Zaptec Go 2 vs Andersen Quartz: Future-proofing or finish?

£195 for a prettier box — or a smarter one

The Zaptec Go 2 costs £500 and bets on the future: V2G-readiness, a MID-approved energy meter, and subscription-free 4G. The Andersen Quartz costs £695 and bets on the present — specifically, on the idea that a charger should look like it belongs on your wall rather than bolted to it as an afterthought. Eleven finishes, optional Accoya wood inserts, a seven-year warranty.

• Zaptec Go 2 — £500. Untethered, V2G-certified, MID meter, free 4G. Five-year warranty. The engineering-first choice.
• Andersen Quartz — £695. Tethered or untethered, IP65, seven-year warranty, solar diversion via CT clamp. The architecture-first choice.

The £195 gap is wide enough to matter and narrow enough to agonise over. It shouldn't be.

What the Zaptec's £195 saving actually buys

At £500, the Zaptec Go 2 packs in more functional hardware than chargers costing half as much again. The MID-approved energy meter gives you legally certified readings — useful for workplace mileage claims, landlord billing, or just knowing exactly what you're spending. The built-in 4G is subscription-free, which means the charger stays connected even if your home Wi-Fi doesn't reach the driveway. And then there's V2G readiness: the Go 2 is the only AC home charger in the UK certified for vehicle-to-grid when the infrastructure catches up.

That last point is the asterisk. V2G remains a future proposition — the trials exist, the regulation is inching forward, but nobody is earning money from it on a domestic AC charger today. If you're sceptical about the timeline, the V2G badge is a nice-to-have rather than a reason to buy. But the MID meter and the 4G are useful *now*, and they're included at a price that undercuts the Quartz by nearly 30%.

The trade-off is cosmetic. The Zaptec is a small white rectangle. It weighs 3.2 kg and does nothing to charm the eye. If your charger sits inside a garage, that's irrelevant. If it sits beside a listed front door, it might not be.

When the Andersen Quartz earns its price

Andersen's whole proposition is that a charger shouldn't look like a charger. Eleven standard colours, plus Accoya and carbon inserts for those who want their wall box to coordinate with the window frames. At 286 × 172 × 110 mm, the Quartz is compact enough to tuck beside a porch light. IP65 means it handles exposed, rain-lashed walls better than the Zaptec's IP54.

The seven-year warranty is genuinely long — matched only by the Andersen A3 in the current market. That's two extra years over the Zaptec, which matters if you plan to stay in the house. The included CT clamp handles basic solar diversion without buying extra kit, and Intelligent Octopus Go integration means the charger can chase the 7p/kWh off-peak window without manual scheduling. OVO Charge Anytime support at 14p/kWh is there too.

But — and this is the sticking point — the Quartz's OZEV approval is not confirmed. For eligible renters and flat owners, that means the £500 grant may not apply. The Zaptec *is* OZEV-approved. On a grant-eligible install, the Zaptec's unit price is covered outright by the £500 grant, with the remainder chipping into install costs. The Quartz, without confirmed approval, stays at £695 out of pocket. That turns a £195 gap into something closer to £695 against a near-zero unit cost — a different conversation entirely.

Smart tariff handling: neither is the best

Neither charger is a tariff optimiser in the way the Ohme Home Pro is. The Zaptec offers scheduled charging through its app — set a window, walk away — but has no direct energy supplier integrations. The Quartz has Intelligent Octopus Go and OVO Charge Anytime, which is a step ahead for managed off-peak charging.

On a fixed-window tariff like Octopus Go at 8.5p/kWh between 00:30 and 05:30, both chargers do the job: you schedule the session, the car charges. On Octopus Agile, where rates shift every 30 minutes, neither can chase the cheapest slots automatically. If half-hourly optimisation is the priority, neither of these is the right charger — the Ohme Home Pro vs Zaptec Go 2 comparison covers that ground more usefully.

The verdict

Buy the Zaptec Go 2 if:

• You want the most functional hardware for £500 — MID meter, free 4G, V2G-readiness
• You're OZEV-eligible and want a charger the grant covers outright
• The charger sits in a garage or on a wall where looks don't matter

Buy the Andersen Quartz if:

• The charger will be visible from the street and you want it to look considered
• A seven-year warranty matters more than V2G certification
• You're on Intelligent Octopus Go or OVO Charge Anytime and want native integration

For most buyers, the Zaptec Go 2 is the better charger. It does more, costs less, and its grant eligibility makes it effectively free at the unit level for qualifying households. The Andersen Quartz is a good charger wrapped in a better-looking case — but £195 is a lot to pay for finishes and two extra warranty years when the cheaper option has more useful technology inside it. Put the savings toward a decent Type 2 cable and a proper install.