While the unit does weigh between 3kg–4.5kg, depending on your model, for a home charger, this is still pretty decent. The highly connected Andersen A2 is all about style. Sporting a Scandi-style minimalist design but made in the UK, the unit is designed to hide the cables away and can be customised in a number of different colours to coordinate with your home decor. The engineer may need to switch off your electricity supply to install your charger. So, it's a good idea to switch off any appliances or electronic equipment that may be affected, including any household alarms, before we start your installation. Some EV chargers offer energy management systems that allow you to charge your vehicle using only the green energy generated by your solar panels, or a mix of green and grid energy. For example, Wallbox provides Eco-Smart solar EV charging as a feature in their Pulsar Max and Copper SB models. This capability lets you choose between fully green or mixed charging modes, depending on your energy production and consumption at home. At 7.2kW, the EO Mini Pro 2 is competitive with other fast chargers in the industry, and the output is impressive for such a dinky home charger.

Installation takes around four hours and is relatively straightforward. The EO Mini Pro 2 requires a dedicated 30mA Type A RCD on the supply circuit and has integral 6mA DC leakage detection, so no Type B RCD is required. Smaller than a piece of A5 paper and equipped with simple LED status lights, the EO Mini Pro 2 is the most inconspicuous EV home charger on the market. It’s reliable, well-made, simple to use and gets the job done. However, solar is optional, the app is average, and installation requires an earthing device.The Ohme Home Pro is our favourite charger with a display, with a unique feature for kWh price caps.

We didn’t test the solar charging but our electrician says the feature works perfectly and he would recommend it to anyone with solar panels. While this feature may not be relevant if you currently don’t have solar panels it is a nice perk over some other charge points on the market, enabling further optimisation of the charging process. The Indra Smart PRO has the excellent Kaluza app, solar integration, and a BOOST button that overrides any schedules and charge settings for max power. Another plus with the EO Mini Pro 3 Smart Electric Vehicle Charger is its set of features. These are more quality than quantity in nature, but it’s another bonus with the British-made charger. For example, there’s built-in PME (Protective Multiple Earthings), which basically means there’s no requirement for earth rods helping to keep costs down and the installation is more straightforward as a result.The EO Mini Pro and Mini Pro 2, the latter of which offers greater connected control, fuse protection and solar charging integration, are so compact that you might not even notice there’s a home charge point installed. You can choose between 3.6kW or 7kW power delivery, and there’s even a choice of colours (albeit a limited one). The Zappi v2.1 is the best EV charger for solar panels and renewables, with feeds for these and special charge modes for balancing. Charger Comparisons Zappi vs Ohme As the electric vehicle market grows and changes there are likely to be rapid changes in EV home chargers and electric vehicles in general. The EO system is a modular system so upgrades and changes are easy. You can easily add more EV charging points at home, to make sure you have enough charge points installed as your home charger needs change. The white EO Mini Pro 2 blends in with white and light stone walls and is a better choice when situated next to white installations. Charging experience Concerns over durability due to the size are unwarranted – this charger is a robust piece of kit. The case is made from ABS (UL94 HB Fire Rated), and it has IP54 protection, so it’s protected from water spray in any direction.

Charging schedule management is a crucial feature for users who want to maximise their solar energy usage and minimise costs associated with charging their electric vehicles. With charging schedule management features, users can set up customised charging schedules that prioritise solar energy in peak generation periods. For example, the Hypervolt Home 2.0 and Wallbox Pulsar Plus offer smart scheduling options that allow users to automate their charging, ensuring the highest possible use of solar energy.As an added safety feature, the app will not allow charging to go live if your vehicle’s AMP (power) level is incorrect. While this can be annoying, it is for the client’s benefit; if the AMP setting is wrong, it can damage your electric vehicle’s battery!