EV charger at home — grants, eligibility and what to know
Most homes with off-street parking can have a dedicated EV charge point fitted to the consumer unit. Government grants still exist — but now mainly for renters and flat owners/landlords with eligible parking, rather than all homeowners. Before you install, it's worth checking your consumer unit's spare capacity, where the car parks, and that a smart charger suits your electricity tariff.
Can your home take a charger?
Most can. A home charge point is a dedicated circuit run from your consumer unit to a wall-mounted unit near where you park. The main things that matter are off-street parking, a sensible cable route, and whether your existing board has spare capacity and the right protection — sometimes a consumer-unit upgrade is sensible alongside.
Grants — who can still get one
The grant landscape has narrowed over time. Broad grants for homeowners have largely ended, but support still exists for specific groups — notably renters and people in flats with eligible off-street parking, and landlords. Eligibility and amounts change, so check the current position on the official government (OZEV) pages before assuming.
Smart chargers and tariffs
New home charge points must be 'smart' — they can schedule charging and respond to the grid. That's good news, because pairing a smart charger with an off-peak EV tariff is where the real savings are: charging overnight at a lower rate. If you have solar, a charger can also top up from surplus generation.
Do I need a 7kW or 22kW charger?
Almost all homes use a 7kW charger — it's a standard single-phase supply and charges most cars fully overnight. 22kW needs a three-phase supply, which most homes don't have, and many cars can't use it anyway.
Will I need to upgrade my fuse box?
Sometimes. The charger needs its own protected circuit; if your board is full or older, an upgrade may be the tidy, compliant way to add it. We'll tell you after a look.
Are home EV chargers safe to leave overnight?
Yes — a properly installed, smart charger with the correct protection is designed for unattended overnight charging, which is how most people use them.