Solar Diversion or Budget Champion? Picking Between the Zappi GLO and Easee One
These two chargers could hardly be more different in philosophy. The myenergi Zappi GLO is a £599 energy management tool built around solar panels. The Easee One is a £405 minimalist box that does the basics brilliantly and costs less than almost anything else on the market. The £194 gap between them is entirely about whether you need solar diversion — or not.
In a nutshell:
- myenergi Zappi GLO: The UK's best solar EV charger, with three diversion modes and deep ecosystem integration
- Easee One: The lightest, cheapest smart charger available, with built-in lifetime 4G and no-fuss installation
Does the Zappi GLO's Solar Diversion Justify the Extra £194?
If you have solar panels on your roof, yes — emphatically. The Zappi GLO's Eco+ mode charges your car entirely from surplus solar generation, meaning you can add miles for free on sunny days. Its standard Eco mode blends solar and grid power to keep charging speed up when generation dips. No other charger on the market handles this as well.
Beyond the charger itself, myenergi's wider ecosystem adds real long-term value. Pair the Zappi GLO with an eddi hot water diverter or libbi battery and you've got a complete home energy management system that prioritises where your solar surplus goes. For households already invested in renewables, that integration is hard to replicate with any other brand.
But here's the blunt truth: if you don't have solar panels and aren't planning to install them, you're paying £194 extra for features you'll never use. The Zappi GLO doesn't offer anything special for grid-only charging that cheaper chargers can't match.
Is the Easee One's Built-in 4G a Real Advantage?
It's more useful than it sounds. The Easee One comes with a built-in eSIM and a lifetime 4G subscription at no extra cost. That means your charger stays connected even if your home Wi-Fi drops, your router is far from the driveway, or you simply can't be bothered running a Wi-Fi extender to your garage.
The Zappi GLO relies entirely on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. For most people that's fine, but anyone who's wrestled with a flaky Wi-Fi signal reaching an external wall knows the frustration. The Easee's always-on 4G removes that variable completely — and there's no ongoing subscription to worry about.
At 1.5 kg, the Easee One is also absurdly light. That's not just a curiosity; it means simpler mounting, less stress on the wall, and a potentially quicker installation. Its integrated RCD Type-B and open PEN protection can also trim the extras your electrician needs to supply, which sometimes shaves cost off the install.
Smart Tariff Charging: Neither Is Best-in-Class
Neither charger is the strongest option if your primary goal is squeezing every penny from a smart energy tariff. The Zappi GLO is compatible with Intelligent Octopus Go, which is solid, but the Easee One only supports manual scheduled charging — you set the times yourself. Neither offers the kind of automatic, rate-chasing optimisation you'd get from an Ohme Home Pro.
That said, the Zappi GLO's Intelligent Octopus Go compatibility does give it a meaningful edge over the Easee One for tariff users. If you're on that specific tariff, the Zappi can automatically access the extended off-peak window. Check our EV tariff comparison for a breakdown of which chargers work with which tariffs.
Tethered vs Untethered: A Practical Difference
The Zappi GLO comes tethered with a 6.5-metre Type 2 cable — you pull it off the wall and plug straight in. The Easee One is untethered, meaning you'll use your own cable each time. Every Tesla ships with a Type 2 cable, so this isn't a dealbreaker, but it does mean an extra step every charge session: fetching the cable from the boot, connecting both ends, and stowing it again afterwards.
If your charger is on an outside wall and you charge daily, the convenience of a tethered cable adds up. If tidiness matters more — or multiple EVs with different cable lengths use the charger — the Easee's clean socket-only design has its appeal.
Which Should You Buy?
Buy the myenergi Zappi GLO if:
- You have solar panels or plan to install them soon
- You want to build a whole-home energy system with myenergi's ecosystem
- You value a tethered cable for daily convenience
- You're on Intelligent Octopus Go and want native integration
Buy the Easee One if:
- You don't have solar panels and want the best value smart charger
- Reliable connectivity matters and your Wi-Fi doesn't reach your driveway
- You want the simplest, lightest possible installation
- You might add a second or third charger later (dynamic load balancing across up to three units)
For the majority of Tesla owners without solar panels, the Easee One at £405 is the smarter buy. It does everything a single-car household needs, the lifetime 4G is a genuine differentiator, and you'll pocket nearly £200 in savings. But if you've got panels on your roof, the Zappi GLO pays for itself over time with free solar miles — and nothing else in this price range comes close to matching it. Our best Tesla home charger guide covers more options if neither feels quite right.