Performance is broadly comparable. Buyers with more complex solar-and-battery setups might look at the GivEnergy EV Charger or the myenergi Zappi GLO instead.

The verdict

Buy the Sync Energy Wall Charger 2 if:

• You want a tethered cable — and its 7.5-metre reach suits a tricky parking layout
• Fascia colour options matter to your household
• You prefer the convenience of a permanently attached cable over a socket

Buy the Rolec EVO if:

• You want the lowest total fitted cost — unit price plus install savings from built-in RCD and surge protection
• A five-year warranty matters more than a three-year one
• You are comfortable supplying your own Type 2 cable

For most buyers, the Rolec EVO is the better deal. It is £44 cheaper before you count the install savings, and those savings are not trivial — they can halve the effective cost gap between this bracket and chargers at £500-plus. The longer warranty backs it up. The Sync earns its place only when a tethered cable is non-negotiable. If that is you, it remains one of the cheapest smart chargers with a cable attached. Everyone else: the Rolec.