myenergi Zappi GLO vs Sync Energy Wall Charger 2: solar or saving?

Two chargers, two different briefs

One costs £750 and is built around your solar panels. The other costs £362 and is built around your wallet. The myenergi Zappi GLO and the Sync Energy Wall Charger 2 aren't competitors — they're answers to different questions. The £388 gap tells you most of what you need to know before you read another word.

The shortest version:

• myenergi Zappi GLO — the solar charger. Eco+ mode runs the car on surplus generation alone. Overkill, and overpriced, without panels.
• Sync Energy Wall Charger 2 — the budget tethered pick. 7.5-metre cable, PEN fault protection built in, app a little rougher around the edges.

When the Zappi GLO earns its £750

Solar panels on the roof. That's the condition. The Zappi GLO's three diversion modes — Fast, Eco, Eco+ — let you choose how strictly the car is fed from surplus generation. Eco+ waits until the panels are producing enough to cover the charge and tops up only from what would otherwise go to the grid at a paltry export rate. For a household with 4kW+ on the roof and a car that sits on the drive during the day, this is free miles. Over a summer, it's a lot of free miles.

The ecosystem matters too. If you already own a myenergi eddi for hot water or a libbi battery, the GLO talks to them. Surplus solar gets prioritised and allocated sensibly rather than fought over. None of that is theoretical value if you've already bought into myenergi; all of it is money wasted if you haven't.

Without solar, the picture collapses. Tariff integration is manual rather than API-driven, so on Octopus Agile or Intelligent Go the Ohme Home Pro will do a tidier job for £215 less. The on-unit screen from the old Zappi 2.1 is gone too — everything runs through the app. If the phrase "I want a solar-first charger" isn't on your lips, this isn't your charger. Solar-specific buyers might also want to read the Ohme vs Zappi GLO comparison, which sets out the trade-off more directly.

What £362 actually buys you

Quite a lot, in fact. The Sync Energy Wall Charger 2 is the cheapest smart tethered charger in our selection, and its 7.5-metre cable is the longest on any charger we list — longer than the Tesla Wall Connector's 7.3 metres, and at less than a third of the price of the Andersen A3. Built-in PEN fault protection usually removes the need for a separate earth rod, which can shave £80–£150 off the install quote. It's IP65 and IK10 rated. It's backed by Luceco PLC, which is a listed UK electricals business rather than a start-up gambling with your warranty.

The compromises are honest ones. Wi-Fi reliability in user reviews has been uneven, so if the charger will sit at the far end of a detached garage, pay the premium for the 4G variant. The app changed platforms (from Monta to Sync's own) and the transition confused some early buyers — worth knowing before you set it up. Tariff integration is schedule-based rather than API-driven, which is fine on fixed-window tariffs like Octopus Go or E.ON Next Drive but will leave money on the table on Octopus Agile.

If grant eligibility matters — renters and flat owners — both chargers are OZEV-approved, and the £500 knocks £362 down to effectively zero unit cost on the Sync (the grant covers the unit outright and chips into the install too). That's a striking proposition for anyone who qualifies.

The verdict

Buy the myenergi Zappi GLO if:

• You have solar panels, or will install them within the year
• You already own — or plan to own — other myenergi kit (eddi, libbi)
• You need the 22kW three-phase option and have the supply to use it

Buy the Sync Energy Wall Charger 2 if:

• You want a capable smart charger for as little money as possible
• You need a long tethered cable — awkward parking, detached garage, narrow driveway
• You're on a fixed-window tariff like Octopus Go or E.ON Next Drive where API-level automation buys you nothing

If the panels are up, the Zappi GLO is the right answer and the £388 is well spent. If they aren't, this match-up ends quickly: the Sync Energy Wall Charger 2 does what most households actually need, and the difference sits in your bank account. For buyers who want smarter tariff handling without going solar-first, the Ohme Home Pro splits the difference at £535.