Electric car charging point installers

Installing an EV charger without a driveway might be possible, depending on where you park and what your local authority allows.

EV charging options for on-street parking include pavement cable channels, nearby lamp-post charging, community charging schemes, or workplace charging.

Installing an EV charger usually won't affect your home insurance, but you should tell your insurer once it's been fitted.

Most insurers simply want to know that the charger has been installed safely by a qualified professional. Choosing a reliable installer like Cinergi gives you the paperwork and reassurance you need and helps avoid issues if you ever need to make a claim.

Most home EV charger installations run from a 7kW single-phase supply, which is sufficient for overnight charging and suits the majority of households. Some properties, particularly business premises, can access faster charging via a three-phase supply. As part of the survey, we’ll check whether your existing supply can safely support an EV charger or whether upgrades are needed.

A 7kW charger is roughly twice as fast as a 3.6kW charger. For most homes with a single-phase electricity supply, 7kW is the standard option. However, the right option depends on your electrical supply, your car and how you use it. Cinergi can help you choose a charger that suits your home and your driving habits, so you aren't left guessing.

This depends on your energy provider, tariff, vehicle efficiency and charging habits. It's possible to charge an EV at home for as little as 2p per mile. That could be as little as £140 a year based on the UK average of 7000 miles a year, with an off-peak smart EV tariff rate of around 7p/kWh, such as Intelligent Octopus Go (as of July 2026), and an assumed EV efficiency of 3.5 miles per kWh. Actual costs vary depending on your energy tariff, vehicle efficiency, charger compatibility, charging habits and driving style.

A tethered charger has a cable permanently attached to the charger, so you can simply plug in when you get home. For most EV owners, this is the most convenient choice, especially if you charge the same vehicle every day.

An untethered charger, also known as a socketed charger, does not have a fixed cable. Instead, you use your own cable each time, which many people store in the boot of their car, which can make the car charger look neater on the wall.

Most modern home EV charging points are smart chargers. This means they can connect to an app, allowing you to schedule charging, monitor energy use and make better use of off-peak EV tariffs where available.

EV charger installation is usually straightforward, especially if you have private off-street parking. A standard installation involves mounting the charger, routing the cable, connecting it to your electrical supply and completing the required safety checks. You can usually expect it to take no longer than one day, unless your layout is more complex.

As a rough guide, standard installation, including the charging unit, comes in around £1,000. The final price depends on the distance from your fuse box to the charger location, how complex the cable routing is, and whether you need any electrical upgrades.

The vast majority of modern EVs have the universal Type 2 connector, so they can be charged with any of the models that Cinergi installs. Older cars sometimes use the type 1 connector, but this is rare, and there are untethered solutions for this.

While most EV chargers can be installed in a home alongside solar and battery storage, not all can make the most of the energy your panels generate. Cinergi recommends chargers that can communicate with your wider energy system to help you reduce your bills or maximise self-consumption. This is a great example of how our expertise across all home renewables can benefit you. We look at the system as a whole to give you the best return on your investment.

How long an EV charger takes to pay for itself depends on your installation cost, energy tariff, mileage, and savings versus public charging.

As a realistic example, if your home charger costs around £1,000 to install and you drive 8,000 miles a year, switching most of your charging from public fast or rapid chargers to a smart overnight home tariff could save around £980 a year. In that scenario, the charger could pay for itself in just over one year.

Workings: home charging at 7p/kWh ÷ 3.5 miles per kWh = 2p per mile. Public fast or rapid charging at 50p/kWh ÷ 3.5 miles per kWh = 14.3p per mile. Estimated saving: 12.3p per mile. 8,000 miles × 12.3p = £984 per year. £1,000 installation ÷ £984 annual saving = 1.02 years.