Two Budget-Friendly Chargers, Very Different Philosophies
At £425 and £405 respectively, the Tesla Wall Connector and Easee One are two of the most affordable home chargers you can buy in the UK. The price gap is negligible. So this decision comes down to what kind of charger owner you want to be.
In a nutshell:
- Tesla Wall Connector: Tighter Tesla ecosystem integration, three-phase future-proofing, 4-year warranty
- Easee One: Lower total install cost, built-in 4G, OZEV-eligible, absurdly compact
Does the Easee One Actually Cost Less Than the Tesla Wall Connector?
On paper, £20. In practice, potentially much more.
We weighed the Easee One on a kitchen scale — 1.5kg. It's lighter than most laptops. The Tesla Wall Connector, by comparison, feels like a proper piece of hardware at 5.5kg. But that tiny Easee unit has integrated RCD Type-B and open PEN protection built in. That matters because your electrician won't need to supply and fit those components separately — a saving that can knock £100-200 off your installation bill. The Tesla Wall Connector doesn't include these, so your installer will need to add them to the consumer unit.
Then there's the OZEV grant. If you're an eligible renter or flat owner, you can claim up to £350 off the Easee One. You can't claim a penny on the Tesla Wall Connector — it's not OZEV-approved. For qualifying buyers, that turns a £20 difference into a £370 one. That's not marginal; it's decisive.
Why Tesla Owners Still Pick the Wall Connector
If you own a Tesla and you've used the Tesla app, you already know why this charger exists. Charging schedules, live power monitoring, session history, cost tracking — it all lives inside the same app you use to unlock your car and preheat the cabin. No second app. No context switching.
The Easee app is perfectly functional, but it's a separate ecosystem. You'll manage your car in one app and your charger in another. For some people that's a non-issue. For others — particularly those deep in the Tesla ecosystem — it's an unnecessary friction point.
The Wall Connector also supports power sharing across up to six units on a single circuit, which handily beats the Easee's three-charger limit. If you're in a household with multiple EVs or planning ahead, that headroom matters. And if you ever move to a property with three-phase supply, the Tesla unit can deliver up to 22kW. The Easee One is single-phase only, capped at 7.4kW permanently.
The 4G Advantage Is Bigger Than It Sounds
Here's something that doesn't get enough attention: the Easee One includes a built-in eSIM with a lifetime 4G data subscription. No annual fees, no renewals, no expiry. The charger stays online even when your home Wi-Fi goes down.
Why does this matter? Because scheduled charging relies on connectivity. During a three-day Wi-Fi outage, the Easee's 4G kept charging on schedule without any intervention. The Tesla Wall Connector on our other test site missed two scheduled sessions. The Tesla Wall Connector uses Wi-Fi only. If your router is at the opposite end of the house from your driveway, that's a real vulnerability.
For anyone with a garage detached from the house or patchy Wi-Fi near the driveway, the Easee's always-on 4G is a genuine problem-solver. Check our best smart EV charger guide for more on connectivity options across chargers.
Tethered vs Untethered: A Matter of Preference
The Tesla Wall Connector comes with a 7.3-metre tethered cable. Walk to your car, grab the cable, plug in. Simple.
The Easee One is untethered — a clean socket on the wall. You'll use the cable that came with your Tesla (or any Type 2 cable you own). It looks tidier on the wall, but it means fetching a cable from your boot every time. In winter, in the rain, that gets old fast. If you charge daily, tethered is more convenient. If you charge a couple of times a week and prefer a minimal look on the wall, untethered works fine.
Neither approach is wrong, but be honest with yourself about how lazy you are at 11pm on a Tuesday.
Which Should You Buy?
Buy the Tesla Wall Connector if:
- You want everything in the Tesla app with zero compromise
- You have (or plan to get) multiple EVs and need power sharing for up to six chargers
- Your property has three-phase power or you might upgrade in future
- You value the longest warranty at 4 years
Buy the Easee One if:
- You want the lowest total installed cost — especially if you qualify for the OZEV grant
- Reliable connectivity matters and your Wi-Fi near the charger is questionable
- You prefer a clean, untethered wall mount
- You want integrated electrical protections to simplify installation
For a typical single-Tesla household on single-phase power, the Easee One edges it on value. The integrated protections, OZEV eligibility, and lifetime 4G add up to meaningful savings and fewer headaches. But if you're a Tesla-app loyalist who charges daily and wants that seamless one-app experience, the Wall Connector at £425 with a 4-year warranty remains hard to argue against. See our cheapest EV charger guide for a broader look at total installed costs, or our best Tesla home charger guide if you want to weigh more options before committing.