Methodology

What this is

A research-led review site, not a hands-on installer's blog. Every charger here has been studied from spec sheets, manufacturer documentation, the OZEV-approved chargepoint register, BEAMA references, owner reports across the UK forums, and the chargers' own apps where I've had access. None of them have been physically installed by me.

Why this approach

Most "hands-on" reviews of UK home chargers are one installer's experience, and don't generalise. A charger that worked beautifully for the YouTuber in Surrey can fail repeatedly in a Manchester semi with a 60-amp main fuse. Aggregating across hundreds of owner reports gives a more honest picture than any single install. It's also what my Mechanical Engineering training recommends: model the system, source the data, show the numbers.

Where the data comes from

• Manufacturer data sheets and OEM technical documentation
• The OZEV-approved chargepoint register
• BEAMA Smart Charger working group references
• Owner-report aggregation: Speak EV, Tesla Owners UK, /r/electricvehicles, /r/TeslaUK, Trustpilot, Google reviews
• Manufacturer apps and tariff-integration documentation, cross-checked against owner reports
• Live charger unit-price tracking from manufacturer and Amazon

How the cost figures work

Every cost figure on the site is calculated from first principles, not pulled from a press release. The total-cost-of-ownership model takes:

1. Live charger unit price
2. Typical installation cost, by region (£300–800 depending on cable run and consumer-unit work)
3. OZEV grant eligibility, per buyer profile
4. Annual running cost (tariff p/kWh × car efficiency × annual mileage)

When a unit price changes, every page that references it updates the next time the data file ships.

Ranking weights

The buying guides — best Tesla home charger, cheapest EV charger, best smart EV charger, best charger for solar — score each charger against five criteria:

• Value for money (30%) — unit price relative to feature set, plus total installed cost
• Smart features (25%) — app, tariff integration, scheduling sophistication, connectivity
• Build quality and reliability (20%) — IP rating, warranty length, owner-reported failure rates
• Ease of installation (15%) — cable length, weight, RCD/SPD requirements
• Tesla-specific integration (10%) — app pairing, power-sharing, vehicle-API support

Where the money comes from

Affiliate links on a few of the chargers, plus the installer-quote form. I don't accept manufacturer money for placement, ranking, or favourable language. The cheapest charger is ranked #1 because it deserves to be — not because it pays the highest commission. If a manufacturer sends a charger as a review sample, that fact is declared on the charger's page.

Corrections

If a number's wrong, a charger's missing, or your install experience contradicts the aggregate, tell me via LinkedIn. Genuine corrections get applied — and credited, where the reporter wants the credit.