myenergi Zappi GLO vs Sync Energy Wall Charger 2

The £199 question — and whether your roof answers it

The myenergi Zappi GLO costs £599. The Sync Energy Wall Charger 2 costs £400. That £199 gap is unusually clean to unpick, because the two chargers serve different masters. The Zappi GLO is a solar-diversion device that happens to charge cars. The Sync Energy is a budget smart charger that happens to offer some solar awareness. The right choice depends almost entirely on what sits on your roof.

• myenergi Zappi GLO — £599. Three solar-diversion modes, myenergi ecosystem integration, 6.5 m cable. The charger for homes generating their own power.
• Sync Energy Wall Charger 2 — £400. 7.5 m cable, built-in PEN fault protection, schedule-based tariff support. The charger for homes buying from the grid.

When solar panels change the arithmetic

The Zappi GLO's Eco+ mode is the reason it exists. It charges the car only from surplus solar — nothing drawn from the grid. Eco mode blends solar with grid power to maintain a minimum charge rate. Fast mode ignores solar entirely. This three-tier system, paired with the wider myenergi ecosystem — eddi for hot water, libbi for battery storage — gives households with panels genuine control over where every kilowatt-hour goes.

The Sync Energy does list SolarCharge, and it includes a CT clamp in the box. That is not nothing. For a home with a modest 3–4 kW array and relaxed charging habits, it may be enough. But it lacks the Zappi's granular modes and cannot integrate with a broader energy-management ecosystem the way myenergi's hardware can. If you have invested in panels and want to squeeze self-consumption as high as it will go, the Zappi GLO is the more capable tool — and £199 is a modest premium against the cost of a typical solar installation. For a deeper look at the options, our best EV charger for solar guide covers the full field.

Without panels, the Sync Energy is the sharper buy

Strip solar out of the picture and the Zappi GLO's premium becomes hard to defend. Both chargers offer schedule-based tariff support. Neither can chase Octopus Agile's half-hourly prices the way the Ohme Home Pro can. On a fixed off-peak tariff like Octopus Go — 8.5p/kWh between 00:30 and 05:30 — a simple timer does the job, and both chargers have one.

The Sync Energy, though, brings practical details that matter day to day. Its 7.5 m cable is a full metre longer than the Zappi GLO's 6.5 m — the longest of any charger on the site, and enough to reach awkward parking spots without repositioning the car. It has built-in PEN fault protection, which typically removes the need for a separate earth rod and can trim £100 or more from the install bill. Its IP65 + IK10 rating adds impact resistance on top of weatherproofing. And it offers Ethernet alongside Wi-Fi and Bluetooth — a useful fallback given that user reviews have flagged mixed Wi-Fi reliability on the Sync Energy's standard model.

That Wi-Fi caveat is worth weighing. If the charger sits far from the router or behind a thick external wall, specifying the 4G variant is the safer route. The Zappi GLO is Wi-Fi only too — no 4G option — so neither charger is immune to connectivity grumbles.

Both chargers are OZEV-approved. For eligible renters and flat owners, the £500 grant covers the Sync Energy's £400 unit price outright and contributes to install costs. On the Zappi GLO, the grant reduces the hardware spend to £99 — still meaningful, but the total outlay remains higher.

The Zappi GLO in the wider field

At £599, the Zappi GLO competes not just with the Sync Energy but with chargers like the Ohme Home Pro at £539 and the GivEnergy EV Charger at £444. The Ohme is the stronger choice for tariff optimisation — particularly on Intelligent Go, where it negotiates extra off-peak slots the Zappi does not receive. The GivEnergy suits homes already in GivEnergy's battery ecosystem. The Zappi's advantage is singular and specific: myenergi's solar diversion is the most mature on the market, and the ecosystem around it — eddi, libbi, the myenergi app — is purpose-built for energy self-sufficiency. If that is the project, nothing else at this price does it as well.

Which to buy

Buy the myenergi Zappi GLO if:

• You have solar panels and want to maximise self-consumption with Eco+ mode
• You are already in, or planning to build, a myenergi ecosystem (eddi, libbi)
• You need the 22 kW three-phase option for a compatible property

Buy the Sync Energy Wall Charger 2 if:

• You do not have solar panels and want a capable smart charger for as little as possible
• You need the longest cable available — 7.5 m reaches where others cannot
• You want built-in PEN fault protection to simplify and cheapen the install

For a home without solar, the Sync Energy Wall Charger 2 at £400 is the more rational purchase. It does what most households need — scheduled off-peak charging, a long cable, solid build — and leaves £199 in the account. The Zappi GLO earns its keep on rooftops. Everywhere else, it is paying for a talent it cannot use.