Zaptec Go 2 vs CTEK Chargestorm Connected 3

> V2G boundary: A “V2G-ready” label or ISO 15118 support does not by itself provide bidirectional power conversion, export approval or a live energy service. Confirm the compatible car, genuinely bidirectional hardware, certified complete system, installer, service and network approval before assigning value to the claim. Read the UK V2G explainer.

£448 and a question of supply

The Zaptec Go 2 costs £638. The CTEK Chargestorm Connected 3 costs £1,086. Both are untethered, both handle up to 22kW on three-phase, both carry five-year warranties. The gap between them — £448 — is larger than the price of several complete chargers on the market.

That gap needs to justify itself. For most domestic buyers, it cannot.

• Zaptec Go 2 — £638, 3.2 kg, V2G-ready, subscription-free 4G, MID meter. The lighter, cheaper, more forward-looking unit.
• CTEK Chargestorm Connected 3 — £1,086, 24 kg, built-in Type B RCD, IK10 impact rating, OCPP 2.0.1. Engineered for semi-commercial duty, priced accordingly.

The single-phase reality

Roughly 97% of UK homes run single-phase. On single-phase, both chargers deliver ~7.4kW. That is the same speed, the same overnight charge, the same result in the morning. The CTEK's three-phase 22kW hardware sits idle — expensive ballast on a wall.

The Zaptec also supports 22kW on three-phase and auto-switches between the two. It weighs 3.2 kg against the CTEK's 24 kg, which tells you something about the engineering philosophy: one is a domestic product built to scale up; the other is a commercial unit that happens to be OZEV-approved for homes.

If your home is single-phase — and it almost certainly is — the CTEK's price makes no sense. You are paying £448 extra for a Type B RCD you may not need (your installer would otherwise fit one externally for £80–£150), an IK10 impact rating designed for car parks, and protocol support aimed at fleet managers. None of that charges your car faster or cheaper.

Where the CTEK earns its keep

Three-phase supply changes the arithmetic. If you have it — or you are installing it as part of a broader upgrade — the CTEK becomes a more interesting proposition. Native 22kW charging, a built-in MID-approved and Eichrecht-compliant meter, OCPP 2.0.1 for future-proofed back-end integration, and that integrated Type B MRCD saving the installer a separate component.

The CTEK also supports ISO 15118 plug-and-charge and RFID authentication, which matter if you are running a shared charger — a workplace, a block of flats, a holiday let. Pair it with Monta or another OCPP platform and you have billing, access control, and load management without a proprietary lock-in. The Zaptec can do some of this via OCPP 1.6J, but the CTEK's 2.0.1 support and dual Ethernet give it a harder commercial edge.

Install costs reflect the divide. The Zaptec sits in the £400–£600 range typical of domestic units. The CTEK runs £900–£1,300, partly because of its weight and wiring complexity, partly because the kind of installation that needs a CTEK tends to involve longer cable runs or sub-main work. Total outlay — hardware plus install — can reach £2,400 for the CTEK against roughly £1,200 for the Zaptec. That is a different conversation entirely.

Neither charger talks to your tariff

A shared weakness. Neither unit offers direct integration with Octopus Intelligent Go or OVO Charge Anytime. Both support scheduled charging — set a window, walk away — but neither will chase half-hourly rates on Octopus Agile or let your supplier slot in extra cheap sessions the way an Ohme Home Pro does natively.

If smart-tariff optimisation matters to you more than three-phase headroom or V2G readiness, neither of these is the right charger. The Ohme Home Pro at £539 does that job for less than either unit here. Buyers weighing the Zaptec specifically against the Ohme will find a more detailed breakdown in the Ohme Home Pro vs Zaptec Go 2 comparison.

The verdict

Buy the Zaptec Go 2 if:

• Your home is single-phase — which is the overwhelming likelihood
• You want V2G-readiness label now, ahead of the technology maturing
• You prefer the lightest possible wall mount with subscription-free 4G and a MID meter

Buy the CTEK Chargestorm Connected 3 if:

• You have three-phase supply and want native 22kW without an adapter or compromise
• You need RFID access control, OCPP 2.0.1, or Eichrecht-compliant billing for shared use
• Your installation requires built-in Type B RCD protection and IK10 durability

For a standard UK home with a single-phase supply and a Tesla on the drive, the Zaptec Go 2 is the better buy — £448 cheaper, half a kilo heavier than a bag of flour, and an AC charger marketed as V2G-ready because it publishes ISO 15118 communication support. The CTEK is a fine piece of hardware aimed at a narrower audience. If you are not in that audience, you are overpaying for a car-park charger bolted to a house.