Zaptec Go 2 vs CTEK Chargestorm Connected 3: £586 apart — who needs the heavy kit?

A domestic charger and a car-park unit walk onto your wall

The Zaptec Go 2 weighs 3.2 kg. The CTEK Chargestorm Connected 3 weighs up to 24 kg. That ratio — roughly seven to one — tells you most of what you need to know about this pairing. One is a residential smart charger with a future-facing V2G certification. The other is commercial charging infrastructure that happens to have OZEV approval.

The Zaptec costs £500. The CTEK costs £1,086. The gap is £586 before you even consider installation, which is where the CTEK's bill climbs further still.

• Zaptec Go 2 — lightweight, V2G-ready, subscription-free 4G, £500. A home charger that bets on tomorrow.
• CTEK Chargestorm Connected 3 — 24 kg of IK10-rated hardware with built-in Type B RCD, OCPP 2.0.1, and RFID. A semi-commercial unit priced accordingly.

What the £586 buys — and what it doesn't

Both chargers deliver ~7.4kW on single-phase and up to 22kW on three-phase. Both carry five-year warranties. Both have MID-approved energy meters. Both are untethered with Type 2 sockets. On paper, the daily charging experience is identical for a single-phase household with one car.

The CTEK's extra £586 buys three things. First, a built-in MRCD Type B — the DC fault protection that most chargers leave to an external device in the consumer unit. That saves £80–£150 on the install, clawing back a fraction of the premium. Second, OCPP 2.0.1 and ISO 15118 plug-and-charge support, which are forward-looking protocols the Zaptec's 1.6J doesn't cover. Third, IK10 impact resistance and a -30°C to +50°C operating range — overkill for a garage wall in Surrey, defensible for an exposed commercial forecourt.

What it does *not* buy is smart-tariff intelligence. Neither charger integrates directly with Octopus Intelligent Go or OVO Charge Anytime. The Zaptec's own app handles basic scheduling. The CTEK doesn't even have a first-party app — scheduling goes through Monta or another OCPP back-end, which is fine for a fleet manager and fiddly for someone who just wants to charge at 7p/kWh overnight.

If tariff automation matters, neither charger is the right answer. The Ohme Home Pro at £535 or the Ohme ePod at £409 both talk to suppliers natively. That comparison — Ohme versus Zaptec — is covered properly in the Ohme Home Pro vs Zaptec Go 2 page.

The three-phase question

This is the only scenario where the CTEK starts to justify itself. If you have — or are installing — a three-phase supply, the Chargestorm Connected 3 is a genuinely capable 22kW unit with the safety gear built in. The Zaptec Go 2 also handles three-phase, but the CTEK's heavier construction, dual Ethernet, and RFID access control make it a more credible choice for shared driveways, small workplaces, or landlords offering charging to tenants.

For that use case, the CTEK's install cost of £900–£1,300 is less alarming — you were already spending serious money on the three-phase supply upgrade. And the £500 OZEV grant (available to eligible renters and flat owners) brings the unit down to £586, which is competitive for what amounts to a light-commercial charger.

But here is the uncomfortable truth: fewer than one in twenty UK homes have three-phase power. If yours is single-phase, the CTEK is a 24 kg slab of capability you cannot access, charging at the same 7.4kW the Zaptec delivers for £586 less.

The Zaptec's V2G bet versus the CTEK's protocol depth

The Zaptec Go 2 is the only AC home charger in the UK certified V2G-ready. That is a genuine differentiator — *if* vehicle-to-grid becomes a practical, revenue-generating reality within the charger's five-year warranty. The CTEK counters with ISO 15118 and OCPP 2.0.1, protocols that matter more to charge-point operators than to someone plugging in a Model 3 after work. Both are bets on the future. The Zaptec's bet costs £500; the CTEK's costs £1,086.

For buyers whose interest in V2G is more immediate and who want a charger built around that capability, the Indra Smart PRO at £599 is worth a look — the Zaptec Go 2 vs Indra Smart PRO comparison lays that out.

The verdict

Buy the Zaptec Go 2 if:

• You have single-phase supply and want a light, competent charger at £500
• V2G readiness appeals and you'd rather not pay four figures for it
• Subscription-free 4G and a MID meter matter — for mileage claims, say, or employer reimbursement

Buy the CTEK Chargestorm Connected 3 if:

• You have three-phase supply and want a robust 22kW unit with built-in Type B RCD
• You're fitting a shared or semi-commercial install where RFID and OCPP 2.0.1 earn their keep
• You need Eichrecht-compliant metering for billing tenants or employees

For a standard UK home with a single-phase supply and one EV on the drive, the Zaptec Go 2 is the clear pick. It does the same daily job, weighs a seventh as much, and leaves £586 in your pocket — enough to cover the install and still have change. The CTEK is a fine piece of engineering aimed at a buyer most of us are not.